Ari

Bluff time, using the skill to let YB know that these guys are involved with Set: 22.

"Sounds like a job for Vicky!" laughed Subito "She's got to be one of the most energetic and pop culture-enthused people I've ever met. Er, Victoria Knight, that is" he quickly clarified for Cerys' benefit "Morgan and John can bear me out on that, they're good friends with her." After a second's thought he added "Of course, there's a bunch of other stuff to do. If you want, we can swing by the aduitorium and admin building to give you an idea of what there is to do around here." With that he casually slid back to the rear of the group, glancing around the peaceful library.

Subito stared at Serge for a few seconds with a mouth full of wrap. Swallowing loudly and gulping back another mouthful of water he said in total disbelief "Man, sometimes your ideas really scare me, and realizing that you could be right about that? Pretty terrifying." He ate in silence, nodding at his schoolmate's comment about what Summers would think of all this. His eyes slowly worked their way over the ground into the cave, where they alighted on the broken skull "Me too," he said quietly "it'd be pretty good to know what we ought to have done, and what we did right with this, and I wonder what it's a relic of? Some old factory used by the Crime League? Whatever, it doesn't really matter, but I still wanna at least have an idea who made it and so on" he glanced over at Serge, blinking a little at the slight glare fromt he sun reflecting off the fallen snow "What about you Surge?" He had finished his wrap, and was beginning to stow the trash in a laboriously-made extra sleeve his backpack, meticulously cleaning his lips and face of food debris as he went.

What... "Sir, if this town is suffering under some monstrous power, you may rest assured I and her ladyship will put as much of an end to it as is possible. That said, we first must find this man, however terrible he is, whatever power he wields. He has done evil already in this world, and seeks to accomplish even more!" Stepping forward and placing his hands on the man's shoulders, he spoke in a soft voice whiel looking into his eyes "And I mean it. We will find this man, with or without your assistance. We cannot allow him to do what he aims to do, it would be a great horror to all save him and his associates, and maybe even for them, too." He wondered in sudden fury how he would even begin to stop the man; besides just nabbing him before he got to where he was going, he had no clear notion for what he would or could do to win in this situation. Live and learn, I guess.

There were some days Subito deeply loved the anonymity and freedom his powers and costume gave him. As a random Hispanic teenager from a working-class family he would likely have never been able to approach someone like this Jonathan Cloak, but decked out as they were he and Glow commanded at least a little respect, and would likely suffer few bars to such a meeting. "I quite understand" he said to Smith gravely, knowing very well what it was like to work long, stressful hours for little pay "We'll do our best to console the unfortunates before going to see Mr. Cloak about this. Could you tell us where to find him?" he asked, glancing at Kristin a little belatedly in case she had other ideas "From what you've said I agree: this all sounds very unusual, and not just a litle suspicious to boot!"

Heraldo's Initiative: 22. His Init. bonus is +2.

That hits all of them, rolling their TOU saves: 7, 8, 20, 20, 4, 5. None succeed. Okay, they're down, now for the star attraction...the HULKING BRUTE! From pg.216 of the Core, unaltered except to drop its Impervious to +9. Calling it the Ultragoblin. It's Initiative roll: 15. Order is: King of Suits: Unharmed, 3HP Crusader: Unharmed, 3HP Ultragoblin: Unharmed, GM KoS will make with the explosive cards(set to non-lethal naturally). Attack roll: 16. Misses by 2. Crusader's up.

H'kye! Diplomacy: 18. Notice: 11. Sense Motive: 26. Nah, he's going to be all smiles and sunshine.

Bowing his head and sternly keeping himself from saying anything, Subito banished his Heraldic garb and followed a step behind Agnes, wondering dismally what had happened to the horse that Young Britannia had discovered. Doesn't look all that old he thought, glancing back at its retreating corpse Not that I'd know too much about decomposition. On the rest of their trek into the small village of Fang, he vigorously began perking himself up for the task of chatting with people and finding out from them where their prey had gotten to. I wonder if we could... No, you may NOT. But he-! -Has not commited any serious crimes in THIS time, yes? ...Fine then, we'll try and bring him back to our time to answer for what he has done. Good youth, do not forget that a Spirit of justice is nearby, for now we act as their agent. He was positively beaming by the time they arrived in the town, and making his way with a spring in his booted step he approached the most suspicious-looking and gruffest person he could detect on first entry, asking them "Halloo there! have you seen a man pass by recently? Tall, narrow, wears a cloak?"

Life Sciences roll: 9. So he has NO idea about the circumstances of horsey's untimely torment.

"For all we know at present an actual demon might be doing this," Marceau commented "as you have reminded us all, we really ought to go and at least try to interview those close to the victims. I'm sure we can talk along the way" he added cheerfully. Snapping the little green book closed, he deposited it back into his utility belt. Turning to Marlowe he said politely "I'm sure we all would be quite happy to know what you do about all this, no matter how little it is." He glanced out the nearby window, on the off chance someone had happened to be lurking about in a suspicious fasion below. In his experience things like that tended to happen with simply bizarre frequency, and he didn't want to lose a potential lead to whomever. Although, he added mentally this sounds like the work of a single agent, and they quite probably won't have much int he way of lackeys.

The revelation of how complex the world of magic could get produced a rather sodering effect on Subito, and he turned this new information over in his head with great care. On the one hand, he had only a vague grasp of what magic actually was, on the other hand he was pretty sure it was some kind of force, or source of energy, that could be tapped into to produce effects. Morgan's explanation certainly fit those lines, and at last he nodded, glancing apologetically at the rune-maker "No, that was pretty good. I know way less about magic stuff than you, and that made perfect sense. I'm sorry for brining it up, didn't know it was a sore subject." he listened quietly to Cerys and Morgan's exchange, grinning despite himself as their words translated themselves to his ears(Mebbe I should find a way to turn that off he wondered suddenly Don't want to listen into something I shouldn't by accident). He stood aside to let John and Morgan guide Cerys about the library, the quiet and pleasant smells of books something he wanted to soak in while they were there, and knowing that those two were much more familiar with the place than he was.

The red and black vigilante stared in shock as the giant monsters barred towards him, his focus on the one moving roughly towards his head. Just managing to duck under its' swinging claws in the nick of time, he glanced behind himself for a fatal moment before turning to see the one aiming for his torso the split second before it struck. They're fas- "Argh!" yelled the King of Suits, clutching his side where the massive paw had hit him, slamming into the ground hard enough to knock what little wind was left in his lungs, waves of sharp pain emanating from the long red tears in his body armor. Panting heavily to try and fill his lungs with air, the young man stared dazedly at the blurred winged creature above Who...what is that? The one in charge of those things? he wondered, the vague memory of seeing here toss some kind of dust into the midst of the tremendous cats making him instantly suspicious. Don't know know yet he reminded himself sternly they could be..rurrgh..just be trying to help. Wait until I can stand before getting suspicious of them, don't know anything yet... He hoped Jubatus was having a better time of it than he was.

The two shadow monsters, their bodies cut neatly in twain by the flat heroine, gave twin shrieks of anguish utterly unlike anything a terrestrial snake could emit before they briefly expanded before exploding into ribbons that swirled through the air, sailing almost invisibly through the air back through the hole in the floor, following their comrade's remains. At their banishment, the dark bonds constraining the King of Suits evaporated along with their bodies. "Quite a lot!" exclaimed Marceau, springing nimbly to his feet and neatly adjusting his cape "My thanks for that". Glancing at the last child of Apep remaining he frowned briefly, sliding a card marked with the suit of Clubs from a container on his belt, before throwing it directly into its face with a careless flick of his wrist. The explosion did a number on the floor, slightly melting and bending it under the sudden burst of heat and force, but the light was what really harmed the slithering monster. With a low howl that was cut short before it could get any higher, it was simply burned away by the explosive card, a smoking stain on the floor the only sign it had ever been. Turning briskly back to Carrie, he gave a slight bow before walking up to Jane, squatting in front of her until his eyes were level with hers, and asked "So..what exactly will happen now?" Shrugging, the cultist said casually "Oh, the high priest will probably send a lesser shadow to drift through that hole, and when he sees we've survived he'll call upon one of the elder children of Apep to come up and kill us all by mere proximity. It's really impressive," she added with utter seriousness "I'd advise we just wait around and see it happen." Staring at her in quiet shock, the King of Suits asked, eying her with no little distaste "There wouldn't happen to be another way out of here, would there?" Jane pointed up at a large and quite heavy-looking vent around 30ft. up the wall near the door Silhouette had come in through, which like the doors in the steps had a shimmering black field in front of it, as did Marceau's. Whipping out a grapple gun, the King of Suits glanced at Silhouette "Do you want to go up first, or shall I?"

Signing the paper with the title of 'El Heraldo de la Dama Azul de Puerto Rico' using quick strokes and flourishing letters, Subito handed the pen and clipboard to Kristin, asking Tyrone Smith curiously "It is perhaps none of my business Mr. Smith, but my comrade Glow brought up a very pertinent question to me on our way here: what are they culpable of? Surely the horrendous circumstances of their flight and imprisonment merit a little leniency for their less than legal attempt at immigration?" he loosened the staff of his Bandera as he spoke, knowing that its use might be needed to bring new strength into the hearts of the refugees inside.

I vote they arrive in their costumed identities, if Scuff has no objections.

Question: to be clear, they're in their heroic identities at the wards, right?

El Heraldo was by nature quite content to go long days with little food, but the day's exertions and the need to keep moving at a brisk pace meant he soon felt a gnawing in his belly. At least Young Britannia had had the foresight to carry a small container of water with her, which he thanked her for profusely, and drank as little as he could get away with. After all, he wasn't the one carrying himself. Subito wasn't unused to being carried like this, but normally it had been from some scuffle that had gone south and turned him into a wailing infant. Being ferried through the sky by Agnes made him much more eager not to be seen, especially because clinging to her required them to be(from his perspective) uncomfortably close. For all that, he had kept to his job as navigator, plotting the most likely course their foe would take. He by no means did a perfect job, and it took a while to track someone across the American wilderness, through the great multitude of trees, along streams and past winding roads, to find much in the way of clues to his continued existence. He was nearly positive that they had lost him when they met the traveler who confirmed their heading. With a squelching thump of his boots on the softened ground, he landed beside the dead horse. Turning it over gently he looked down at the carcass, and despite the fact that he'd seen the deaths of many animals before he felt the same clenching of his stomach and nearly burst into tears "That was a cruel thing to do..." he mumbled, quickly turning away to Young Britannia "Well, either this is his destination, or else he seeks another mount here. What shall we do, ask the townsfolk if they have any new arrivals matching his description?" he looked uneasily at the town, vague memories of late movie nights at Claremont picked by Victoria Knight, where horrible evil lurked in small towns, the kind that had made him nearly incapable of sleeping dribbling into his imagination...

OOC for this thread.

Survival roll DC5: 9. Yay!

GM May 2nd, 12.35 P.M., 2012. The day had dawned as it had many times before, with vast crenelations of clouds soaring up to the heavens like some higher sea stretching across the horizon wherever one looked seaward, softer and sparser collections of vapor visible to the west that made the Wharton Forest glitter in its slow waves. The air was warm, the sea calm, the city life thrumming along at its steady and brisk pace, the citizens of Freedom City going about their daily lives with their sight fixed on what lay ahead of themselves. Thomas Morgan's day had gone pleasantly well so far, with little in the way of crimes to halt or evil-doers to defeat, and all signs pointed to a quiet and productive day. Which was what made the sudden 'THUD' of the Deep One against the glass wall of the computer shop that much more startling. The customers that had stopped by weren't as panicked as they might have been, but they were still shocked and horrified to see one of that race, even if they were slumped against the wall unmoving. Just beyond it, a glowing figure clad in a shining suit of orange armor studded with emeralds laughed, holding aloft a glowing stone "Beware, evil one from the depths! You cannot stand against one such as I, who bears the mighty EYE OF ARGON! None can! I shall reign over all with this power in my hand! Bwahahahaha!" The figure fired a beam of power into the sky... Meanwhile, several thousand feet above... The immense storm spirit had become rather more amenable to persuasion after the Ages Lost had shredded most of its body with cannon-fire, but for all that it looked as imperious as it could, a vast white beard of cumulus clouds drifting below dark and thunderous masses lit by the occasional flash of lightning in their depths. "VERY WELL, STORMBREAKER, YOU HAVE WON THIS ROUND, BUT KNOW THIS: I SHALL RETURN" it stated as dramatically as it could while its frayed body began to slowly disperse. At that precise moment, a stabbing column of light seared through it, evaporating the powerful spirit with a wail of agony! The ray of force began to slide back to earth, revealing a perfect trace to its firer, and the maniacal shouts drifted clearly up to the ageless dragon's ears, bearing their message of defiance.

Darnit Supercape, Survival is supposed to be useless! But yeah I'm fine with YB and EH having to forage for food in the wilderness.

The vigilante had no idea what it was that had just gone whirling into the mess of green-skinned monsters, but whatever it was had done a spectacular job, and he commended its originator. Ducking under a rain of nails Marceau lashed out with a powerful left hook, his fist colliding with the narrow chest of his much smaller adversary with enough force to send the wind clean out of their lungs, and them collapsing to the sloping floor they stood on. With a sharp hiss, the hydraulics of the gauntlet attached to his forearm readied the flat ram for its next punch. Retreating slightly, the King of Suits quickly gave a glance around, checking the position of the enemies closest to him, noting that four stood within reach of his arms and the rest just beyond. Well, time to start punching, not like there's much else I can really do right now he thought ruefully, and hurled himself at the gremlins. The rings and hissing of his chemically-powered rams echoed through the night air, every blow sending another gremlin into the arms of Morpheus, and some onto the graveled ground below. He was careful not to hurt them too much, he wanted to dissuade them from attacking him, not injure them unnecessarily. Getting back up to his full height(managing to lay ram to gremlin required a little stooping), the King of Suits could have sworn he caught sight of some white and red-clad figure just beyond the smoke That might be who did..whatever it was that downed all those below. Hope that wasn't an accident adn they were aiming at me he thought nervously, not wanting to face more enemies in such rapid succession.

GM The shield the Crusader tossed into the fray bounced around like a rubber ball, slamming into the chest, back and head of every gremlin milling about in the smoke cloud with terrific cracks, thuds and groans, the green monsters collapsing to the ground and littering the hazy rail yard with limp green bodies. A whisper of shocked amazement echoed around the rotting train management area, and with a scuttle of leathery feet on the ground another twenty glowing yellow eyes came charging out of the night, swarming up the sides of the rusty freight engine, driving hard nails into the aged metal to aid their speedy ascent. The instant they reached the rounded roof they hurled themselves at their quarry, rust-coated claws swiping viciously through the air at him, battle-cries ringing through the air. Their efforts were in some places impressive, but it soon became apparent that none of them were actually capable of hitting their target, who evaded their slashes with..not really ease, but with less effort than he might have needed.

Search check: 19. Ha! Who's the awesome navigator now, Agnes??