ic Unseelie against Steel (IC)

[Kaede Kimura]

GM

 

Sunday 19th May 8pm

Union Rail Yards

Greenville

 

The day had been been quiet, a train arriving around midday to offload cargo, some historic items bound for the Hunter Museum of Natural History being locked securely in a safe in the primary warehouse.

 

As the sun descended however the quiet was suddenly disrupted, the armoured form of the villain Steel Shade and his team smashing through the wall next to the safe, before the rest of his team got to work. Within minutes they were ready to depart, the teleportation device they'd made use of many times prior about to activate when a stone flechette tore through the delicate device, and a tide of small green creatures burst from the walls.

 

The combat quickly became a fighting retreat, leading deeper into the train yard. Gunshots and yells ring out across the evening air as the groups engage in their battle. For the first time in quite a while the heroes have time to respond to this latest robbery.

[Supercape]

Bloody Mess

 

The sound was enough to draw attention. Freddy ripped off his jacket, revealing a red t-shirt and the black "M" insignia. 

 

Bloody Mess, back in business. 

 

He reached down (metaphorically) to his gut, and supercharged his mutant blood. Muscles swelled to the size of giant watermelons, stretching his t shirt, pulsating his veins. And then, with mighty pumped up legs, he shot into the air in a huge leap. 

 

Gunfire wasn't good. Not da kind of thing a superhero could ignore. And this sounded like a lotta gunfire. 

 

He landed on an old train in the yard, crushing the roof into a crater sized dent, one hand on the steel to balance. It was a proper super-hero landing, and no mistake. He was lucky - had the train carriage been any more rusty, Bloody Mess would have gone straight through da roof. 

 

He scanned the streets, the rail track, looking for da source of da action. He had ta make sure he wasn't going ta punch da wrong guy, after all....

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

Blackstaff stood over the unconscious form of the sorcerer Batita. Ice was slowly melting all around the back alley not far from the railyard both had been heading towards. It seemed he wasn’t alone in having heard the rumors.

The Octavo. A unique grimoire said to contain 8 of the most powerful spells ever recorded.

It was a myth, of course. No one had any proof they had ever actually laid eyes on it. But it didn't stop the young and/or foolish from seeking it out. 

This time someone had started a rumor that it was among a shipment of items bound for the Natural History Museum being unloaded tonight.

 

Blackstaff shook out his shield bracelet, flecks of ice raining off his coat as he did. A staff of old blackened wood with runic carvings oddly held not a single trace of ice or water upon it. 

Turning towards the alley’s entrance he walked casually towards the rail yard again. He hadn’t gotten much further before a distance ruckus erupted from the direction of the yard. Sounds like explosions and gunfire never amounted to anything good in this city… or any other city he supposed.

He cursed and began to run.

[Kaede Kimura]

Shooting Star 

 

Alice soared on a ballistic trajectory across the city, tearing through the sound barrier as soon as she achieved enough height to avoid doing damage from the sonic boom. The journey took mere seconds, the wind roaring in her ears as her descent began. She stopped in an instant about three feet from the ground to catch her bearings and identify the situation.

 

It didn't take long to home in on the sounds of gunfire, arriving at the location of the battle at about the same time as Bloody Mess and Blackstaff. She looked down at the chaos unfolding before her, trying to identify both sides of the fight. 

[Kaede Kimura]

GM

 

In a long street between a pair of warehouses the four villains were moving quickly towards the more open train yard. Steel Shade was leading the way, snapping off shots with his railpistol through small gaps in the warehouses. The titan Anarchilles was taking up the rear several scratches present on his armour, while the last two members of the team, a short woman in a magician outfit and domino mask and a thin woman with platinum blonde hair in a white body suit were taking shelter between their two larger teammates. 

 

Suddenly a small green creature burst from a hole in the side of a warehouse ahead of the four, throwing a small stone blade at Steel Shade, which bounced away with a small flare of his shield generator before it dove down a drain.

 

The heroes had arrived in the train yard that the villains were running for, Blackstaff having run around the corner as Bloody Mess and Shooting Star arrived from the skies. Disturbed insects burst from hiding places, buzzing and crawling away. All three could hear the villains yelling to each other over the gunfire. Anarchilles sounded excited and slightly manic. 

"I'm telling you, they're Goblins. Like from-"

"We get it, but unless you've got some facts that'll help us beat them it's not much us use." The second speaker was Steel Shade, the leader of the group.

"Uh, they're not generally weak to anything in particular. They're normally low tier creatures for early level characters to-"

"Aww well that's just great! We're being punked by the jobbers of fantasy land. Remind me that if we're ever sent to the world of Basements and Basilisks to just give up and be a farmer." The woman in the magician's outfit piped up. The group had yet to reach the end of the alleyway and see the heroes, giving the three time to prepare.

[Supercape]

Bloody Mess

 

Nerds! They are a bunch of nerds!

 

Even a man of such limited cognitive prowess as the Mess could spot a nerd. He recalled shameful mockery of the nerds of his school - an attempt to prop us his ego as an academic failure and all round idiot. And a short one, at that. He wasn't the worst of bullies, but he couldn't confidently walk away from that tag. The shame brought a flush of super charged blood to his face. No! He was the Bloody Mess now, here to protect!

 

"Halt, evil-doers!" he shouted out, his voice projected by his enormous barrel chest. 

 

He slammed lefty (his left fist) and righty (his right fist) together to emphasise he was a hero and a tough one. 

 

Sure there were four of them, but hopefully he had the back up of the other heroes whose names he couldn't quite remember. That was life as Bloody Mess - there were a lot of things he couldn't quite remember. 

 

"Come quietly or there will be trouble!" he added, trying another stolen phrase. 

[Kaede Kimura]

Shooting Star

 

Alice had been floating above the train yard, thinking of trying to ambush the group when the big guy jumped in demanding that Steel Shade and his team surrender. Outnumbered four to one, barely higher than half the height of one of the bad guys and he still boomed out his lines without a moments hesitation.

 

She couldn't fault his guts, and probably wasn't the best person to comment on common sense.

 

Still she couldn't expect the man to face the quartet alone, especially with whatever was apparently going on. (Goblins, yeah right.) She flew down, settling quietly near the big man. "You're outmatched, Steel Shade. Stand down."

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

Blackstaff skidded to a stop as he came out of the alleyway and onto the street between warehouses. Almost as if on que two others arrived. It was a little confusing at first, he’d admit later, the wizard wasn’t sure who was who.

But, it quickly became apparent that the two that just arrived weren’t with the quartet running up the street. And, had they mentioned something about goblins?

That’s just what he wanted to deal with today. What could have brought goblins surfaceways?

 

The short, barrel-chested man in a bright red tee brought his fists together with obvious strength. But the young woman’s familiarity with one of the four was telling. She was familiar with at least one of them and he’d have to watch her for any reactions he might need to worry about.

 

Hopefully if it was three on four they could finish this with less trouble. He did find himself wishing he had had Lark come with him. Too late now, he sighed and shook out his shield bracelet. It already had a dim glow as he walked up to stand beside the other two heroes.

 

“Stand down and drop anything that isn’t yours.”

Blackstaff leveled the blackened wood staff at the quartet.

[Kaede Kimura]

GM

 

The quartet of villains stopped quickly as Bloody Mess made his appearance, tilting his head as he looks the shorter man over, sizing him up for a fight when the other two arrive. He takes a step forward and seems about to speak when suddenly a small green man with a wicked grin and crusty red hat appears behind him in a puff of smoke, an obsidian tipped spear at the ready. His shield flares for a moment again, but the spear pushes through with a sound like a mixture of glass breaking and radio static, puncturing the man's side before vanishing once more with a cackle.

 

As if on queue, dozens of similar individuals, although without the hat burst from the gutters and holes in the warehouses around the heroes and villains, with axes and blades made of stone, which they wave and point at everyone in their vicinity. Another red capped fellow looks down at the people below, crowing "Give us the treasures and die!"

[Supercape]

Bloody Mess

 

Now Bloody Mess was not da smartest of heroes, and he knew it. But... Red Cap? Treasures? 

 

It reminded him of old folk stories his parents told him. Back in eastern Europe. 

 

He shook his head. No way these crooks could be goblins... could they? 

 

Not that he was sure dey were goblins. Goblins, ogres, what was da difference? Could even be those short fellaz, like in da movies. 

 

"We ain't givin ya nothing, ya bozos!" he called back, slamming lefty and righty together. "You gotta earn treasure. By workin and stuff. Ya can't just steal treasures. Da'ts what theives do!"

 

He thumped lefty and righty together once more, and let his supercharged blood swell his muscles...

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

Blackstaff watched the quartet as they stopped to consider the heroes. Suddenly, goblins sprang from hiding, and he swore.

 

Not just goblins, but redcaps as well. Goblins were bothersome, but the redcaps could be just murderous… at best. They could push their less hostile cousins to more violence.

 

He chanced a glance at the shorter man in the red shirt. Well, his sentiment seemed to be in the right.

 

He slowly turned his head to scan his flanks and back. Almost two dozen that he could count.

“You shouldn’t be up here.”

The wizard addressed the goblins and caps, knowing better than to try correcting their demand. They meant what they said.

“Leave now, and I promise none will follow.”

Blackstaff tried to sound authoritative, and totally not worried. They were smaller, but if they swarmed…

[Kaede Kimura]

Shooting Star 

 

Alice took half a step forward when the red capped creature appeared behind Steel Shade, but hesitated before her reflexes could kick in and instead of interposing herself between them just watched as the Gremlins reject stabbed her brother.

 

Her jaw creaked from clenching it, trying not to let it show how seeing him hurt upset her when the rest appeared. Truly masters of negotiation this lot. The other two heroes each responded in their own way, Big Red by... spouting a worker's creed or something, the more interesting in one was the guy who clearly knew what they were up against. Still, she couldn't resist a quip. "Hey! You lot are trying to rob what they've rightfully stolen!"

[Kaede Kimura]

GM

 

With the heroes rebuttals the Redcap wasted no time in his response, sneering "Our prince comes to these lands, our time is at hand!" at Blackstaff in response to his comment  before casting a flint arrowhead at the mage. The Elfshot flickered in and out of visibility to those without magical senses, but with a flare of the wizard's shield bracelet it bounced away, skittering to the ground. At the same time, the first Redcap appeared from thin air with two additional cohorts. Each attacked one of the supers to varying effect:

 

The one after Anarchilles apparently aimed as if he were attacking a normal sized human and instead struck air to no effect, while the one that attacked Bloody Mess found that the hero's boxing training assisted against pikes as much as fists, and the one who once more struck at Steel Shade drove his spear into the man's thigh. Having committed their violence the quartet of Goblins vanished into smoke once more.

 

The woman in the magician's outfit looked slightly shaken as the rapid assault, air hissing through her teeth as the team's leader was stabbed repeatedly. 

 

Almost too fast to see she pulled a card from her sleeve, swinging it at the nearest goblin. With a small surge of light it morphed into an anvil, her hand clutching it's horn as it slammed into the little green creature. Before it left her grasp it turned back into a card, which she tucked away again.

 

"What's the plan Shadey? My bucket list doesn't include being a pincushion."

[Supercape]

Bloody Mess

 

The Mess could smell blood. Not as a euphamism. He could literally smell blood. The caps! the caps the goblin-things wore. Blood! HUMAN BLOOD!

 

That nailed it. These creatures were scum. Villainous scum. There wasn't any good reason to paint your cap with human blood. 

 

"You crooks gonna get a good taste of lefty and righty," said the Mess, shaking his fists in turned. "I seen some screwed up things, but paintin' ya caps with blood? Dat's just wrong, ya bozos!"

 

With that, he ducked under the villain who had attacked him. "Gotta improve dat swing, bozo! Ya telegraphed dat from a mile off! Let me show ya how its done!"

 

With that, and his skin errupting in blood filled boils, he propelled himself up straight and unleashed a mighty uppeercut!

Edited May 29 by Supercape

[Kaede Kimura]

GM

 

The Goblins cackle at Bloody Mess' outrage, a cacophony of jeers and mocking echoing through the street ss the Redcap teleports just in time to avoid his strike. This was followed by a tide of blades as they slashed and stabbed with stone daggers. Many failed to find their marks as the creatures fought to be the first to draw blood, others failed as the heroes dodged and used defensive powers. Still some found their marks, one blade deflected by Steel Shade's shield generator, another two failing to pierce the glowing woman's costume and one bouncing from Blackstaff's shield. But with a yowl of victory one jumped ahead of its compatriot to strike the woman in the magician's outfit across the head, a thin gash opening as she cried out in pain and staggered back from the strike.

 

The jeers turned triumphant at the green tide's first blood.

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

And like that, they swarmed…

 

Heroes and villains dodge, blocked, or just shrugged off the hail of attacks. Blackstaff’s shield bowed for a moment as his mind tried to follow everything, but a quick reassurance of his will solidified his barrier and shoved the attack aside. He brought the tip of his staff around squarely before the face of that goblin.

The tip began to glow with magic force as the wizard muttered quickly under his breath.

 

Suddenly, a woman’s cry carried over the din and the wizard’s attention snapped around. A goblin waved a blood flecked stone blade as one of the women (ironically the one dressed as a Vegas stage magician he thought somewhere in the back of his mind) had a nasty gash.

 

The staff seemed to move of its own accord. One moment it pointed at the goblin before him, the next it was aimed across the chaotic little battlefield without seeming to have passed through the space between.

The carefully measured tone of whatever he had been casting cut off and a single word no human should have ever known snapped from the wizard.

 

Sulphur and brimstone stained the air, lingering in the noses of anyone near the steaming trail left in the wake of hellfire.

Red-lit runescript was already fading from the staff as the hellfire took the goblin from its feet and slammed it into ground several feet away, where it laid charred and unmoving.

 

Blackstaff snapped out of some brief fugue state and cursed to himself.

[Kaede Kimura]

GM

 

There is a moment of stunned silence after Christopher's spell of doom, the Goblin he had struck smouldering dimly against a dumpster down the street. The pause is only temporary however, before the glowing woman floated slightly higher and glowed more brightly, an incoherent yell quickly being drowned out by the hum of thousands of insects. A swarm of flying insects laden with what quickly becomes apparent to be spiders spinning cocoons of webs around the Goblins that don't dodge and take cover in time. By the time the swarm pulls back a half dozen of the creatures are squirming feebly against thick layers of spider web.

 

In the confusion caused by the insects' sudden attack Anarchilles acts quickly, kicking a Goblin which sails off into the sky, vanishing from view. He whoops, throwing his hands into the air to celebrate. "Haha! Trash mobs just like I said!"

Steel Shade for his part doesn't dignify his teammates crowing with a direct response, instead lifting the woman in the magician outfit off the ground. "Anarchilles, help Mothlight get clear. If they keep coming we'll get overwhelmed if we stay here, open ground will help us take them out before they get close." His instructions given, his jump pack flared, rockets propelling him beyond the confines of the alleyway.

 

Before the giant could act upon his instructions however, the latest threat emerged a pair of Goblins in white robes. They grin evilly as they wave their hands, chanting in a tongue only Blackstaff recognizes before a black miasma spreads over Bloody Mess and Anarchilles. Acting quickly, Shooting Star bolts forwards, blurring in a moment faster than the speed of sound before her fist makes with the one who cast his curse upon Fred, her hyperdense fist sending the little man flying into the far wall of a warehouse where he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

 

Despite the efforts of both the heroes and villains, seventeen fresh goblins poured from the holes that their fellows had burrowed out from the ground, while the Redcaps returned to strike the heroes and Mothlight, although most of them missed or failed to pierce hyperdense flesh before they teleported away into cover.

[Supercape]

Bloody Mess

 

Freddy was a veteran of hundred of brawls, but this was more like a war - and one he was losing track of. Perhaps he had been tilted by missing what he had thought was a killer upcut. 

 

Perhaps there was just too many people to keep track of.

 

"Nuff!" he grunted, and jumped into the air, landing on a building roof, balancing on the edge. 

 

He expanded his chest, drew back his mighty pumped up arms, livid with supercharged blood... and...

 

BOOM!

 

He slammed his hands together, creating a blast that rippled down to the streets below!

[Kaede Kimura]

GM

 

The impact ripples out from Freddy's hands, drowning out the battle cries of the Goblins as the visible pressure wave brings silence in its wake. One of the green creatures almost gets free before the Redcap behind him grabs his ear and drags him in the way of the wave, saving himself at the expense of his unfortunate subordinate. The Redcap cackles as he then finishes teleporting to safety.

 

One goblin saves himself by throwing himself to the ground, cowering as the wave passes by, but none of the other thirteen got by the wave manage to resist its power.

 

Still, half the Goblins remain standing, a pack of five throwing stone daggers and flechettes up at the broad man, two scoring hits, while the other eight attack Shooting Star and Mothlight. Their stone weapons chip and break against the heroine's skin, to sounds of confusion and dismay from the small Fae. The ones that strike at the villainess find that her white costume seems much tougher than it initially seemed, although the woman seems much less confident in the wake of the attacks, pulling her legs away from the Goblins, and covering her head with panicked movements.

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

The goblins and redcaps were proving to be as irritating as they were unpleasant. Blackstaff was barely keeping himself from being assaulted as it was. Some of the others had managed to incapacitate multiple creatures already, and yet they just seemed to keep swarming.

The wizard was getting fed up with the little buggers.

 

The air all across the street dropped several degrees and crackled. The taste of wet winter carried on a subtle breeze as the Blackstaff waved his black staff in a single, slow circle. Frost flaked from it as he did, leaving a floated trail in the air as the moisture in the air increased.

 

Energy gathered around him as he uttered a chant under his breath. And as the staff completed its circle, the ring of frost flared and Blackstaff exclaimed the final words of the spell.

“Infrignia fortuzaria!”

 

Heat was sucked out of the air in a flash of brilliant blue-white.

 

Ice coated nearly everything in a fine layer around the across the battlefield. But within the area, thick plates of ice trapped those unlucky enough to be caught by the magic.

[Kaede Kimura]

GM

 

While Blackstaff's spell caught nearly all of the Goblins and ensnared the bewitched Anarchilles, Mothlight pulled higher, tucking her legs against her chest while the thrum of a million insects echoed through the alley once more. This time the heroes were not spared the assault, insects biting and stinging everywhere. By the time the cloud cleared, the only goblin standing in the alley was the one in white robes.

 

Anarchilles babbled in tongues while the Goblin cackled in glee before a burst of shots from Steel Shade caught it in the chest, sending the small creature tumbling to the ground unconscious. The loud cracking of the projectiles being fired seemed to help shake Anarchilles out of his confused state, who looked around at the significantly changed battlefield with a quiet "Oh damn, I missed some s***."

 

Alice quickly surveyed the battlefield, finding no targets still standing other than Steel Shade's team. She was tempted to try tag Anarchilles but those guys with the red hats would be back and they were definitely worse. Instead she readied herself, looking around for any sign of them as she readied to strike.

 

Her time was not long in coming, as the Redcaps reappeared although one less than their normal cohort, perhaps Blackstaff or Mothlight had gotten them with their area attacks. The first one ready to stab at Blackstaff before being impacted by a multi-ton shin and sailing off into the distance with a yowling cry. This did not stop the other two however, as one failed once more to land a blow on Bloody Mess, his training keeping him one step ahead. The other however finally struck true, his pike jabbing into Mothlight's side to a cry of pain and a small splash of blood now staining her white costume.

 

The two remaining Redcaps didn't stay to celebrate their victory, a quick glance around showing them that they were the only ones still standing. Instead they teleported away, and the heroes could hear them yelling to retreat. As their voices faded into the tunnels Blackstaff would be the only one of the heroes to hear them say "Let the humans defeat each other and then we shall take the blade from the victor!"

 

The woman in the magician's outfit arrived back within the melee moments later, having sprinted over as soon as Mothlight was stabbed. She draws a whole handful of cards, splaying them out and holding them at the ready to be thrown as she interposes herself between her teammate and the rest of the combatants.

[Supercape]

Bloody Mess

 

"This is a job for lefty and righty!" said Bloody Mess, showing his two fists to the skies and the unknown Gods of War that reside in them. 

 

He clamped his teeth shut, hard, so hard that his neck bulged, and with a fire in his eyes once more leapt into the fray. His skin bubbled and puckeres, a thousand blood filled blisters filling his skin. Things were about to get Messy. Bloody Messy. 

 

He pulled back his fists as he flew through the air, landed, and with another quick one-two step, moved up to Mothlight and proceeded to slam his fists into the villain.

 

"Take that, ya bozo!" he yelled...

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

The flying girl had intervened on his behalf, sending one of the goblins with a bloody headpiece sailing down the lane. All around the street goblins were scattered in degrees of incapacity. The two redcaps that had managed to remain unharmed smartly decided it best to retreat.

 

On 7/10/2024 at 9:07 PM, Kaede Kimura said:

As their voices faded into the tunnels Blackstaff would be the only one of the heroes to hear them say "Let the humans defeat each other and then we shall take the blade from the victor!"

 

‘Blade?’

Blackstaff wondered and eyed the villains quickly. The villain in white laid bleeding as her teammate came to her defense. The magician girl seemed ready to fight if needed, good for her. He was going to regret having to fight someone with obvious integrity if it came to it.

The shorter barrel man though did not seem troubled at all. They leapt in to attack the two, with gusto.

 

He glanced at the other two villains. The larger man and the armored one. Both a threat.

“Eenie, Meenie..”

The tip of the blackened wood staff wavered between the two for a moment.

“Miny… Hey Moe!”

Blackstaff managed a brief Curly impersonation as the staff snapped to Steel Shade.

“Teras Coleemia!”

A column of asphalt sprang up from the street with surprising speed and force. It was aimed squarely for the armored villain.

[Kaede Kimura]

GM

 

With the retreat of the Goblins, Blackstaff and Bloody Mess leapt into action against the remaining villains, Bloody Mess jumped mightily from the roof, landing next to the villainesses. The woman in the magician's outfit flinched as he landed, clearly readying to dodge an incoming strike when the hero bypassed her to strike at Mothlight. His meaty, bloody fists swung down into her side, driving the floating woman back down towards the ground with a pained yelp, and leaving a large splash of blood across her side.

 

Blackstaff meanwhile cast his spell, the pillar of concrete slamming squarely into Steel Shade's mask, the tall man not even having time to make a sound before the impact sent him sprawling to the ground, the clang echoing through the alley.

 

Seeing his teammates getting hit hard, Anarchilles gave a roar of effort as he shattered the ice binding him in place, before charging forwards to place himself between his teammates and the heroes, hands rising into a clumsy fighting posture. "Prestige, get Mothlight and Shade clear. I'll hold these guys off."

 

Alice stood frozen, torn between the bone deep desire to help her brother and her duty to bring the group of villains to justice. She was fast enough to get her brother before any of his team could even think to react, but then she would be sending her brother to jail. Her gloves creaked as her hands clenched. She couldn't bring herself to move, but she had to. She couldn't leave this to others. 

 

Her choice paralysis cost her the chance to act as The Prestige seized the initiative, her eyes alight with fear and anger as she cast her handful of cards at the heroes. Partway through their flight, they turned into a mass of glue and wires flying towards the heroes, quickly she grabbed Mothlight's hand and started running towards Steel Shade. 

Edited July 18 by Kaede Kimura

[Supercape]

Bloody Mess

 

The Cards smothered Bloody Mess as he moved forward, but for every clump of card that stuck to him, one of his brick-like hands battered another one off. 

 

"What's this? Poker?" he roared, trying to swim through the cards. He could barely see, but he could work out where the irritants were coming from. 

 

"Ta hell with this!" he roared, driving his pumped up legs into action, and bound forward like a human cannon ball, his right hand drawn back, ready to clobber the magician (or whoever it was). 

 

He came to a skidding halt right by the Prestige, his jaw clamped together in a delightful fury, and preceded to...

 

..."Wait! Yer a dame!"

 

He paused, eyebrows raised, hands dropped. 

 

"I ain't meant to clobber no dames!"

 

He had been raised right - or so he thought - and had it drummed into him that ya didn't hit no dames.

 

But what should he do?

 

"Er.... you better stop what yer doing and err.... let yourself be arrested by da police, madam!" demanded the Mess, as sheepish as one could imagine, his hands raised up in profuse apology. 

Edited July 18 by Supercape