GranspearZX

The smell was bad enough--especially considering his close proximity and his sensitive nose. Tucking that injured right hand under his left arm, he blinked as the lightning bolt came down on the giant ooze, fur standing on end a bit from the residual static. He wasn't even sure right away where the lightning bolt had come from; but he was still grateful for the fact that it saved him from something potentially worse than just a burn to the hand... and even that was startingto clear itself up. He was genuinely surprised; Arcturus had never actively tested just how much his regenerative power was capable of. He certainly wasn't going to make a habit of it, however. He shook his paw out and took a quick glance around, wondering where the proverbial bolt from the blue came from...

No objections to lethal damage here. Gonna save the HP though. Arcturus's Recovery Roll (Con +7 plus +1 from his bear form's regen): 1d20+8=17

Now that was a much easier question; he'd read enough on the rune he was actually wearing to know what it was for, inside and out. "Sure. The Shield rune. It's supposed to be pretty basic though. It's used to protect someone from harm. Physical or otherwise... It's not absolute, though." Marcus couldn't help but be a little bit impressed with himself. After all, this time last year he didn't even know magic existed... and then it turned out that both his parents were pretty well versed in it--his father a more physical type while his mother was... well, not. Part of the page was, however, in Latin: more advanced applications of the Shield rune that referenced several other runes. It strung several runes together to create quite a few barrier-like effects. It went on for several pages, building on earlier references in the book about rituals and magic circle arrays to describe applications to protect and ward entire buildings--things far beyond Marcus's level of comprehension for the moment. "I don't REALLY know how it works... I haven't tried it, and I don't really do anything to this to make it work. It just sort of happens on its own."

Arc's Toughness Save: 1d20+7=11 Yeah, that's gonna sting. Failed the check by 9, meaning that he's stunned on top of everything else. Ow. o.o

Here we go... ^^ Arcturus's Attack: 1d20+6=15

The entire situation was just making Arcturus grumpy. A quick survey of the situation lent itself to the realization that he really didn't want to be here, but now that he was... well, there was just no helping it. He wasn't even sure where this monster had come from, but it was menacing enough that someone had to do something about it. This was the first time he'd actually had to use his power for something like this; hauling that AEGIS agent off of his father didn't really count. Tearing away the remnants of the ill-fated black t-shirt he'd been wearing, Arcturus saw the ooze threatening the girl and her parents. A distraction was in order. He didn't have time to think; if he waited, bad things were certainly liable to happen. He charged forward, surprisingly agile and quick for a huge, furry menace weighing upwards of 500 lbs. Without so much as a growl of warning or a snarky quip of introduction, Arcturus closed the distance between himself and the blob, choosing to introduce himself with a clawed swing at what he could only assume was the monstrosity's body. The second he made contact with it, though, he regretted it, as the sharp smell of his burning paw hit his nose. He immediately recoiled and pulled his smoking paw back, wincing at the acid burn he'd managed to inflict on himself. The pain was jarring; it was difficult to say whether it was because of a lack of combat experience or just the shock from the acid burn. Either way, he suddenly found himself in a rather unfortunate position...

Arcturus's Initiative: 1d20+6=15

Marcus yawned, chewing on the end of his pencil with an open sketchbook in his lap, watching the world pass him by. People watching seemed like a colossal waste of time when he could have been studying. In reality, that's what he was doing--drawing runes from his book by memory, and trying to recall what they were supposed to do. It was an exercise that was mostly inspired by Etain's interest in his magic--not that he could do anything with it just yet, but he was coming to much more of an understanding of the function of his abilities. He hadn't even considered the thought of his more physical capabilities. He was pretty comfortable with his own strength, and had even gone so far as to venture into a few random basketball games with other students--who, much to his surprise and relief, were just as resilient as he was. The only reason he wasn't on campus now as because he felt as if he needed to be at the park; he blamed the vision he had at the museum a few days ago for that. He was still convinced he'd seen a future robbery, but he had no idea how to even begin to figure out when exactly it was supposed to occur. The day, over all, seemed rather quiet. Marcus enjoyed days like it, but lately, they didn't last long. One minute, he was sketching the Shield rune, and the next, an ear-splitting scream from a nearby jogger caught his attention. When he looked up, there was an amorphous green blob shambling across the grass, sending people scattering in all directions. He scrambled to his feet, and for a moment, he had to decide whether he would follow suit or actually do something... But do what, exactly? There was no one else around to deal with it, and the creature wasn't exactly slow, killing the grass as it worked its way across the grounds. He was more concerned with the blob than the fact that there was someone else standing there, watching; usually he was worried about someone seeing him transform, and he didn't like audiences, but that seemed like a rather selfish problem that he'd resigned himself to deal with later. He dropped his sketchbook as the mark on his back started to glow. He mentally braced himself as the circle of power he'd become familiar with appeared on the ground beneath him, changing his form in a matter of seconds from Marcus Irons to the eight-foot tall Arcturus.

"...I see." Instantly, Marcus dropped the subject. It would've definitely been rude to press the issue any further, and he was never the nosy sort when it came to other peoples' business. He let her take the book again--it wasn't as if she was going to steal the thing, after all--and watched her flip through the pages like it was nothing. Just what was she seeing that he wasn't? Jealousy gave way to genuine curiosity, and if she could help him understand just what was going on, both within himself and with the magic was supposedly inherent to him, then what was the real harm? The pursuit of knowledge, especially when progress was being made, always had a profound effect on him. He smiled broadly as she searched and stopped on a specific page, and it faded a bit as she suddenly quizzed him. "Ah... hm." He paused for a moment as it started to come back to him; it took him a moment to remember. "Runes are... well... the language of magic, I guess. Specific symbols that have a meaning or effect or... something like that." Marcus frowned at his own lack of articulation; he knew what they were but explaining it made him feel awkward. It was why he never asked questions or raised his hand in class--and probably why his grades looked so terrible in subjects he was struggling with. The answer itself sounded right, although it wasn't word-for-word what he'd read in the book. Maybe I ought to find a ritual in there that'll make me smarter.

Marcus could've lost himself in the glow of the moonstone. There was something definitely off about it, but he couldn't be sure what. His eyes drifted up to the window and he blinked at the darkness, suddenly reminded of his curfew. Oh crap! Marcus spun around and headed for the doors, shaking his head... He felt like he'd been asleep. It was the weirdest thing... but he hardly had time to think about it when the entire building shook. It was brief, but it made Marcus grab the handrail of the stairs to steady himself. "...the hell?" The sound of gunfire made him tense, followed by another violent shake, this one harder than the last. The commotion seemed to be coming from one of the upper floors. Common sense told Marcus to just stay out of the way. How hard would it really be just to go downstairs, head out the door, and pretend this never happened? Don't waste your gift, Marcus. "Ah, god damn it." Marcus turned around, hauling himself up the stairs as the obvious sounds of combat continued. His father's words reminded him of his conviction to do the right thing, no matter how inconvenient the timing. Exhaling sharply as he crested the stairway, he looked around quickly before moving in the direction of the sound, pausing only momentarily as a loud and violent crash filled the air, followed by the sound of shattered glass. The exhibit room he'd discovered was a mess, at least three of the security guards were on the ground, and there was a gaping hole in the window. "Kid... hey, kid!" Marcus snapped to attention when a huge, meaty hand clasped his right shoulder. He blinked and spun around, startled, staring at the heavy-set security guard. He was back in the same room as the Eye of Luna, as if he'd never even left, confused as all hell. "...you okay, son?" "Uh... ...yeah. S-sorry..." "I was just gonna say, it's gettin' kinda late... You sure you're alright?" A brief flash of recognition lanced across Marcus's mind as he stared blankly at the guard--he HAD seen him before. Upstairs... he'd been pretty badly hurt then, but now he seemed just fine. Had he been dreaming? "...huh? Sure, I'm... I'm good. Sorry. I should probably get goin' though." He wasn't sure if he'd seen the future or the past or if the entire thing was just him being exhausted from that football game. Marcus gave the moonstone one last cursory glance before he headed back towards the stairs. Wait a minute. Now that I think about it, moonstones are supposed to be used in rituals to see the future. So was that... "We're gonna lock up here in about 30 minutes," the guard warned, nodding at Marcus with a brief look of concern for him before he headed off to do his rounds. Marcus followed him out of the exhibit room, watching him for a moment as he started to head up the stairs to the third floor. A nervous knot swelled up in his throat, and he started to say something; the earbud in his ear spouted a lyric that made the words catch in his throat. Somebody save us, I'm seeing futures So what 's the use of knowing the truth if no one's gonna believe you? "So much for goin' home..."

"Uh..." Marcus blinked as she touched the amulet around his neck. Wow. No concept of personal space... Just her being that close made him uneasy. Still, he didn't immediately pull away, letting her examine it; clearly she was seeing something he wasn't. He had a suspicion that it wasn't just some random charm, and Etain had only further confirmed it. In fact, she seemed to know more about just on arbitrary examination than he did. He would've been lying to himself if he said it didn't make him just a little bit jealous. "So, ah... does this place have a name?" He smiled faintly, reaching for the leather strap on his book and hauling it off the ground, slipping it over his shoulder. "Not that you don't have to say if you don't want to, I mean. Just curious." Marcus understood more than anyone the need to keep things to oneself sometimes... Nevertheless, he saw no immediate reason not to ask.

"Not a clue." He shook his head, frowning a bit. "My dad gave it to me before I came here. I guess I was supposed to get it on my next birthday or something, but... stuff happened." 'Stuff' like his house being raided by AEGIS. Just remembering that night threatened to send the heavy set teen backsliding into an irritable mood--not exactly the sort of first impression he wanted anyone to have of him. He sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck with his right hand. "But yeah, my mom was pretty well-versed in the stuff. I'm pretty sure the got a lot of that from other books; kinda nice to have it all in one. In fact, I think she made this." He reached into his jersey and pulled the pendant out from beneath it. If nothing else, Marcus had never even considered taking it off--and surprisingly, it didn't choke him when he transformed. Not even Marcus was quite sure how that was possible, but that was part of the reason why he was searching through his mother's grimoire--so he could figure it out. He tilted his head a bit, not entirely sure how to broach the subject of her accent. He'd never heard anything quite like it; he didn't grow up around anyone who spoke--or dressed--so formally. "...where are you from, by the way?" God, I hope that didn't sound rude...

Marcus was well aware of his size in relation to other people; he often didn't know his own strength when he wasn't paying attention. He couldn't help but give her a somewhat appraising look as she shook his hand; outwardly she seemed like a regular, if unusually dressed person. Most people didn't think twice about the fact that Marcus's Blades jersey looked a little bit too big. He had a VERY good reason for that, however. Clothes were expensive enough without his other form ripping them apart. "It's in English, mostly. I haven't even tried to read the gibberish towards the back..." The thought had crossed his mind to let her have a look at it. It couldn't REALLY hurt anything, and despite his own secrets, he had to trust someone. That and he had to give her points for approaching him at all. Holding out the book, he shrugged, not at all worried about temporarily parting with it. "I take it you know a little bit more about this kinda stuff than I do..." It was a little embarrassing, admitting weakness like that, but it was true. All he knew about magic was that he was capable; his father had told him that much. Both their powers were magical in nature, though Marcus's were considerably tamer than Richard's. It scared him a little to think about what his father's form actually looked like back when he couldn't control it. Marcus , at least, was born with his.

Marcus's book looked more like a journal than a textbook; it had no cover and the print was small. The only pictures in it were diagrams, lending even more incredulity to the idea that he might actually be reading it. Nonetheless, it had his full attention, so much so that he was muttering to himself even as Etain managed to sneak up on him. He was completely oblivious to what in particular she was staring at; he was largely ignorant of why he could do the things he could do, and her presence came across as general curiosity rather than focused specifically on the mark on his back. When she spoke, it didn't startle him in the strictest sense of the word, but he visibly tensed, one hand curling around the book's edge in an almost defensive manner. He managed to stop himself from having a knee-jerk reaction, recalling what Mr. Summers had told him before--there was no need to feel threatened, not here. He took a deep breath and a steadying exhale, glancing over his shoulder as he set the book back in his lap. He blinked a few times at the way she was dressed--he hadn't seen anything quite like that outside sepia-toned photos in his history books. "Oh... um... hi." He glanced at his book for a second, then back at her. Given what he'd seen over the past few days, magic seemed less and less strange; what would it hurt to tell her what it was? "It's a book that used to belong to my mom. Ritual magic, runes, alchemy... that sort of thing." Marcus could tell she was curious; he wasn't entirely sure how to interpret her interest. ...I'm probably thinking WAY too hard. "I'm Marcus, by the way." He at least had enough manners to stand up, tucking the book under his left arm before offering her his right.

...in which Marcus Irons gets to know people. :)

Magic isn't supposed to have this much math in it. Comprehension wasn't exactly Marcus's strongest trait. Reading even the most basic of his mother's books on the subject of magic and rituals required him to actually buckle down and pay attention, and doing so during his free time was taking its toll on his social life. It didn't help that he was 'the new kid', and that only made him want to draw into his shell that much more. Still, as difficult as it was, it was still fascinating to know that this sort of thing even existed... despite the tragedy that accompanied the discovery of his magical heritage. Still, he felt a little bit out of place. Sure, he was a big bigger and stronger than the average 16-year old, but it wasn't completely unheard of. Just the day before, he could have sworn he'd seen someone pass through a wall. It was amazing and incredibly weird, and it made him miss his non-existent home. On the other hand, it was an opportunity to move forward and become something more. Despite what his parents were, the prospect of becoming a hero in his own right was always at the forefront of his thoughts--if for no other reason than to find his mother and make her explain everything. He hadn't realized that just the thought of anything besides the book in front of him had made him stare off into space; he could tell that it was getting him a few stares from other students passing through the quad. Marcus sighed and rubbed at the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. This is gonna be a long, long day... I can already tell.

The Hunter Museum of Natural History wasn't exactly the sort of place one would expect to find a bruiser like Marcus. He was something of a contradiction like that; despite his size, he was surprisingly adept at things other than physical pursuits. He'd been to the museum several times before, and had even toyed with the idea of becoming an archaeologist. That, of course, was before he'd discovered that he could transform into an eight-foot tall bear. That, among other things, had wildly shuffled his priorities; to keep from being completely overwhelmed, he tried to get back into something like a normal routine. As difficult as that seemed on paper, just being around something familiar made him feel a little less lost. Even for someone who had visited the museum on several occasions, navigating it took a little bit of effort. Still, Marcus was no idiot; he knew, at least, where to begin, and he didn't mind looking around, even at things he'd already seen. He wasn't sure why he felt so much more at home among old tomes and artifacts; he suspected that it had a lot to do with his mother's profession. All he really knew about her was that she was a researcher, and she had a master's degree in archaeology. As soon as he started to think about her, he tried to push the thought out of his mind; that wasn't why he was here. Before long, he spotted the exhibit at the far end of the room. He'd expected some sort of grand display, but there it was--a gemstone in a glass case, roped off to keep people away from it. He doubted that would do much to deter actual, determined thieves, but he wondered what kind of thief would steal a rock with nothing but cultural significance. According to the information posted, it was found somewhere in Sri Lanka several months ago. It took him a few moments to remember where that even was; reading further, it was a country particularly abundant in moonstones. "So this is the Eye of Luna, huh? ...doesn't look like much." Then again, I guess looks can be deceiving... His right hand moved up to tap at the amulet around his neck.

7:44 pm :: December 19 Marcus Irons had taken a liking to wandering the park. His father might have warned him about being mugged or some such, but he wasn't worried about that--or at least, he was less worried than he would have been a year or two ago. For the most part, it was quiet every time he came, and wandering the park was the only real way he knew of to burn off some of the nervous energy he seemed to be burdened with. He was particularly exhausted that day; drawn into a random pick-up football game on the west side of Liberty Park, he'd lost track of time until his watch reminded him that he had a curfew. With one earbud from his iPhone stuffed in left ear, Marcus made his way across the park. He rarely carried anything but his phone with him on these excursions, though today he'd brought along a book. It looked relatively new; leather-bound with no discernible title, the gray-covered tome hung at his right side, suspended by a brown leather strap over his right shoulder. It was a little bit unusual, but then, so was Marcus. Still, he looked relatively unassuming; wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans with grass stains at the knees, he really was, at heart, a typical, active teenager. By the time he made it to the northern end of the park, it was nearly 8 pm. He was fairly certain he wouldn't make it back to Claremont by anything resembling a reasonable time, but he wasn't terribly worried. It wasn't as if he was out doing something crazy, like getting into fights or drugs or something equally ridiculous. He looked up at the moon as a new song started in his ear, smiling faintly as he muttered the lyrics under his breath. He only had one more stop he wanted to make, and he headed north towards the Hunter Museum of Natural History. There was a new exhibit he wanted to get a look at, and he figured a detour wouldn't hurt too much.

Changed Grapple, added his flat-footed defenses, and I replaced Protection 3 with Strike 2 (Mighty). Also, edited that device; it was supposed to have been hard to lose.

Took out Geomancer array, and I used the points to raise his CON, base defense and attack, and his saves. Hopefully everything balances out and I didn't get too mired in the adjustments...

This one took a little bit of doing; I don't want to completely gimp the character but I'm starting to see that he's spread rather thin--and his defense seems to be, overall, taking the largest hit. In an effort to fix it, I dropped: 2 points of Wisdom 1 rank (4 skill points) in Search and Survival 2 ranks of Improved Block All-Out Attack Power Attack Stunning Attack Takedown Attack Defensive Attack I added Dodge Focus 2 and put the remaining points in his Defense. Any further suggestion on how to fix the problem would be greatly appreciated.

After listing the combat values the way they were supposed to be listed, I was over 8pp. Fixed that by: 1) Reducing INT by 4 (adjusted skills accordingly) 2) Reducing Attack and Defense by 1. Also, as per your suggestion, I shifted his Trip attack to the Area suggestion with the melee flaw. Thanks for your patience. :)

1) I don't know WHY I thought that Attack/Defense was 1pp/rank... I must've been reading something else. o.o Fixed, and then I dropped Instant Up and Fearsome Presence 1 from his feats, replacing them with Attack Focus (Melee) 2 2) Fixes the math on his Toughness. 3) Fixed Super-Senses to read properly for Track 2. 4) Lowered the rank of Electrical Control from 10 to 8, in order to put Indirect 2 in as a power feat. Adjusted the DCs accordingly.

*I wasn't sure whether I needed to put just the modifier or the actual leaping distance for running/standing/vertical jumps... so I put both. *I shifted his that one point in Resurrection into his Recovery Bonus instead. *Had to think about the Air Control edit, but in the end, Trip was definitely the better option for what Arcturus would likely use it for. It's not quite the area-effect I would've liked, but I figure the character can grow into that. Thanks again for the corrections. :)

...yeah, that could be a problem. o.o Edited; changed Adrenal Surge 2 with Enhanced Feat 2 (Fearsome Presence 2)