Ari

GM Though Jubatus searched with all of his usual care and attentiveness, the so-called Manderley was nowhere to be found. A few of the other park-goers had seen him going out into the woods, but as it turned out, all signs of him vanished just a few feet into the trees. Even his scent halted abruptly. With a much more tentative air Constance suggested she suddenly seemed to vanish. Out of seemingly nowhere a slightly accented voice spoke to Tona the voice asked cheerily.

GM "Now then, first things first. Let's try something a little tougher than those walls, preferably something that would have cost about twenty times what that hackwork cost Green." Stepping forward into the edge of the pool of light, Kaiser abruptly slammed one of her hands into the ground, causing an eruption of earth from under her feet, a bulwark of black, volcanic stone suddenly shooting out of the ground and flowing with liquid movements that soon had flooded every crack of the passage behind her. Dusting off her grey hands and flashing a smile at the dragon floating above, Kaiser dashed forward over to the cannon, quickly beginning to tap away at the buttons. The inputs were apparently beginning of a start-up sequence, as a slow build of power could be sensed by both of the heroes: a humming noise growing in volume, and a surge of electricity at the edge of Voltage's mind. The metal man inside, meanwhile, gave a bull-like roar and slammed his head into the wall right next to the electric man's face, plowing into the wall with an explosion of concrete shards. His muffled curses broke out with violence.

So the order in Round 4 is: Kaiser: Unharmed-GM Angcrist: Bruised(x3)-GM Voltage: Bruised(x1), 3HP Stormbreaker: Unharmed, 0HP Alright, Kaiser will use Create Object to make a wall behind herself and block Stormbreaker's path, Move action move over to the cannon. Angcrist will go and try to headbutt Voltage, which is bound to do good things: 11. Miss! Voltage is up.

"We're goin' food-hunting? Awesome! I agree, it is a-" he stopped mid-stride, listening to something, his swarthy face brightening as he overheard Tona's words "Oh hey, Tona's gonna try and catch some rabbits with Sam." he glanced Elias as he walked beside the other boy "But yeah, it probably is a little late in the year to find much, but there's bound to be something to be found." he wasn't exactly a woodsman, and his steps were loud enough and crackled the underbrush enough to make sneaking up on any animals impossible with him around. "So..what are we looking for? Berries?"

El Heraldo quivered with barely-constrained rage, glaring at El Sierpe, and his brain so filled with vicious things to say in that moment he was perfectly silent. He went up behind the fat crime lord, placing a hand like a vise of iron on his left shoulder, and watched him like a hawk. His jaw was set, and his eyes burned in his head, and if he had been alone would have done something truly rash and foolish, but the cooler of the two heads prevailed within him. 'I should...seriously, he has the GALL to..okay, I'll just throw hi- No. We shall leave him to police and your courts. But he-! I saw that as well, Herald. He will be more harshly served by them than by you smashing him through walls and flailing at him. ...Fine.' "Do you wish me to call the police, Glow? He has a landline in the next room." was all he said aloud, glaring intently at the massive bulk under his red-gloved grip. He didn't dare say anything else. No use giving the loathsome man the chance to get under his skin even more.

Unfortunate. Trasher has no moves this round, thankfully. Combine goes again with the Power Attacking(+-3): 26. Incredible. That's a DC28 Toughness save, which Wave-Eye Interposes into. His save(he can't make it all, but he can try): 11. Failed. He is OUT! Round 10. Rubber Burner: Unharmed-GM Gabriel: Bruise(x2), 2HP Trasher: Bruise(x1), Disabled, Injured(x1), Staggered-GM Combine: Bruise(x1)-GM Rubber Burner tries to make an Intimidation check against Gabriel to try and Demoralize him: 24. Gabriel is up!

The stocky manacled teen blinked at the litany of forbidden actions. "W-wait, don't eat or drink? But, what about that feast? Are we just supposed to sit there and be all "No thanks, none for me"?" he asked in bafflement, scowling at the room around them, hating the place all the more. The lake shimmered outside the windows, and he suddenly realized that they were at the bottom of a lake "...Well, alright then, you know what you're doing in stuff like this. Ugh, hopefully there won't be after-dinner dancin' or gift-giving. These Twylyth guys sound like real killjoys, if that stuff kills you or whatever." he frowned at her again, blowing hair out of his face "I'll try to be patient, but I dunno if I can stick out for as long as we need to. I hate that Queen" he said with feeling, clenching his fists and dropping his voice to a savage mutter. Taking a second to regain his much reduced composure, he added quietly "Anything you want me to do where I am? Or do you guys already have a plan and I should just stick with not eating, dancing with or accepting gifts from people here, and not sleeping? Also hi guys." he added with a tense smile to Cigfa and Nisien.

"I hope you'll not be offended if I don't believe you there." Heraldo said crisply as he dropped the remnants of his 'hero' speaking style, something about the other boy's manner irritating him on some deep level. Removing his cloth mask with an easy movement, he looked grumpily at Elias. "So, your name is Elias? Nice to meet you, I'm Subito" he said with unfeigned warmth, shoving his irritation bodily aside and offering the other boy his hand with a broad, gleaming smile. "I dunno about everyone wearing a mask, but if you're a telepath, and someone's lookin' for ya, then Claremont's definitely where you wanna be! If you haven't had much practice with controllin' your powers, it'll be perfect." his smile faltered for an instant as he glanced at Blodeuwedd, for a moment he looked almost shy "What? It's true! Besides, that's what Blodeu's hero name means" he added defensively, blushing as he spoke "I..let's go, can we go now? Like I said earlier, me or Wisp can take you to the Academy if you want," he offered "Wisp doing it would be faster, of course. I'm guessing you were doing something around already, Blodeu? This area of town part of your patrol route?" he asked Cerys, casually dispelling the Banner into a golden fog that hung above him and standing at ease, though still awkward and looking more than a little flustered. '... Oh go on, say it. Say it! ...No, that would be too simple. Next time.'

Round 3 King of Suits: Unharmed, 3HP Crow: Unharmed, 1HP Super-MAX Crusaders(x7): Unharmed(6), Bruised(2, #3x1 and #5x1), Dazed(1) Bound(x2)-GM Crusaders(x2): Unharmed. King of Suits will attack #5, again with the Gauntlets, Sneak Attack!: 23. Hits, DC27 Toughness save: 20, so Bruised again, and Dazed. Then move out of the Fog with Speed! Crow is up.

GM The robot's arms were flung wide apart with a whine of servos moving faster than they had ever been built to, its legs locked up in a shower of harmless sparks, its eyes flickering fitfully as it fell face-first to the floor with a dull *whunk*. "[My name is not Mister Roboto, it is Trasher]" it protested weakly, its voice-box clearly failing. Combine stared in horror at the robot's fall, gave a short bark of anger and hurled himself through the air, his left leg turning into a immense hammer which he swung furiously at Gabriel's head only to watch in helpless anger as he whirled past and crashed into one of the filing cabinets , sending a mass of files into the air. "Oh hell no, you just blew out Trasher!" yelled the speedster furiously, lighting up and slamming his fist straight towards the shining sonic-master's body core "You're gonna pay for that, buddy!" The punch was surprisingly well-thrown, with weight and power behind it that belied the blazing man's lean frame. It sent a flash of pain across the body of the sonic champion, knocking him into the desk and briefly sending him out of the fight, but only until he got his footing and breath back. Combine jumped up from his resting place amongst the files, turning his entire left arm into a vicious-looking claw, and springing across the office he directed it squarely at the face of his enemy.

Alright, Young Britannia sees the guy flat against the ceiling, and both of them see the guy trying to hide down the hall. They both wear OVERTHROW outfits and have their heads covered with normal-looking combat helmets.

Alright, Round 9. Rubber Burner: Unharmed-GM Wave-Eye: Bruise(x2), Staggered, 0HP Gabriel: Bruise(x1), 2HP Trasher: Bruise(x1), Dazed, Disabled, Injured(x1), Staggered-GM Combine: Bruise(x1)-GM Rubber Burner Power Attacks(+-2) Gabriel: 23. Hits. DC25 Toughness save. Wave-Eye moves closer to the speedster, setting a Reaction to Interpose for the next attack that goes for Gabriel.

"Be thankful your kind has largely discarded that practice" Wave-Eye commented mildly "As one who has seen tribes pressed into service to fight their kinsmen, I would call this drafting mild indeed. Besides," he added with not a trace of the irony that ought by all rights to have been "better for us to be commanded by someone who knows what is going on than not. None of us had any notion of what had happened here before we were told, and blundering about trying to make sense of it all would be a poor introduction to this world." He looked at the map closely, observing where the lands of the Lenape lay. Critically inspecting the hologram he said cautiously "I am clearly not of either your race nor the Nazis. That and I could speak to them with ease, and as you have had dealings with the I assume they do speak your Latin as well? If you have no pressing task I could better help in, I might assist Ironclad in contacting the Lenape."

Yes. As it happens there's one dangling over an open and unfilled area of the dock.

"Have a great day you two!" Mary called out after them cheerfully, getting back to the shelves as they left. Subito responded "You too Mary! Hope your cat gets better soon." Subito looked at Serge irritably as they left the store "Look, could y'stop calling me 'Bito' all the time? I'll stop callin' you Surge if that'll do it" he offered, setting out for the arcade. "I mean, I don't really mind it, but...I don't want to give the wrong impression" he finished lamely as they walked towards the neon-lit entryway of the arcade. It wasn't the one that he and Serge had been playing at when that mirror woman from the Thieves Guild had attacked in Midtown, but the pair were known there, and the young man behind the desk gave them a friendly wave and a smile. "Hey Ted! Pool tickets, if you would be so kind." Subito said brightly, paying for their short stay and leading the way to the table. "Alright Serge, you wanna go first? Set up your, shall we say, dashing victory?" he asked with a gleeful grin and a wink of one hazel eye. Taking up one of the pool cues and twirling it with expert fingers he watched his taller friend expectantly.

Heraldo blinked in surprise when he realized that he had actually made an impression. He looked away from Strongarm looming above him, looking up at the clouds for a second before inspiration struck. Sitting up and supporting himself on his elbows he said, around the bruises forming on his torso that had begun to painfully throb"As you say Strongarm, maybe you would have to go somewhere obscure to make a difference and have an effect in the world, somewhere that doesn't already have lot's of defenders. Guess what? That should be what we do anyway! Our task is not to be famed, or to hold ourselves above others, or to prove some point, it is to give our all to defend the people of the world from dangers without and within!" getting laboriously to his feet, using the Banner to keep from crashing back onto the roof due to his shaking legs, he went on "People come here because this place is the focus of a lot of the world's most bizarre threats, and is famed as a place where heroes have been made, but this is not the only place in the world in need of such as you and I. I'm here to train in how to use my powers, and at the end of this instruction I will go back to Puerto Rico, which needs defending as much as any place on Earth. Everyone, everywhere would be grateful to have such as you in their corner, even for what you might think of as minor problems not worth your time." He stepped up to the imposing holographic man in front of him, looking straight up into his eyes "And you know what else? If material gain is so important to you, use your powers to gain a job in an industry that would jump at the chance to have someone with might like yours! They'll pay you more than any theft, and be far less likely to stab you in the back afterwards. But as always, the choice is yours." That said, he rose into the air in a flare of golden fog, now the same height as the other man.

As the fairy royal strode off Subito glared after her until she was out of sight, tugging irritably at the bracelets still clinging to his limbs and neck. Turning to Blodeuwedd he muttered gratefully "Thanks a lot for that. I don't think I could've stood bein' around her for a minute longer before clobbering her." he scowled at the entrancingly beautiful floor for a second, getting to his feet and folding his arms over his chest, asking quietly "So, what's the plan? If y'need somebody to punch out walls I can't help there, these things" he gestured to the bracelets "they break my connection to the Dama Azul somehow, I can't transform." he looked at her hopefully "Please tell me we're getting out of here soon, I can't stand listening to these guys talk." he added, pulling a wry face.

A DC25 Diplomacy roll for Heraldo, collect them all! 13. Rerolling(0HP left)!: 29! Whoa.

GM A second dull thud resounded along with the dull clang of the shield striking both their would-be-if-they-weren't-being-clobbered assailant and one of her many firearms with tremendous force, sending her staggering against the side of nearby boxcar, clutching her left ribs as she began to sin- A second dull thud resounded along with the dull clang of the shield striking both their would-be-if-they-weren't-being-clobbered assailant and one of her many firearms with tremendous force, sending her staggering against the side of nearby boxcar, her pistol-holding hand going back to her side, having just barely managed to shield herself from the worst of the whirling disk of metal. She obviously wasn't about to start blasting away at them, however, panting heavily in the warm night air, her gun-less hand supporting herself shakily.

Alright, moving inside the two don't meet much observable resistance, although the doors do slam shut behind them and resist all attempts to open them. A DC24 Notice check and another Notice check at DC18 for Young Britannia and Asad, please.

GM Stepping back for a moment to reassess his target, Rubber Burner was startled when he dashed forward and began another flurry of savage blows at the shining man, only to find his knuckles slamming against the iron hide of Wave-Eye, grinning visibly through the smoke-darkened helmet nonetheless as he found that his burning hands were charring and tearing straight into the fishman's skin. In a moment the room was suddenly in further turmoil, as Combine's left hand suddenly lashed out like a steel hook, curving through the air to snatch hold of Wave-Eye's neck yet lashing just short of his target's nose; the robot held Gabriel perfectly still, jolting slightly from brief surges of power within its badly damaged innards, groaning slightly as it spoke "[be quick, I cannot hold him still eternally.]" Kicking aside the kneeling triton, the motorcycle man darted forward in another dizzying rain of attacks, laughing happily as every whirring hook sailed true into the mighty breastplate, leaving unsightly sooty smears all over it, leaving large patches of singed cloth on his robes, and following up the body blows with two powerful strikes across each cheek. Combine strode over to the fallen Wave-Eye, surveying him with a smirk "G'bye, Lagoon Boy. You were a pain" he snarled, lifting one of his feet, which was now a solid block of lead, and drove it straight through the floor next to the triton's head, which he stared at with irritation for a moment before saying quietly "Nevermind, let's try Mr. Weiss" as he spun on his lead heels, his fists turning a decidedly gold color.

Going with Ecalsneerg's suggestion to put a -4 pentalty to the Attack roll, though that's still a critical hit regardless. 28 is 5 greater than 23, so that's a DC34 Toughness save for Mr. Trasher: 22. Failed by 12, so Staggered, Disabled and Dazed. Combine attacks Gabriel: 13, miss. Going to wait until we're up to date on the IC thread before continuing.

Round 8. Rubber Burner: Unharmed-GM Wave-Eye: Bruise(x2), Dazed, Staggered, 0HP Gabriel: Bruise(x1), Pinned, 2HP Trasher: Bruise(x1), Injured(x1)-GM Combine: Bruise(x1)-GM Rubber Burner attacks Gabriel again: 15. With the +4 bonus from the target being Pinned, 19. 5 more than the target's current Defence, so DC25 Toughness save. And then Gabriel's up.

Delay was almost my middle name. As Gabriel is Dazed, Trasher will maintain the Pin, and Combine will make a Snare attempt on Wave-Eye: 14, miss. Round 7. Rubber Burner: Unharmed-GM Wave-Eye: Bruise(x2), 0HP Gabriel: Bruise(x1), Dazed, Pinned, 2HP Trasher: Bruise(x1), Injured(x1)-GM Combine: Bruise(x1)-GM Rubber Burner will make for the attacking again: 22. +4 bonus from target being pinned makes it 26. DC23+Autofire makes it DC28. Wave-Eye interposes, his save: 16. Staggered and Dazed. Trasher maintains the Pin. Combine will attack Wave-Eye: 14. Miss.

'Wait...what?! We finally get to El Sierpe and this is what stops us?' El Heraldo thought furiously, knuckles whitening on the shaft of the Banner 'I should throw him through a few more walls! I would advise against that. Remember that you yet have proof, slim though it is.' Glowering unimpressively at their rotund opponent he said aloud, clearly angry "We have better than that. Those people you wanted kept quiet? They know you! Now that we've got you caught, they can name you, tell everyone what you have done in Mexico, and when proof gets found there you'll be finished!" It was terrible logic with more holes than most variants of Swiss cheese, but in the heat of the moment Heraldo was not much one for thinking things over. Sheathing the Banner in its ring and folding his arms against his chest he added angrily "Besides, as Glow said your men told us where to find you, do you really believe they will fear your vengeance enough to not tell us everything else that they know?!" his dark eyes blazed up at the fat man, wondering bitterly why so many servants or descendants of the Serpent People were coming out of the shadows now.