Ari

GM The King of Suits' efforts were fruitless. He found nothing whatever to indicate anyone or anything human had dwelt in the old yard for many years, the few sparse collections of garbage, old blankets and boxes clearly left to rot long ago. The offices were no better, a mildewing collection of rotten wood and metal boxes containing long outdated records, drawers jammed with forgotten knick-knacks, odd corners littered with a few relatively recent bottles of liquor, and the odd shot-out window. His vague urge to make haste was at first no more grounded in reality than someone's unreasoned terror of the dark, a desire to leave the places where Things could lurk unseen and return to his home in the (comparatively) familiar and welcoming Fens. When the first few rats, stray dogs and small birds took flight or to their heels, there didn't seem much cause for alarm. They appeared to have been startled by his presence, and there seemed no reason to give it more thought. When the soft creaks of the empty cars on their tracks began, things became much more suspicious, and when the flock of sparrows took off several yards behind him, there was no question something was up. The unmistakable noise of bare feet on gravel didn't do anything to allay new fears, and when the crowd of small green things appeared around him as from out of the earth, their gleaming yellow eyes and long claws didn't help matters either. "Hello." said one of the goblins in a hollow croak "We have been payed to get you out of the way of our employer, prepare to die!" it exclaimed, all the crowd displaying white and narrow teeth in unison. Crusader saw a rather different spectacle, a small localised wave of movement around the dimly-beheld red and black caped figure that vaguely matched what he seen in his vision, which at the sound of a dropped pebble turned into a small army of goblin-like monsters that swarmed put of the engines, cars and even piles of rock to encircle their prey. Either way, they didn't look friendly especially when they attacked!

Subito winced slightly at the harsh outburst from the other student Morgan's got a real sharp mouth on him he thought, quietly shuffling the obscenity from his brain. At the signal from the other boy to attack he sprang forward, all but leaping into the air as he sent a powerful fist hurtling in the direction of the unsettling, inhuman thing before him, the breeze he kicked up ruffling his clothes, his hat, and especially the glorious red white and blue Banner he held clenched in his left hand. He glowed with a nation's power, a people's might, a shining figure of salvation and defense against the enemies of the just, a very herald of Victory! And he missed. He skidded along the floor, took his bearings, tensed himself for the next try, and kept a weather eye on the red-headed telekinetic, to all appearances quite calm. DAMNIT We must try again, do not be so impatient- If I can 'barely even hit things like this, then what's the use of trying again? Peace, child. Try. Again. ...Very well.

Power Attacking (+-2) and All-Out Attacking(+-2) against the last Ernest. Attack roll: 10, sorry guys. EDIT: Reaction to Interpose next attack aimed at Glow.

Having problems with my computer's graphics card, which has made the thing barely capable of running at all. I won't be on as much until it's fixed, which will probably take a week or two.

He finds that he can, if he's careful, access the memory banks, medical bay computer, interior weapons grid and the materials scoop at the bottom of the hull(for obtaining raw metals and such) without being detected. He can also bounce a signal off the comms of the robot ship to Freedom Hall(the number of which just happens to be in the registry), affect the energy balance of their shields, and manipulate robot-to-robot communication.

"I see..." murmured the King of Suits thoughtfully, scribbling down the Penitent's answers "Regrettable. Although, lame vampires are quite preferable to the other sort, in my experience at any rate" he added with a kilowatt smile "Well well, I suppose we'll find the true cause of this soon enough." Starlight's reminder of the possibility that the victims had some intersecting trait got a look of honest surprise from him "..Ah, of course. I should have thought of that avenue." He beamed cheerfully at Revenant "It is a pleasure to meet you again, Madam Revenant, have you been well?"

El Heraldo heard the warning from Young Britania in time, and turned his head aside just as the light shone out and dazzled the cultists with its glare. Wincing slightly from its brightness despite that, he saluted her smartly and set about capturing the cultists nearby, collaring, knocking the wind out of and tripping flat three of them before he heard the departing jeer of the cult's evident leader, and saw to his horror the man pass through the portal! The portal was closing! Their enemy was getting away! They would do evil stuff in the past and make the world they knew never be! "You shall not escape us!" thundered a bizarre melding of Subito and the Blue Dame's voices, one grave, commanding and ageless, the other filled with wrath, young and brash. For a strange moment, the two souls were joined by their mutual focus, and with a roar of anger twice of that a human could feel, El Heraldo hurled himself through the portal, shooting out the other side at top speed, heedless of the dangers that undoubtedly lurked in wait for such recklessness.

GM Arcturus: "Working at the docks is a noble profession" acknowledged the prince, with just enough habitual snobbery to make the words sound insincere. At the question of what he wanted to use magic FOR, he gave the question a visible amount of thought, looking down at the notes-covered desk and at the brilliant blue sky outside before standing up out of his seat and answering, slowly at first but growing in volume "I want to forge great tools of industry and science, I want to...carve vast castles and cities out of the very earth so people don't have to build them painstakingly over years and years. I want to bind the powers of the earth, sky, the waves and the devouring flames to our service forever. I want to calm the stormy seas to the west and north, so merchants can travel without fear of sudden catastrophe! I want to make this a a world we LIVE in, not just an environment we have to scrabble a life out of." he sank back into his large wodden chair carved to look like a lion "I have watched for years as people worked themselves into their graves for my family, I can think of no better repayment than to make a world where no-one would ever have to do again" he glanced in the direction where Waker presumably was "He doesn't understand, he speaks endlessly about 'balancing of the great powers' and 'disruption of the natural world' whenever I broach the subject" the prince scowled at his smooth dark hands "But I am sure that is but a fiction he uses to restrain my power." he gave a slight wave of his hand "Continue please, teacher." Net Fly: The ship was just as he had left it, the robots having trusted his word to the last. Everything besides the magnetically-locked engines and depleted missle banks worked perfectly well. From within the ship, he could cause damage he never would be able to without it, as the computers on the ship gave him easy access to the robot's ship computer, not to mention he and his attempts would remain much better hidden than when he had gone in himself.

"That's a good point buddy," conceded the stocky teen as he tilted his feathered cap a little further back on his head "I meant more just stopping the assembly lines so the guns and stuff don't get shipped out or whatever. If we stop the supply line now, it'll for sure get whoever's invested in this place to come and check it out. Then they could be nabbed, you know?" he shrugged a litle, frowning at the recollection of what he had seen down in the factory "For sure we need to let people know what we found here in case this is connected to something else; but yeah, pretty much no matter who we tell about this, there's the chance all thi stuff will be put to ill ends sooner or later. But," he continued thoughtfully "we can't really keep something like this hidden or else somebody with less scruples will find it somehow, and then it will be protected and guarded by more than hidden doors and being decrepit. I say we tell Mr. Summers about this, I'm sure he'll know what to do." His eyes had slowly worked their way up to the roof, and snapped down abruptly to meet Net Fly's "You on board with that Surge?"

Sliding around the flailing strikes the monster swung at him, Subito Sondo wondered once again why everything kept leading back to some savage plot or other Bet I'll go to a hot dog stand and it'll turn out the guy running it is trying to poison everyone and backed by the Grue or something he thought angrily, glaring through his cloth mask at the bestial figure Wonder what these things even are. he was abruptly interrupted by the present, and by Kristin's shout: Saluting in silent acknowledgement of the request, the powerfully-built young Puerto-Rican spun on his heel to confront the sinister butler-monster that had taken a swipe at him. Quickly guaging the distance between them in the warm spring light streaming in, El Heraldo took a firm step forwards on the tiled floor, swung back a red fist, took another step and slammed it with exacting precision directly at a space about a a foot behind the creature's snarling face. The dull crack that signalled a direct hit echoed around the hall, and spinning around the now-stern patriotic paragon took a ready stance, holding the Banner lightly in his hands and steeling himself for the speeds needed to intercept any assaults on the energetic telekinetic.

Power(+-3) and All-Out(+-2) Attacking the closest Ernest. Move Action to the closest one if they aren't in melee range. Attack roll: 19. Should that hit, DC27 TOU check for the Ernestine monster, with Heraldo having a +3 bonus to Defense instead of a +5. Setting a Reaction to Interpose the next Attack amde against Glow.

"Quite likely, Silhouette" the King of Suits said briskly in his soft rumble, getting back to his feet and brushing off the dirt that had gotten on his cape "but assuming we'll win with so little real knowledge as we do is a little unseemly. For example, we have no idea if they won't simply toss the hostages into the world ruled by Apep, now that they know we've come; from which it would be incredibly difficult to rescue them without assistance. Presuming you can't simply slide between dimensions, that is" he qualified with a polite smile. "But I agree entirely with the 'no trading' part, you happen to have knowledge we'll need to navigate this place Mz. Guan" he said crisply to the other woman "One moment..." with a deft touch he pulled at a seemingly arbitrary metal coil, causing the bands to suddenly slide back, reforming into a card signed with the 5 of Hearts, which he deposited into a pack of similar cards. "There we go!" he said with more cheer, encouraged by how well his invention had worked "Now, stand there and do not move while we deal with your god's emissaries, otherwise I will simply repeat the process of restraining you, understood?" Flicking out a 10 of Clubs, he turned towards the pit, spinning it between his fingers and saying quietly to Silhouette "Any thoughts on how to handle shadow monsters, Mz? I confess I am a novice in such things."

Intimidate check to make Jane Guan stay put: 27. She can't beat that.

Subito listened with great care and attentiveness while Serge spoke, nodding every now and again to show he was paying heed to what the gadgeteering mutant said. He wasn't used to just listening to people talk, and he found it a rather refreshing experience to be on the receiving end of such a speech. When at last Net fly had concluded and deciphered the results of the trace, he shrugged, saying casually "Good thinking, I haven't eaten lunch yet, and we left our backpacks at the front door to this place anyhow. Might be best to do one thing though: stopping the factory downstairs. Whoever's getting those weapons won't be doing any good with 'em, I'll bet" he added darkly, flying neatly over the packed and straining robots. Once had landed and was making his way back to the elevator he looked and Serge and began "Thanks for that, man. I'm sorry for the weird way I asked that, but like I said I've been thinking about it for a while, and getting more and more worried about what the answer might be. I mean, I was reading about the American Civil War recently, and apparently the Spirit of this country tore itself in half to give a champion to each side. If something like that happened to Puerto Rico, I dunno what I'd think or do." Leaning against the dirty wall of the elevator he continued "I haven't really tried to ask the Blue Dame about it, mostly because I don't really think she'll see it the way I do. The way she thinks about the place is...well, it's like the way you think about your body, its moods can affect her: if there's turmoil she's troubled, if something really good happens for it she's happy, stuff like that." Your friend speaks a great deal with a great deal Huh? Oh, yeah. He's got a real gift with words, y'know? I am considering what he said, tell him what I say to you once I have decided. It will be a mere moment Holstering the Banner with a 'clink' as it slid into the ring, he went on "That and she takes the really long view. She remembers things going back to the days before the Spanish came there, when she lent her power to the old inhabitants to help drive them off. After that, it took centuries before the place had a coherent spirit and will to let her take form again" he paused and seemed to listen for several seconds before nodding once and saying quickly "She heard you Surge, and she agrees. After all, she gave me her powers so I could help people, so that makes two of you, I guess!" he said laughing

The noise of the savage butler's attack against Kristin barraged El Heraldo's powerful hearing, causing him to flinch involuntarily and start backwards a step. With a muttered litany of recriminations, he pulled back a fist and was about to soar towards the creature when Crow's instructions slid like iced water into his ears "It shall be done!" he barked in reply, bending his knees and holding the Banner like a lance, he watched as Crow sent a knife into the bizarre figure's face. The instant that happened, he shot forward, jammed the flagpole into the ground, and spun around it to deliver a punishing blow to the inhuman thing's stomach. Recovering his feet, he readied himself for the next move.

Attack roll: 9. Using a HP to reroll. 23. There we go.

Shuddering involuntarily at the gloomy surroundings, Marceau gave a sharp hiss between his teeth as he set rapidly to the task of finding any signs of recent inhabitation. He knew by long experience that even a wandering super-soldier(or whatever it was that he was tracking) would need to sleep and eat somewhere, and finding those tell-tale signs would let him know immediately if he was in the right area. He slipped quietly around the railway yard, sifting through the covered cars, sweeping the molding offices with minute care, and even inspecting the decrepit engines littering the yard. He sought to leave no stone unturned, but the inchoate nervousness growing within him hastened him to the point where he knew he was missing something...

"You are correct" Wave-Eye said quietly, tossing Skull Face up and down in his palm thoughtfully "I hear the anemones are quite hungry this time of year." And with a flick of his tail, he shot southwards like an arrow. He had to stop and rest several times on the way however, his wounds preventing him from attaining his preferred speed. Finding a good reef was harder than in the old days, and the great masses of coral that had once been the gardens of naiads and other water sprites were no more, but he knew of a small, well-protected marvel of pink and green off the coast of Chile that had stood the test of time and innumerable sea-changes. He often dreamed of it, and sleeping in peace among its gentle beauty was something he longed to do. But no yet... With a careless "Be well, Skull Face" he tossed the decapitated head into a small patch of young brain corals, an odd sense of foreboding growing within him as he swam with all speed back to Freedom City. In a flash of light, the towering demi-god stalked back onto the beach, his bullet wound closed, though his fresher ones ran white with ichor. Bowing before Detective Mead he said in his harsh gurgle "I was deceived. The talking skull was behind the killings, and that squid perished for naught. He has a powerful hatred against me for my savagery in ages past, and sought my destruction. I think he was a wizard." he offered awkwardly. "He led me to an old battleground under the sea, and raised the dead against me. It was quite difficult to escape" he admitted sadly "But I have sealed it and placed a warning against its being opened" he touched the gravel with his forehead "I believe my oath is completed. I am sorry I could not bring you a better answer, this crime is being punished by him being slowly consumed by coral. A fitting end for him, i think."

"Will do Surge" Heraldo affirmed heartily, spinning around in midair to keep an eye on the hallway full of straining robots. He was beginning to regret his ill-concieved treasure hunt. Not that he was about to say it. Thinking aloud he said to the packed machine men "What i want to know is: why make a place that is pretty much totally automated, and then put robots in it? Far as I could tell, they weren't needed at all, and ended up becoming a dangerous problem" he glanced at the mainframe, scowling at it with real dislike. Shrugging his powerful shoulders, the heraldic patriot said casually "Hey Serge, don't answer if you're in the middle of anything delicate, but what do you think about, uh" there was a short silence while he stared at the jerking robots, wondering how to put it "well..nationalism? See," he quickly began "on the one hand I've got nothing against Puerto Rico, it's where I'm from, its spirit gives me powers beyond what I'd probably have normally, but the way things are I feel like i oughta side with whatever the people there decide, what if it ends up being, well...something wrong? Would it still be right to use this power, what?" he looked anxiously at Net Fly "'S something that's been realy bothering me lately." he raised a red-gloved hand, adding "Like I said, if you're real busy at the moment, I don't need or want an answer right away."

GM The Percy-Edwards raiway yard had fallen on hard times since its heyday earlier in the last century. A sentence that could be applied to anything in Greenbank or the Fens, but especially suited for the aging industrial sections of the city, which had suffered the same fate that many such districts had in America over the years as the centers of industry and manufacturing shifted, leaving behind it empty warehouses, hollow factories and more frustration and discontent than could easily be smoothed away over the years as new job opportunities were made available. The palce was grimy from the old smoke and sprays of oil that gave the place its vaguely unpleasant smell, with miles of mouldering freight cars lining its neat tracks, some of them having been shunted away without being unloaded once upon a time, including an old grain car that had fed five generations of rats before the wheat ran out. An eerie silence was felt over the vast place, not even the creaks of a badly-rusted arrow-shaped bronze weather vane high up on an abandoned office building reaching the ears of the King of Suits. To the Crusader, as he rode into the yard the dirty yard a mist seemed to spring up from nowhere, casting its pall and all but devouring the weakening lights that made the place more than a mass of vague dark shapes interrupted by pools of light shone by old and flickering lamps.

Serge finds out from the computer that something ten miles north in the forest is sending the signal, and that whatever it's doing is, among other things, interfering with the robots and causing them to focus on reaching that previously indeterminate spot. As well, it is remotely-controlling the machinery of the place.

Okay, for KoS, a Search and Notice check, DC25 and 20 respectively. KoS's rolls: Search.19, failed. Notice. 32. Of course. Okay, Kingy doesn't find any signs of villainy around the rail yard, but he does detect For Crusader, a Notice check, DC15, to get the same information.

GM Over a rattling of scales and a soft hissing the lava-like creature spoke with great deference, turning one head towards Ironclad and the other towards Supercape. "Greetings, humans! I am...please call me 'Hrnnnsgh', as my full name is quite difficult for even me to speak, and for all to remember;" its saurian jaws gave a smile that on any other kind of face would have been almost pleasant. "as for why I am here, I was set here by the Preservers many hundreds of thousands of y-cycles ago. To study forms of energy" it hurriedly clarified. "Do not worry about the 'Terminus' energies," it added warmly(and indeed the heat it gave off briefly intensified when it spoke) "The power source(referred to as a 'portal' by your associate) is perfectly safe in its containment field, I even store some of the excess variants I've created in tanks throughout the facility" its faces suddenly fell "Speaking of which, I apologise for the..harsh security measures, I have limited control over them from here, and cannot leave this room to strengthen my command of the complex; no sustaining tubes, you see?" it explained sadly. Looking from the two scientists to the hulking figure of Phalanx it asked nervously "I-I'm not in any trouble, am I? from the Re-from the civilization that has been attempting to access this place?"

OOC for this thread. First meeting of the King of Suits and the Crusader!

The appearance of the three Ernests, their revelation of a truly inhuman nture, and speedy attack would have given better-experienced heroes a slight pause. For El Heraldo it was like someone was taking a sledgehammer to what counted as reality. What, I..what ARE they? he thought in horror. Then they struck at him and Glow, with their monstrous fangs and claws, a rain of slashes and gnawings that he would remember in many nightmares to come. Gah! What-ugh, I despise these Serpent People! thought Subito furiously, glaring at the fresh tear in his fabulous and comfortable jacket and shirt. To his relief, the attack didn't so much as scratch him, and he thought gravely My thanks, Blue Dame. Now for the destruction of these creatures... Swinging out his Banner, he slammed his left foot into the ground, propelling himself towards the...thing? that had made a rip in his favorite costume, sweeping the flagpole around straight for its head! Wretched thing! he snarled You and all your kind will pay for this! Which made the ensuing 'whiff' as the flag passed neatly over the target all the more embarassing. "Confound you!" he grumbled, flying quickly over to Glow's side, preparing to soar to Crow's aid should he be attacked.