KnightDisciple

Suddenly, a hand made of blue fire flared into existence, right over the green fire Blake was juggling. The hand clenched shut, and Blake's "toy" was snuffed out. The hand was almost immediately gone as well. If and when Blake turned to investigate, he would see Corbin standing in the doorway, wearing jeans, a white t-shirt, a denim jacket, and an unreadable expression. "I gave my parents the 5-minute version. They're fine with you having stayed the night, and they're fine with you staying here as long as you need to, your pride be damned. But it would probably be best if we don't scorch the floor. Come on." With that he straightened up from where he'd been leaning against the door frame, and gestured for Blake to follow him. A couple of minutes later, they ought to be in Corbin's blue early 00's Mercedes sedan, and on the road heading to Claremont. "Just so you're not going in blind...Summers knows. About your powers. Quo-Dis told him. I don't necessarily agree with her timing, but...It was going to happen anyways. Way I see it, right now we're getting over there as soon as we can. I'll do what I can to stand in your court, Blake. But any way you look at it, this is a bit of a difficulty. Just have to stick with it."

Corbin groaned as he slowly woke up. He'd slept fitfully, the rather busy day having left his mind rather full of random thoughts and even fears. He privately shared Quo-Dis's hesitation about Blake's powers, but he still sought to try and support his friend. "<Yeah yeah. I'm up, I'm up. Gah. Yeah, I know the look. I'll make sure Blake's up and around, and we'll get over there ASAP. I guess after that, I'll have to swing by Jessica's apartment. That'll sure be a fun time, yes sir.>" Quo-Dis could almost taste the mental sarcasm in that sentence. Still, Corbin got himself up out of bed and began his morning rituals. "<See you soon, darlin'. I'm thinkin' less than an hour, between getting ready and driving over.>" Corbin was walking through the hall to the bathroom he typically used when he saw Blake heading toward the one next to it. "Blake, head's up. Make it as quick as you can, Summers wants us at Claremont as soon as we can get there. I'll drive, but try not to daydream too much." With that, he walked into his bathroom and shortly started his shower.

Reflex DC 20, Toughness DC 25/20. Reflex: 19+7: 26 Toughness: 17+16:33

"My parents taught me to never take food or drink from strangers." He moved surprisingly gracefully for someone so large, ducking behind a nearby crate for the split second that it survived the blast from the apparently insane woman. The ash and fire that then washed over him seemed to do nothing at all as he turned to face her once more. Cobalt Templar closed the distance in nearly the blink of an eye, like a living comet of blue flame. His right hand pulled back and forms into an enormous blue hand that lashed right at the pyromaniac's face. "And lady, they don't come much stranger than you."

Okay. She's bruised, and I've decided there's not much point in Power-Attacking a Defense-shifted build. So! Free Action: Switch to Strike in Holy Fire Control. Move Action: Get next to Crazy Fire Lady Free Action: All-Out Attack 5: Defense is 1, Attack is +16 Standard Action: Melee Attack Fire Lady Because that's only 21. Hero Point Reroll. But with the reroll, that becomes 31. DC 26 Toughness Save.

"Well. If this is the lowest point, you might count yourself blessed. The world can be a mean place, Blake. Just remind yourself it'll go up from here. And like I said before, you're one of my best friends. Kind of like a brother. One who's a bit boneheaded sometimes, but that's the way it goes. And I think talking options with Nick is good. But for what it's worth, I'm sure we can house you for more than a day here. Might be better, actually. Parkhurst is a good place, as I understand it, but most of those folks are past schooling. I'd wager it's busy enough there it'd be hard to study. Here, we have more quiet space, and my parents are already in the mindset of keeping my keester on track for school. Up to you. How about you make a call to Claremont tomorrow while I get your stuff. Then we move from there." He clapped one huge hand on his friend's shoulder. "And yes. There's plenty of time to make things right. Go get some sleep. It's what I'm doing. You can stay there." He points to a room 3 doors down the hall from his room. He points to another door on the opposite side of the hall. "Bathroom there. Night Blake." And he quietly slipped into his own room to collapse into sleep for at least a few hours.

Cobalt Templar waited a few moments after Hiroshima Shadow fled, and he was sure that Black Star was still secure in Wraith's grasp, before he allowed himself to relax. At the moment, "relaxing" meant leaning against the nearby wall taking deep, pained breaths as he let his armor slowly rebuild itself. He was still a bit weak from the combined efforts of the Shadow and Black Star. He nodded as Citizen briefed the others. "Yeah. These canes timidi can't bear the thought of actually facing their enemies alone. Or face to face." He sent Blackstar a glare. "Yeah, let me tell you, you're real scary, Mr. "Attack from behind". Truly a terror of the cosmos. Bah. I've fought scarier." Then Sage relayed what was going on on the roof. CT frowned. "Hm. So that's Stratos, Blackstar, and Hiroshima Shadow. We can't leave this guy alone. Um...." He thought toward Sage. -Maybe we leave Wraith and Papercut here, to keep an eye on Blackstar, maybe with Citizen as well, then you, me, and Ghost Girl go up to take out Green Spooky and the Rain Man?-

Corbin had somewhat meekly stepped to the side when he saw Quo-Dis floating there in all her power and glory. He felt torn between standing up for his friend, and acknowledging some of the legitimate points his lover was making. 'I hope she's not too angry at me...Crap. Mental link.' He managed not to facepalm at that thought. But then Quo-Dis mentioned purging and killing, and accused Blake of liking his powers, and Corbin didn't like where this was going. So, ringless that he might be, he stepped in between the two other teenagers. "Whoa there darling. I get where you're coming from. I do. And it's good to know there are options available. But let's not talk about options that leave one of my best friends dead." He looked between the two of them and sighed. "How about a truce for the night? I really would like to sleep at least a few hours tonight. I'm sure Blake would too. And I'd rather not wake my parents up in the middle of the night. So, those of us who are going to sleep, let's sleep, and in the morning, we talk this over, a bit more calmly. Is that good with both of you?"

"You didn't wreck the school or put lives in danger. I think there's a good chance Summers will let you back in, especially if you apologize. I'll vouch for you, if you promise to not slack off or ditch again. I figure my word has at least a tiny bit of weight to it. And yeah, it's no trouble going over there. Worst case, she shoots at me. I've had worse, probably will just tickle. Anyways. This way. Oh, and make sure you don't have your game face on, and walk quietly." With that, Corbin started to lead Blake through the Hughes home, which was quite large, with several extra bedrooms and bathrooms. Still, the decorations had a somewhat cozy feel to them, so it wasn't like some big gloomy mansion from the movies. For his part, Corbin was trying to figure out the best way to talk to his parents about this, the best way to convince Summers to give Blake another chance, and the best way to not make things worse between his best friend and potentially-ex girlfriend.

Corbin shook his head at the magical toothbrush. "Yeah yeah, very fancy, get on in here." Once Blake was inside, Corbin closed the hefty wooden door and locked it, turning around with a pensive look on his face. "Let's see...which room to put you in..." He glanced at his friend's still-empty hands. "Um. Maybe I should go by her place tomorrow? To get your stuff, that is. Might be better if you two don't come face-to-face so soon after a fight like that one. This'll give you a couple days to calm down and cool off, at least." Corbin was personally hoping Blake and Jessica would work things out; they really seemed to like each other, despite all their faults. "Anyways. I'll get you over to a room, and point out the bathroom. We can explain things to my parents in the morning. They might be a little surprised, but I'll smooth things over, don't worry. I just hope Quo-Dis didn't get totally woken up..."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up squid-face. But hey, we're brothers in arms, really. It comes with the territory." He hung up the phone after a few moments, and cast his gaze around the room, before standing and walking over to his dresser. It took him a few moments, but he ended up wearing some gym-style shorts and a tank top. He glanced at his bed before padding out of the room, phone still clutched in his hand as he made his way to the front door. It was reflex to adjust the alarm system to not go off when he unlocked the front door in preparation for his friend's arrival. When he saw Blake's text, he opened the door, still a bit bleary-eyed, but with a slight smile on his face. "Come on in, man. Do you have any bags or anything?"

Corbin blearily rubbed his eyes as he listened to Blake, positioning himself so he was sitting on the floor, back against the bed. His frown deepened a bit as Blake spoke, before he sighed. "Blake, you're one of my best friends. You're my first friend at Claremont, and the dude who helped me dig up the courage to ask my girlfriend on a date. Not only do you not have to pay money, do housework, or cook, you can stay in our really big house for as long as you need. My parents will understand. Crap happens, dude. But you're getting a room a couple doors down from mine, fair warning." He looked at the clock. "How long before you get yourself over here?"

Despite Blake's most fervent hopes, Corbin was indeed asleep, happily curled up in his king-sized bed at home. School wasn't quite in full swing yet, so he tried to sneak in a couple weeknights of staying at the house with his folks; it was about the only way he got to see them some weeks, since they often did business trips over weekends. Not that he was quite alone in his bed tonight... Which made it more awkward when his phone blared out a Trans-Siberian Orchestra song out of nowhere, shocking Corbin to wakefulness. With an undignified sound that he'd later insist in no way resembled a "squawk", he all but jumped from the bed, hitting the floor with a "thud", before he frantically pulled the phone down to where he was staring at the ceiling in the dark. 'It's a good thing mom and dad are on the other side of the house...' As he listened to who was on the phone, and what he said, his wit sharpened a bit. "Blake? Blake, what's going on?"

When Blackstar struck, Cobalt Templar staggered forward, his gun-construct disappearing even as a hole was torn in his armor. His eyes clenched shut for several moments in pain, before he heard the radioactive ghost threaten his friends and teammates. Suddenly the expression of pain shifted to rage, and he shot through the air with a roar erupting from his mouth. "YOU WON'T TOUCH THEM!" Instinctively, he seemed to grip thin air, before a katana of blue light formed in his hands, ghostly flames rolling off the blade. With a wordless cry, he brought the blade smashing down right next to the green ghost's neck, pouring all his pain, his anger, and his desire to protect others into the blow. "HA!"

Right, my turn. Free Action: Hero Point to remove the Daze. Free Action: Shift Array to Strike (which counts as both Penetrating and Affects Insubstantial 2) Move Action: To get up next to Hiroshima Shadow. Standard Action: Melee Attack! 31 means crit, baby! So that'll be a DC 31 Toughness Save!

The fires wash over Cobalt Templar, but do nothing to him. "Thanks. Needed a tan anyways." With a wave of one of his arms, the last of the flames clinging to him winked out of existence. The young hero in blue set himself on the deck of the ship, feet wide apart as he considered his opponent. "You know what. All I wanted this morning was some donuts. Now I'm stuck fighting you, Miss Crazy Fire Lady, all to free unjustly imprisoned people your employers have experimented on. And my girlfriend's probably going to get cranky at me." He moved his hands together, cupping them to one side of his body as blue flames appeared in mid-air and swirled to a growing sphere between his hands. This went on for several seconds until it was the size of a basketball, the compacted flames roiling around. CT gave a vicious grin. "Which makes me cranky too." Then he throws the sphere of fire with great gusto. Unfortunately, it was so much gusto that it just barely missed striking the apparently insane woman. Templar frowned as he considered his target. 'Less power, more accuracy.'

First off, Toughness save. 26, barely squeaks by a save! Now, to counter-attack! Free Action: Switch to Blast in Holy Fire Control Array Free Action: All-Out Attack 5: Attack is 16, Defense is 1 Power Attack 5: Attack is 11, Toughness Save DC is 31 Standard Action: Ranged Attack! 16 isn't enough. Hero Point Reroll. 22 also isn't enough! Argh! :evil:

Cobalt Templar didn't let her get any distance on him, burning through the air until he was right in her face again. His own expression was one of carefully controlled anger and distaste. "Then I will fight. I will struggle! No matter the cost, I will fight for the freedom of those who can't fight for themselves! Now sit down and shut up you crazy γυναίκα!" With that, he suddenly jabbed his solid-flame spear forward once more; at first, it didn't seem like it would hit at all, but he suddenly changed the direction of the swing, and the spearhead slammed into her left side with little warning. "Ha!"

Well then! Move Action: Make sure I'm in hittin' range of the crazy lady. Standard Action: Melee Attack! 19. Not good enough. Hero Point Reroll. 18 becomes 28, so it IS good enough. DC26 Toughness Save!

Wait, is it my turn?

Trimmed down Base Defense. Took out both Prone Fighting and Instant Up; since he can free-action stand up, no need to plan on him being prone. Trimmed his Fort and Reflex saves down a point each. Currently sitting at 148 out of 150. This is where I need to double check a couple of things with AA and Electra. Part of me considers just having him with higher speed than quickness, despite the ease of "I can run at 1k mph and do things 1k times faster".

Okay. Rough Draft Time. Notes: -Fluff is pretty empty, yes. I want to nail down what he can do, while AA and Electra help me round out the backstory and such. -He's not doing quite as much as I'd hoped in some ways. -He's 2PP over budget. Suggestions welcome. Player Name: KnightDisciple Character Name: Thoughtspeed Power Level: 10 150/150PP Trade-Offs: +5 Attack / -5 Damage, +5 Defense / -5 Toughness Unspent Power Points: 0 Progress To Bronze Status: 0/30 In Brief: Son of a time controller and a psychic, Thoughtspeed uses his strength of will to harness kinetic energy to move faster and fight harder, all for the cause of good! Alternate Identity: William Cline Identity: Secret Birthplace: Occupation: Affiliations: Family: Richard Cline "Fast-Forward" (Father); Paige Cline "Hologram" (Mother) Description: Age: 16 (DoB: Year [Optionally, Day & Month]) Gender: Male Ethnicity: Height: Weight: Eyes: Hair: *Pending* Power Descriptions: *Pending* History: *Pending* Personality & Motivation: *Pending* Powers & Tactics: *Pending* Complications: Name: [Description] Abilities: 4 + 10 + 10 + 2 + 4 + 4 = 34PP Strength: 14 (+2) Dexterity: 20 (+5) Constitution: 20 (+0) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 14 + 12 = 26PP Initiative: +17 Attack: +15 Melee, +7 Ranged Grapple: +17 Defense: +15 (+6 Base, +9 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -2 Saving Throws: 2 + 4 + 8 = 14PP Toughness: +5 (+5 Con) Fortitude: +7 (+5 Con, +2) Reflex: +9 (+5 Dex, +4) Will: +10 (+2 Wis, +8) Skills: 64R = 16PP Acrobatics 10 (+15) Disable Device 10 (+11) Escape Artist 10 (+15) Knowledge: Pop Culture 4 (+5) Notice 10 (+12) Search 10 (+12) Sleight of Hand 10 (+12) Feats: 28PP Accurate Attack Acrobatic Bluff All-Out Attack Attack Focus: Melee 8 Challenge (Fast Task) 1 (Acrobatic Feint) Defensive Attack Dodge Focus 9 Improved Initiative 3 Move-By Action Power Attack Skill Mastery (Acrobatics, Escape Artist, Notice, Sleight of Hand) Powers: 6 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 7 + 3 + 8= 29PP Communication 2 (100 ft, Extras: Area; Power Feats: Selective, Subtle) [6PP] Enhanced Feat 1(Uncanny Dodge: Mental) [1PP] Quickness 2 (x5) [2PP] Speed 2 (25 MPH) [2PP] Strike 3 (Extras: Autofire, Power Feats: Mighty) [7PP] Super-Movement 3 (Water-Walking, Wall-Crawling 2, Flaw: Only While Moving) [3PP] Temporal Power Reserve 4 (8 pp reserve; Quickness [up to 8 (x250)] or Speed [up to 8 (2,500 MPH) [8PP] Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC17 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Totals: Abilities (34) + Combat (26) + Saving Throws (14) + Skills (16) + Feats (28) + Powers (29) - Drawbacks (0) = 148/150 Power Points

Con is at 21, so Toughness is down 3, to +13. This is gonna hurt even if I ace the save. 31. So...Bruised and Dazed? I'll keep it for the moment.

Corbin's eyes were wide as he felt the heat of the blast narrowly miss his face. Then Hiroshima Shadow threatened his grandchildren (never mind Corbin didn't even have kids yet), and Cobalt Templar saw red. His face twisted into a snarl as he swung the large weapon strapped to his body around, the glowing muzzle pointed directly at the spirit of nuclear death. He all but roared his next words. "You'll never touch them, you monster! Let's rock!" The weapon made an odd chattering sound as it sent out tightly-packed pulses of firey energy. Any one of the pulses was likely enough to knock an average, full-grown man unconscious for a couple of days. CT only hoped it was enough to knock down Hiroshima Shadow.

Right, Corbin is both spooked and angry. He's going to go all-out on this one. Free Action: All-Out Attack 5: Attack is 16, Defense is 11. Power Attack 5: Attack is 11, Save DC is 31 Standard Action: Blast at HS. Corbin's attacks are Affects Insubstantial 2 by default. 19. that'll be a DC 31 Toughness Save.