Ari

Marceau was silent as he digested those words. At length he said "<I understand you perfectly, Rene. You have a gift with words. I shall be as alert as I can>" he promised gravely. Glancing over at the new arrival he frowned, his face abruptly clearing with a smile as he said "<Aha! Now I remember. That young lady is Eve, of the lineage of the Martels. She was a gymnast, I believe, whose psychic abilities and an injury of some kind got her kicked out of competition in that sport. I must confess I'm surprised someone like that would be here...>" he admitted, looking to Rene he added "<...it seems nothing is unimaginable, as you have said!>" he withdrew his arm from Rene's shoulders and shook the painter's hand "<I will go bid her greetings, I should mention I wouldn't be adverse to an escort>" he said with a grin, turning towards the heiress and walking over to her. Once he got within a good distance he called over merrily in his deep voice "<Good day to you, lady Eve Martel! On behalf of French heroes, I thank you for gracing this occasion with your presence! I am the King of Suits, and I look forward to seeing what unknown lies behind today's revelation.>"

If I may, using the Well-Informed feat to make a Gather Information roll about Eve Martel 27. Bedanged.

Subito had followed Cerys easily, sauntering along without much worry about who they might need to team up with. It'll probably be some guy with a long coat and a dark hat he thought as he swept around the trio of twentysomethings talking loudly about some kind of world where zombies had taken over Victorian England he'll probably have blond hair, and piercing blue-what? he struck himself smartly on the side of the head I have GOT to stop doing that. he looked up just in time to see Lucien before Cerys addressed him Oh...no..., giving the stocky teen plenty of time to wrestle with the urge to speak up and apologize again. It ain't like he cared much last time, but maybe I didn't say it loud enough, it'll be weird and silly, what if he thinks I'm bein' rude and trying to get out of trouble? He looked nervously at Lockwood, fidgeting at Cerys's side while glancing around for a potential answer to this internal strife. He sure looks like a cool guy he thought anxiously but how did he and us both get an invite to this con'? Is someone else behind this stuff?

The day had been frustratingly slow in terms of evil needing to be stopped in the bay. "Not so much as a shark" he grumbled to himself, landing on the roof with a thud. He had decided to go for a stroll in the city, looking for trouble to get into, and so far being equally disappointed. Kicking off, with the breeze rushing around his scaled skin he gurgled "I have not seen hide nor hair of a criminal, a good thing for these humans" he granted dourly "but it makes one wonder wh-" he stopped in mid-sentence as he landed in the broad park, staring at the sight of a woman carrying a gladius and wearing armor he hadn't seen since the days of the Roman Empires. Dashing forward with long, swinging strides he called out to her "Hail and welcome to Freedom City! I am Wave-Eye, a defender of this place. Who are you, and why are you here?" he asked, looking suspiciously at this anachronistic figure, enormous black eyes glistening at her.

Wisdom roll: 18!!

"It is not so much the 'asking the name' as the 'asking it very loudly while holding him' part" the King of Suits explained in a low voice, with a trace of irritation "If they know who he is, and think he's in trouble(which, I guess, he is), they may try and disavow knowledge of him, to keep from being suspected of being in league with him somehow" he looked around at the students in the hall "besides, he might be recognized as some he isn't, or a friendless lad nobody knows even by reputation. That isn't impossible, even in such close quarters and with such a low population as this planet has" he added, wondering vaguely how many people must live on other inhabited worlds. "I...might have some personal experience with such situations" he said awkwardly.

El Heraldo felt the gun butt slam into his head, staggering backwards from the sheer power of the blow, shaking his head as he briefly saw double of everything. "Good hit," he said crisply as he regained his composure, and glared at his attacker "but I have the strength of the nation of Puerto Rico behind my blows!" he shouted, leaping forward and slamming the would-be kidnapper across the head with his fists clenched together. As the man fell, he spun in midair to bring his booted heel into the ribcage of a hapless goon standing behind him and remained in the air, darting and striking with fist and foot, knocking the gang of soldiers unconscious and sending them insensible to the roof. Dusting off his hands, he saw the cook had escaped the melee. "I'd listen to what the lady says if I were you" he said cheerfully "she's not as nice as I am" he stopped to consider that for a moment, looked chagrined and shrugged "Yeah, that sounded way cooler in my head" he admitted to Glow sheepishly.

I will do so, thanks! Using the Takedown Attack feat(3HP). Taking 10 on Attack to hit all of thems!

Going to All-Out Power Attack(+-2) with Strike against the soldier who managed to hurt him: 15! DC28 TOU save for him. Can I buy the Takedown Attack feat with a HP at this point?

Succeeding by default. Roll Intimidation, please.

Marceau nodded as he listened to Rene, putting a companionable arm around the shoulders of his friend. "Not even seen it!" he exclaimed with wonder "I am doubly surprised. The work is famed enough to be known by sight by a philistine of le arts like myself" he shook his head in amazement "At any rate, I thank you for your high praise! May my keen eyes and similarly-agile ears serve us well should the need arise. But do you think?" he added doubtfully, looking inquiringly at the painter "Do you think trouble will strike? I cannot imagine who or what would want to trouble an event like this. Unless they want to settle a score with some politician or other" he added with a sigh of resignation. Shrugging off the potential danger he briefly fell silent. His eyes suddenly alighted on the newest arrival. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of white hair on somebody who looked so young, commenting to Rene "Comrade, that lady, do you know who she is? I believe I have seen that face somewhere before" he frowned behind the mask, trying to recall who they had been, and what they had done.

"You are indeed? Well, I can understand the rush, but you must know that it looks a little suspicious to us if you're hurrying during an outbreak like this" Marceau smiled kindly at the younger man, approaching him and offering his hand "I am the King of Suits, this grand l-" he was interrupted by Stormbreaker grabbing the man by the neck, commanding him to be silent, and hauling him out of the room in a rush of displaced air. Staring at the place where Vincent was a second ago, Marceau bit back a furious curse and raced after her, thinking This is getting IMPOSSIBLE! He leaped to her side just after she delivered her thunderous question to the campus at large. Slamming the palm of his left hand against his face he growled "Why was this your first idea, Captain? All we had to do was just ask one of the faculty about a Vincent McBride living in this dormitory, and we would know for sure" removing his hand from his head he continued wearily "But this way is faster, and more prone to confusion."

Subito didn't envy the difficult and bloody work ahead of Agnes, and said earnestly to her "Be well, my dear. I do not envy the job you will have to do" he added. To Commander Basque he bowed with a bob and grinned "I doubt it will be the worst place I have rested my head" he said jauntily, doffing his cap and stuffing it in one pocket. Surveying the muddy wooden fort he added "Also commander, captain. If you ever need some heavy work done, don't hesitate to ask me! These muscles aren't just for show!" "As for Mr. Lorenzo here..." he glanced sharpy at his prisoner, saying quietly "...If it can be arranged, I would like to sleep close to the prison. I am entrusted with this man's being taken to justice, and could never forgive myself if I let him get away" he looked hopefully at the two Americans.

The King of Suits kept in step with Stormbreaker without trouble on his long legs, but having to wind around the people displaced by the captain made things a little slower for him, not to mention cleaning and treating the scrapes on the unfortunate skateboarder. Glancing at Silvia with a look of slight exasperation he shrugged and said to Tory. "Mr. Vetto(if that is who you are), please tell us everything you can about the Cult of the Dripping Pox, and allow me to relieve you of that" he pointed at the suitcase "which must be quite cumbersome, and likely to cause harm to certain people" he added meaningfully with a narrowing of his blue eyes behind the cowl.

GM At the press of the button a soft thudding noise sounded far below, growing in volume and intensity as it approached until it seemed impossible for it to not alert everyone still in the bar above before abruptly ceasing. With a faint *ting* the doors slid open, revealing a spartan metal box, its floor cushioned with a heavy carpet that looked freshly cleaned, and a bar on each wall, with a single colorless light source on its ceiling. Not a single camera could be seen, and any hatches leading to the roof were utterly invisible. A panel next to the door held three buttons: one marked "G", the one above it "1", and above that "DSA" in a gothic script. A slightly dimmed yellowish light shone behind the "G". The faint hum of electricity was all around them, and unceasing. That and their breath were the only sounds they could detect.

Surprisingly, Myrmidon can't see any security systems in the elevator. Apparently Whoever made this place thought the hallway was all the preliminary precautions they needed. More ominously, he can't see any kind of escape hatch accessible from the inside.

Subito smiled a little foolishly at the compliment, telling Cerys "You look great too! I didn't know you had dresses that...uh..." he trailed off with an embarrassed cough as he hurriedly turned his attention to the golden Envelope. Examining it from several angles and peering at its surfaces, he tilted his head to one side and asked her bluntly "Okay, so..what does it say? Is it a riddle kind of thing?" his eyes lit up as he remembered the technological nature of the Avian artifact "Ooh, ooh, is it a detector of something? Does it point to where we can find the...thing?" he asked experimentally. He pushed the top hat towards the back of his head, unknowingly putting it at a rakish angle as he looked expectantly at Blodeuwedd for the unraveling of this golden mystery.

Wave-Eye almost slipped when Harrier burst into view, his slackening grip on the rod at first born of an intent to try and bring it to bear, only for him to realize who it was in the next half of the second and release it fully, flicking it up into the air a bit to make it easier for the freed Omegadrone to grab. Ducking against the wall to evade the wash of fire from the jets on Harrier's armor, he watched as the man rocketed out of view, sighing as he hurled himself into the ascent, feet pounding and denting the steps as he went upwards. Throwing himself out of the stairwell, he growled under his breath at the weight of terrestrial gravity that made his legs feel like lead. Rounding the corner, he saw Harrier's gesture and heard his command, nodding emphatically and searching for the conch hung at his side as he continued his dead run for what he hoped would be the last of their troubles. It could scarcely get worse than this he thought hopefully.

Full-Round Action to Move All-Out and reach the pump room.

GM With a tingle of electricity, and a sensation like their atoms were flung at great speeds, the two found themselves on the wet roof of an aged concrete building, largely overgrown with vines, and trees pushing through some parts of it. A staircase in front of them led down to a broad shelf bearing two wheeled beds fitted with rounded metal covers attached to IVs. Two bored-looking soldiers nigh-identical to the earlier four were chatting about the weather beside the beds, watching the treetops. It was substantially colder here than in Freedom City, and the sky was filled with the tattered remnants of the clouds that had brought the recent rain.

To the first: they are Redcaps, yes. To the second, it is.

GM Andrews stopped shuffling towards the altar, blinking in surprise when the King of Suits called out to him. Looking more than a little perturbed at how ANOTHER intruder had managed to infiltrate the room without his knowing it, he still payed attention to the costumed vigilante's words. "Your logic is suspect, to say the least" he said at last, sounding much more 'grumpy old man' than 'crowd-pleasing ranter', but with a note of resignation in his voice "but I see your point. I will give myself up" he looked to the other cultists "as I would suggest any of my followers to do. No use us getting in worse trouble with the law by resisting arrest now" he added with a dry jocularity. "But..Fangspeaker!" cried one of the cloaked Apophians "we still have the advantage of numbers, and our mast-" "our master is en route and will not spare us because we listened to reason now" interjected Andrews bitterly, looking at Silhouette for a moment before saying "I will remove the seal on the doors", squaring his shoulders, raising a hand above the altar and intoning ~"By the power of the endless river of the night, I tear back the veils. By the crushing coils, I open the path!"~ At these words, the blackened floor suddenly lost its sheen, and looked for all the world like regular concrete. Jane walked up to Silhouette and said "Good going, I'll lead you two to the where those people were being held, it's just down the hall" she began to walk towards the arching doorway, beckoning for the two to follow her.

Rene: Unharmed, 1HP Rene beholds the clearing they're in, but dimly, like something seen through a thick fog. A large crowd is standing around the cage, shouting something that sounds like a chant. Parsinkle abruptly steps into view, holding a burning silver torch in his hand, gesticulating grandly and enunciating like he's making a speech. Suddenly, the vision shifts and he sees the cage being set alight. The vision ends with him watching as a line of the human prisoners is marched towards an implausibly beautiful castle, surrounded by a marching army of Fey...

So good! You both see surveillance cameras set in the fluorescent lights on the ceiling and walls, one every four feet or so(the hallway is around 16ft. long).

DC23 TOU save for #4: 13! Downed. Out of rounds.