Ari

GM The inchoate monster of pure diabolism stretched up from the heated tarmac. With its eyes blazing with malice Tazel regarded the world around it, a note of fondness in its voice as the demon said "At last...it has been too long. The heat makes it almost like home." The ever-shifting features that Tazel used for its 'face' twisted towards the two mages nearby, and then at the mountains far away. For an instant the thing tensed, the fire crackling a shade bluer and whirling closer than before. Then it was relaxed. "Not yet. A binding is a binding. But you, obstruction, are not so lucky." With that it materialized two arms from the wheeling mass of fire that was its body, the limbs reaching out and seeping across the invisible wall, flickering fingers curling around the mystical barricade as something began to give. The wall before Pitch and Equinox warped and shuddered, flickering in and out of visibility to their enlightened senses as its very being was undermined, until with a final squish and something like a dying gasp, Tazel retreated with an air of triumph. "The wall should not trouble us anymore. Leave destruction to the lesser creatures, mistress" the demon advised Pitch as it sprang like quicksilver back into Canto's body, nestling back into its old, familiar spot 'to take away and yet leave standing, a mockery of what is was, that is far better' Meanwhile... The lifesnake shuddered, and another head leaned out to scan the plain below "Something of Inferna is at work down there. A shield is cracked." Suddenly it looked suspiciously at Nick, innumerable life crowding up to glare, with eyes under spreading horns and above long jaws "Are you a distraction? I say again, the invaders are of no worth to me."

GM With a spectacular sizzling noise, the glob of Hellfire splashed against the barricade, splattering like spilled ink on an invisible wall before dissipating into a mere wavery film in the air and then vanishing totally. 'You see? Do you now understand? You have awakened a sleeping giant! Who knows what horrors it will now rain down upon us?! Oh the Demonity!' Despite Tazel's raving, however, nothing happened after Pitch's fiery assault. The out of place barrier remained fixed in air, the sun sank a little lower, and birds in the trees nearby began their twittering. 'Mistress, I have an idea' Tazel's voice oozed cunning 'Since this barrier resists anything physical that's bound to you, what if you used my power to...corrupt it a little? Bend the rules keeping it in place? I could do it, you know. Quite easily.'

Also, just as an aside, TheAbsurdist at some point a mention that his body will need to be sent to France so his family can give him a proper funeral/burial would be nice.

GM Miles nodded slowly "I can understand why you would be confused. I and Bestia were too. None of us got it at first, it all seemed so...random. It's not the powers, Cho Lee" the teen gunman tapped his eyepatch again "it's perspective. You and a few others, people you might meet in the field in a few weeks, have one we need." Smiling lightly, Saboteur added, his accent a shade stronger "And I do want you on the team, Cho Lee. But if you' are not committed there is no point. Since that's not an issue..." with a lightning-quick move, Miles reached to the back of his belt, drawing a curved short sword and presenting it hilt-first to Cho. Dangling from the pommel, set with a dull red crystal, was a white armband bearing a blue wireframe globe surrounded with a red ouroboros and the letters 'WYRM'. "Take it, Cho. It's made of morphic molecules, so change it if necessary. And you'll need a code name, people who enslave children aren't picky about how they retaliate." Glancing at the others, he asked casually "Thoughts?" "Punch-Queen" Bestia replied instantly, looking almost neutral now. Magmatic waved her hand frantically "Entropy Girl! Terminator!" "Eel Ohc" Brainclay offered vaguely. Racer Khonchu tentatively raised her hand "I think she should...um...well, she's strong and tough...so why not something...a word that is about defending?" the gloomy girl smiled hopefully at Cho. Miles stroked his chin and nodded "Could work. Rescuer Cho? Your opinions on this?"

GM Once the tea was drunk, the pastries were reduced to some lonely crumbs, and the young heroes had chatted their fill, Saboteur led the Claremont students to the elevator leading to the ground level. The rest of WYRM's wards piled in too to see the visitors off, and it was a lucky thing that the elevator had as much space as it did. "Racer is still a little tired, and she does not like using her shadow powers," he explained as the box they were in slid out of the headquarters and began heading down the building, giving them a lovely view of Freedom City's Midtown from behind a one-way window "and none of you have any trouble getting around." Leaning against the railing at hip-height going around the elevator, the young man smiled warmly at the guests "It was a pleasure to meet all of you, hopefully next time will be less...explosive. Let us know if you hear about the Salamanders, we shall attempt to do the same. Good day." With a sharp *ting* the doors opened to reveal a small passageway leading to a sidewalk facing north, the ride smooth and nearly noiseless, the world outside brilliantly lit with the afternoon sun. The teens shook hands, made their goodbyes, and began to leave, though Miles tapped Cho on the shoulder to forestall her for a moment. His one eye fixed on hers. "You are sure? This is what you want?" he asked quietly "You really want to help us?" The others behind him watched their leader and Cho with varying levels of scrutiny, Bestia staring irritatedly at a nearby wall and Brainclay looking at nothing in particular. But all of them were waiting, and just a little hopefully too.

As that subject has now been delved into in Chat, I agree. They're more representatives of a now-gone civilization than a dead race. horngeek, souffle_girl, I have an idea: Thevshi mentioned that the original concept sounded quite a bit like Memorial, what with the avenger of a world devastated by extraterrestrial evil and destined to find a trove of incredible knowledge. Why not embrace that? Both even were lost in sleep for a long time, so the time problem solves itself. Would it be palatable for Melody to be a civic counterpart to Memorial's military-style augmentation, created as a "backup" in the event of Kyla's failure to properly bond? Rabia in this case would be a part of the Belran interstellar network, yet needn't be all that changed(the Belran likely lacking the Lor's early imperialist bent), and the Princess Tasha being chosen is hardly extraordinary("This artefact of calculation and divination says she's the best choice." "In the name of science, okay."). Obviously she'd have very different alterations, but both would have equal right to the store of knowledge left behind. That singular 'store' would be pretty important, because otherwise we have two masses of incredible learning and mystery. It makes sense to have more than one, certainly, but it's like world-destroying monsters: rarity increases value. And it allows for a rather nice bit of drama, since of course neither Memorial or Melody would have any reason to want to miss out on this irreplaceable, impossible-to-recreate piece of both their histories. How does that sound to you two?

Souffle_Girl, important question: does the character's nature depend on them being the unknowing last of their kind? Because with the Traveller, Paradigm/Elite, Memorial, and now Melody, that is a LOT of last surviviors of vanished cultures. Not saying you cannot do that, but is it necessary? Gizmo's treatise on character overlap might help spark some ideas. It's not like we have the excuse of decades of continuity(though we will in 13 years) and endless turnovers of pulp adventure stories churned out by disparate writers with relatively little communication. This is a whole bunch of people all at once.

Like ripples in water, Mind-Set reappeared, growing more visible and solid from the sun on his chest outward, revealing that the laid-back young man was pumping an enthusiastic fist in the air. His forcefield dropped the deflected bits of robo-shrapnel that had sprayed over him to the ground with various clinks and thuds as he celebrated "Yes! Another victory of brai-hold up." He looked quizzically at his nearby sister "Hey, Maelstrom, is this a victory of brains over brawn or brawn over brains? Technically that ship's weapons couldn't exist without brains, but the same could be said for the Curatorbot, and in theory making an artificial intelligence is a lot more fiddly than manipulating forces, but the way they've been used here...let's call it a tie for now. Nice work, Thoughtspeed!" The towering psychic clapped the slimmer young man on the shoulder of his black-green suit, dropping enough of the illusion of Mind-Set to allow for a more genuine smile under the false blue eyes "Wish I could learn to do that. Then maybe I could keep up with Ms. Supersonic over there. Ah well. And Stronghold, that's a nifty little gizmo you've got there," he added with an admiring nod to the ochre-clad ring-bearer "love to see how it reacts to your mind sometime, if that's what happens 'course." Sauntering over to the alien's ship, Nathan stooped and picked up the 'face' plate of the bruiser robot, turning it over in his hands curiously. "Soooo..." he glanced over at the fugitive "if it's okay with you to talk about it, space-buddy, why was the Curator after you? Why'd you end up here? And what's the next step?" he asked the other humans and Rachel, nodding deferentially to his sister.

GM ~Let me make sure.'Will we be able to trace it', those irregular and crushing failures really are a painAffirmed, Star Knight! From the readings being picked up by Newtorch, the technicians are fully confident that you will arrive in plenty of time, so don't discard the Blue Star just yet, if you please. We'll drive off your suitor to give you some breathing room. Station guard ready, transmitting coordinates! Mid-range flares, ignite!~ From far ahead, the silvery smear of Newtorch research station was suddenly hidden by lances of blue fire that crackled around Cavalier, flashing into the darkness behind him only to explode in brilliant spheres of destruction. Each sphere was an expanding wave of energy, meant to act as a deterrent for smaller craft and to spark cascades in larger ships. Caught in the middle, Zanvir's coruscating whirlwind of color flashed and reared as the embattled prince summoned all his power to shield himself from the blasts. But each time he narrowly saved himself from one, another burst smashed against him, and soon Captain Cerise was flung steadily backwards. With a final encore of detonating waves, the vivid sheathe wavered into darkness. Then, Cavalier's sensors picked up a gigantic surge of power, one that lit up hundreds of millions of kilometers behind him with a massively oversized image of Zanvir. The apparition of Ultra-Energy pointed at the retreating Star Knight, gigantic words flashing into being around him. NEXT TIME YOU'RE MINE With that, the image winked out, and Zanvir sped off into the interstellar void, viciously cursing the loss of his prize so close to his goal. "We'll meet again, Star Knight," he growled under his breath, racing for the ruined wreck of his beloved Celestia "and when we do I'll tear that armor off and we'll see what you're made of! The Ultra-Man swears it!" Shortly afterwards, on Newtorch Station "Exemplary work, Sri Steward. Thanks to your punctuality reversing that process should be simplicity itself." Admiral Louoy Kalf stood ramrod straight beside Cavalier on the observation & control deck, the stocky grey-furred creature looking like a dour Ewok afflicted with gigantism and stuffed into a grey admiralty tunic. Below the pair, and the ordered milling of Lor scientists in white encounter suits, was the room holding the Blue Star, a mass of floating metal circles maintaining local wavelengths, monitors crammed on nearly every wall showing the least measurable movements and a large cube in which the cosmic gem blazed. The creature had nearly been able to force its limbs into the cracks, and the last dash into the containment field had the thing shrieking noiselessly and flailing madly, even as its prison began to close around it once more. With a rattling hiss, the rods that had been draining the Star of radiation retracted into their sockets, and the ominous red halo above the gem turned a calming orange. Nodding in satisfaction, Kalf gestured for Kyle to go with him, heading out into the thrumming corridors with rapid steps to keep pace with the larger human. Without preamble he spoke, not even waiting for the door behind them to iris close "Zanvir and his crew escaped, the fighters we sent found only trace energies. I am sorry we lost them. With this, the recent invasions, some...less than superb new crew transfers, and that business with the con artist on Sedna, it would have been pleasant to have better news than 'disaster averted' to give the Senate..." Marching along in silence for a while, the diminutive Admiral glanced up appraisingly at the green-armored man "Two Star Knights from your planet. Both of you competent and adaptable. Hmph. I shall be glad when your world escapes its present barbarism. Any indication when that might be?"

Happy birthday, Quinn!

GM The three heroines emerged into the dazzling light of day, jabbing eyes grown used to the unlight of the Doom Coil like lances. As the world of Sanctuary reasserted itself and the Terminus Tunnel spiraled shut, Blue Jay, Crimson Tiger and Blodeuwedd found themselves surrounded by a cheering, crying and overjoyed crowd. The tribes rushed for their saviors, hoisting the girls onto their shoulders and carrying them in triumph for the platform, following their de facto leaders(only just now realizing they'd gone), and gratefully letting Chase and Maximus handle their suddenly much more docile livestock. "This is so humiliating," Chase grumbled out of Fleur's earshot, eyes glowing gold as he placed the tips of two fingers to his forehead and holding his other hand outstretched "my power of mind-control is supposed to be for emergencies, matters of life and death, not...this!" At his mental command, the small herds of sheep, cattle and goats trundled off for the appropriate pastures, Maximus watching over them in giant size, ghostly fingers reaching down to pluck the young from harm's way and raise temporary walls out of the dirt to keep the animals in place. Watching the livestock get their bearings in their new home, Max gently chided his brother "Don't be like that, buddy, without your power it'd take more than twenty people to get all these animals put away. Now c'mon, lots to do!" Tess reappeared after less than a minute's round trip. "Kit's exhausted herself" she reported, touching down near the near the box "but she should be all right in a few hours." Catching sight of the archer heroine she waved excitedly "Welcome back, Blue Jay, Tiger, Agent Blodeuwedd! Holy Hagen, it's good to see you all in one piece. And...so many people! Won't ask how or why right now, but if you could help us get all these people sorted out..." After that, it was all hustle and bustle. With Victoria and Tesla's help, getting those old, weak, sick or injured enough to need care away from the main group was a cinch, the shapeshifter deftly weaving through the crowd and locating people mentioned and described by Leda so the energy controller could hoist them clear of the teeming mass of vibrant and rustic humanity. Luckily only a handful, less than three hundred, were in such a state. It was hard to grow old in the Terminus. With a handy gizmo developed on their extraterrestrial adventures, Tesla checked the refugees exhaustively for any hidden signs of disease that would require temporary quarantine or more lengthy treatment. With that the laborious process of setting up a preliminary encampment began. While Leda and Robert Baudin knew their tribe's faces and names by heart, they were totally lost about the other tribes, making the split-ups slow going even with psychic assistance. In the absence of Gaian Knight Maximus and Tesla Atom expanded the low sod houses with extra earth and transmuted(nucleonic energy turned out to be good at changing compounds) stone. Meanwhile the heroines and younger Atoms helped make sure nobody got lost in the shuffle, which in a crowd of just-freed Terminus refugees was a considerable task, one made more difficult by the insistence on the part of the new arrivals that they start exploring right then. From Hell they'd come to Paradise, and wanted to drink it in with their new freedom. The day wore on, until at last almost everyone had been sorted into their new homes, well-fed and tired after the biggest day of their lives. The Atoms had gone back to the Goodman Building to get supplies for a longer stay on Sanctuary, and for the first time in long hours it was quiet again. The four heroines and Fleur were seemingly the only ones still awake.

GM The crystalline Magmin stared at Cho, semi-transparent eyes alight with joy. Suddenly lunging forward she enclosed the taller girl with a volcanic hug that was a shade too warm even for somebody with such resilient skin and toughened nerves. "Thank you, Cho. You won't regret this, I vow it by the Heart of Fire. Ohhh...this is so great! Just wait a flow, we'll be in touch for all the stuff humans mark when they move from one clan to another. Excuse me, I gotta tell Saboteur something." Reluctantly breaking off the hug, Magmatic headed over to the green-clad young man, who nodded grimly at Stronghold's comment about her sister's saying Very true. Your sister is certainly not a fool about that. But there's a difference between what we're trying to do and...well, what happened at the bank." Gesturing at the globe with a sharp move of his hand, Miles went on, grimacing with irritation "WYRM wants us to become role models, able to go anywhere and instantly impress fugitive or captive supers with what they could be, but as long as we're stuck with just a few countries we can't really learn how to be that. Every missed signal is a new hopeless mercenary, murdered potential or super-criminal. All preventable. I can deal with hardship and pain" Miles tapped the eyepatch over his his right eye "but waiting for permission to do good...it is disheartening." Just then, as Mile was folding his arms to pace around and glare at the globe like he hated it personally, Racer Khonchu was pouring out tea on the main table while looking even more morose and subdued than before, and Bestia started nonchalantly heading for the team's living quarters, something jolted through them, stopping all of them in their tracks for a second except for Magmatic and Brainclay, who looked idly at the two mutant girls, then shrugged and turned back to Will. "It is a considerable charm, I agree." As ever, the young psychic looked all eagerness while the voice remained neutral "And that is a cogent point. The specialists are rarer than the generalists. But when I was a child, it seemed like all the universe had powers like mine." Brainclay sighed wistfully, before giving Will another sideways glance "And that impulse was a joke I overheard on the floors below. I'm afraid the context would make it impossible for a visitor to appreciate." Magmatic, on finishing whispering something in Miles' ear and answering his sharp look with a vigorous nod, was busily setting up the delicate cups and saucers for the tea Racer was serving out, along with a plate heaping with small pastries from tarts to mini-turnovers. Everything had the look of being made 'at home'. "Please, have a little something before you go. That battle was very hard on you all." Racer said to the Claremonters, zipping around the room to gently maneuver everyone around the table. Even Bestia was deftly moved into an open chair despite her sulkiness on arrival and sullen refusal to get her feet off the table once she'd swung them onto it. Magmatic was seated next to Saboteur, and while the serious young man was busy passing the fixings around, the molten heroine eagerly whispered in his ear. Besides a glance and polite smile at Cho during the small repast, he gave no other sign about the obvious news. Though she did receive a very quiet psychic message. ~Cho. Miles here. Wait until the others go. We'll make it official then. Make sure this is best for you. Thank you for this trust. And excuse Aby'Sal's emotionality, I was hoping to make a more rational case. But all's well that ends well, let's see what the future holds.~

I think 'Jax' here is referring to Jak of Jak and Daxter, the Playstation 2 video game hero who has a vaguely similar look and general concept(long-eared inhabitant of a techno-magical world who uses various kinds of weapons to avenge the devastation of their home). The idea certainly isn't a bad one, though of course what the techno-magery is about(what does it draw on and why was it a better choice than one or the other) should get some further thought. And of course the identity of the aliens(the Stellar Khanate? The Grue Unity? RobRX's Andromedans?) who did the devastating should at least be decided on, even if the character doesn't know the Mods will need to. And some expansion to what she's like will be necessary, since free spirits should have depth too! Just look at Geckoman or Edge or Jack of all Blades, Kit or Thoughtspeed for some examples

Oh, it's definitely not a trivial thing. In the site's canon having a battlesuit is a sign of both having a tremendous intellect and lots of wealth/engineering knowhow/resources. The 'main' powered armor-wearing NPC, Daedalus, is both incredibly brilliant and incredibly wealthy, with the villain team of the armored Power Corps having stolen their suits from the alien-tech-using genius Mastermind. Both of them are immortals, with thousands of years spent learning physics and engineering. Really, the problem is less her being a mutant(though in that case, shouldn't some of her INT be an Enhanced Attribute in the Powers section?) and more that she somehow made a rank 19 Device out of spare parts from her father's military surplus gear. Not saying "That's unrealistic!" but it could do with a little explanation. Does Stenfor Arms deal with next-gen weaponry, and the suit a logical, if incredibly difficult to make, end result? Or is it a case of inhuman genius taking the mundane and making it fantastic?

souffle_girl, welcome to the site. If you could head over to the Secret Identities thread to introduce yourself, that would be much appreciated. As for the sheet, some formatting details first and foremost. Character sheets are required to have the DC Block at the absolute bottom, just above the total PP count. Complications are required to be just under Powers & Tactics and just above a [h no space between these letters r] line. As for build itself, Intelligence is underpayed by 2PP, you have 2PP more in Feats than you have actually bought(convenient!), and the Device needs some formatting of its own. Devices have simple [device]tags at the start of the power name and rank, and ending after the last power in that Device's PP count. For example. [ device ]Device 8(40PP Device, Easy to Lose)[24PP] Star Lance Blast 10[20PP] Damage 10[10PP] Trip 10[10PP][/ device ] No spaces are supposed to be in the tags, that's just so they're clearer. Arrays inside Devices get the [array] tag, like all Arrays. For example. [ device ]Device 5(25PP Device, Hard to Lose; Feats: Restricted 1(characters with the Fearless Feat))[21PP] Viridian Torch Band [ array ]Array 12(24PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power)[25PP] Base Power: Blast 12[24PP] AP: Create Object 12[24PP][/ array ][/ device ] That formatting is necessary, because otherwise it can be tricky to just see what powers belong to what. As is, it looks like all her powers are independent of each other, which of course isn't the case. As well, be sure to say outright what Extras are in play. They look to mostly be Area Extras, but clarifying that hurts none and nothing.

A very happy birthday to you, Raveled. May you see many more.

For Amelyth's part yes, the thread is over. Miss Grue's has just a bit further to go, and then all will be completed.

No. Silex has Mysterious Reasons for wanting people to escape the Terminus amidst the General's death and the premature loss of a world.

Rav, the drones made absolutely no move towards the escapees except to grab the Steam General's body.

GM Suddenly leaping into action, Tess started handing out small metallic buttons on velcro straps, explaining hurriedly "They're speaking French(or at least a dialect) and these should help-dear Darwin more than nine thousand what have we done-with communication. Just press the button while you speak and the soundwaves are modulated. All right, okay. Clan." Glancing at her siblings she said, not loud very clear "We're in this until it's over. I'll let Grandpa know about what has happened, he can help get our schedules cleared while we sort out the population boom." "Well duh. Like I'd miss the chance to help people from the frickin' Terminus so I can hammer at the blog." Vickie seemed to have taken the drastic change in the situation well in hand, the unusually energetic Atom tapping at a small panel on her shirt sleeve to bring up an email display, her suddenly-multiplied fingers rapidly typing out a message "Leave Doc-Gramps to me, Tess, lemme know if there's anything I can do." Chase nodded once when questioned with a look from his sister. "I'll inform Gaian Knight and Gabriel. A voice in their heads is the last thing they need. If we start a panic it would take a long time to stop." "We had no idea it would be this many people, Fleur" Max explained to their host, the brawny man looking crestfallen "Blue Jay's village must have gotten a lot of outsiders together for the escape. I don't blame them, but still." Squaring his shoulders, the Atom added resolutely "We'll do everything we can to help get these refugees set up. For a start me and Tess'll get some shelters up for the animals and a few preliminary structures for anyone who doesn't have a tent, cart or lean-to to call their own." Taking another look at the now-subdued mob, some of whom were having trouble keeping jubilant oxen, sheep and goats under control as their massed fellows watched the Tunnel with bated breath, his frown lightened "Hey! Looks like somebody's decided they want a meet the new neighbors too." Across the carpet of greenery, a rugged, unkempt middle-aged man with a limp approached the other group of people, a familiar red-headed body over his shoulders. A tall, lean woman in an identical style with grey hair scraped back into a ponytail marched beside them, eyes darting over the strange village in an appraising manner and coming up to a very favorable conclusion if a quick, warm smile that stole briefly over her lips meant anything. Stopping a few yards from the box Fleur was on, the woman bowed, the man following suit as he lay Kit into a more or less comfortable place on the field. <"Lady, my name is Leda, I guide these people. We thank you from the depths of our hearts for rescuing us. We'll live anywhere you have room, and work our hands to the bone to make our burden on you light. Thanks to you and the young ones, we are free at last."> At the word 'free', a few tears slid down her nose and onto the grass. Raising his curly head a little, the graying rogue beamed up at their hostess <"I am Robert Baudin. My daughter, the little archer bird, told me some snatches about this place. But the full glory..."> looking out over the pleasant land and the rich forests, he shook his head <"...I could not imagine this. Truly we are rescued from Hell."> Suddenly he started and turned his attention back to Kit, checking her pulse with a skillful finger and looking grave <"This one, my daughter's darling, got us to the meeting place, but she's burnt herself out, she needs help-"> he jerked backwards with a cry of alarm as a glowing platform of nucleonic energy snapped into place below Kit, whisking her a foot in the air. "It's alright! Don't be alarmed, she'll be fine. I'm sorry, just..nerves." Tess Atom steered the small platform over to her side, a glow covering her skin as she too lifted off "I'll be straight back, Max, Mz. Madison, just getting her to the infirmary." With that the elder Atom flew off with the Hell-born escape artist. Blinking her eyes slowly, Leda asked, uncertainty glimmering in her eyes <"Is...that common here?"> Her tone strongly implied she hoped not.

GM Equinox & Pitch The wind whistled across the women's skins, tearing away most of the fierce heat of the dying desert day as they hurtled for the bizarrely-placed and remarkably inconsistent magic traffic block. As they approached this date with destiny, the road beneath them a ribbon of black banded in yellow and white, a heraldic flag of speed and freedom, the witch and the demon furnace felt the rush of glory stir in their hearts. This rush did not fade as the motorcycle slammed headlong into an invisible wall and bounced away like a basketball, nor when the two magicians smashed into it themselves, feeling the odd sensation of their very being rejected and diverted even as the force propelling them passed through, and they were deposited in a heap on the still-warm tarmac, Hayley landing in a confused and frightened ball on Siobhan's head. Then the rush of glory just turned into a splendid fountain of violence against inanimate and severely inconvenient mystic energy fields. Inside Carmen, Tazel was positively gibbering with a mixture of delight at his bearer's discomfiture and horror at the power before him. 'O Lady Cantos, mistress of the steel stallion, perhaps you might NOW consider getting us out of here. This is clearly far beyond our powers, and I am...sad...horrifi...dismayed by this kind of challenge falling on your weak shoulders. Get us out of here. At once.' The bar of yellow and black stood above the pair, now looking more final than ever. A fly buzzed past Dr. Drake's ear, a small, lean thing that didn't bumble so much as dart through the air. Landing briefly to inspect the newcomers' ears, that mysterious objective eluding all its race contemptuously eluding it as well, the fly took off and performed a broad circle in the air, searching for a new scent, straining its antenna to the utmost before bumping into the wall itself, and being also sent to the road. Rising unsteadily, the thing began slowly to fly higher and higher, each time still thwarted by the unseeable barricade and robbed of its flight for a few seconds. Nick The voice(and lifesnake) paused. When the silver voice spoke again the words were meticulously chosen. "I am a frequent site of incursions from other planes, creatures drawn here by the promise of...power. Many of them are antithetical to human life, like that daughter of Yig beneath my barrier, or would disrupt natural orders and destroy the prosperity of my-...me. So I watch for things that crawl between worlds, or are called here by those within me, and kill them." "As for "why"...I can not say why the servants of the Fanged One would choose this place. People are curious that way, sometimes they do things merely because they can. If you have come to find a way to slow or stop the incursions, I welcome you. They bring nothing good to me."

The motorcycle hits a barrier of force, dimensional energies twisted into a pseudo-wall that keeps certain living spirits out catching Pitch and Equinox as they're flung out. The vehicle is undamaged but flung a significant distance backwards. A different sort of brute force might be more applicable... troll, Springsvale attempts to pull a fast verbal one on Nick with a Bluff roll of 24. Nick's Attractive bonus to Bluff comes into play for Mystical Reasons.

Victory is the Star Knight's! He reaches Newtorch well ahead of Zanvir, who is repulsed into the void and has to go find his crew and salvage the Celestia. Feel free to post Kyle's breakneck arrival at the research station, perhaps via the large hole Captain Cerise punched through it, and the handing off the artefact of horror for speedy secretion into a containment field.

GM "Yeah!" Ted was grinning like a loon as the dream began to dissolve "Kinda weird, I gotta say. I'd have thought he'd make it harder to find the hold it's got in my brain. And why'd it just leave like that? Psychics is crazy" he concluded with a wry shake of his head as the cupola opened up above them to reveal Dr. Faiur's familiar scowl. "All done? Problem solved?" she asked curtly, sighing in relief at the answering nod and reaching over to shut off the machine "Excellent, please depart now so I can fix whatever you've broken with my extremely-expensive and complicated device. Good day, and congratulations." As the duo walked away, the young man sauntered through the crowd, his step lighter and eye brighter. "I'd rather wait, to be honest," he explained to Amelyth "I wanna say to his face that he's full of crap and wasting both our time, and with you I can shrug off any hollow threat he makes! And I gotta go get ready for work, so this is goodbye for now." Passing a hand over his stubbly scalp, he shook Amanda's hand with the other, his grip much stronger in the real world than the dream dimension. "I couldn't have done that without your help, kid. I owe you one. See you around, and don't be a stranger if you see me again, 'kay?"

GM The two star-farers moving fast enough to go into lightshift, Zanvir and Cavalier streaked through the empty void of the Solar System, the prince leaving a brilliant rainbow of coalescent colors in his wake while the Star Knight blazed a deep green and harsh blue trail to Newtorch Station. Each of the men desperately swerved and rolled in their mad chase, Zanvir struggling to stay within range of Kyle and firing off snap shots when his quarry rolled in just the wrong direction to try and knock Cavalier off-course and complicate his flight. In the lack of an atmosphere to press against, Kyle's grip on the Blue Star(aided by his armor's construction and ties to the Star Stone) was as solid as if he was frozen to it. And without even a jitter in his optical sensors it was impossible not to see the growing cracks widening in the core of the enormous gem, one fissure edging dangerously near to the surface. Through it the caged entity was somehow widening its space in the material world, long limbs and a non-localized body core that looked like cross between Swiss cheese and a black spiderweb revealed, waves of malice emanating from it that briefly flashed through the Star Knight's own mind. Far ahead, the armor was starting to pick up comm chatter from the repair crews on the station, along with a burst of noise as the short-range sensors detected his armor and alerted the defense grid of a friend approaching. ~Sri Steward~ Admiral Kalf's terse voice growled over the armorlink ~Newtorch just reported that you're inbound, along with the Star. Apparently you have a pursuer, do you require assistance?~