Supercape Posted February 12, 2011 Posted February 12, 2011 "Most relieved to have some assistance" saluted Supercape "although I am not to fond of acid, to tell the truth". He gazed down at the battlefield. The campus was already looking like a bombsite from the direct destruction of the blobs, the acid, and the stonework of his comrade. And things were looking desperate. A few smashed windowpanes were probably worth the safety of Freedom City. At least no Frat Boys were in the range of the nuclear blast he would unleash. He took stock of the situation and chose a point, or, more accurately, an atom, roughly equidistant from the four smaller acidic blobs, and let it convert from mass to energy. E=MC2... And a burst of nuclear fire erupted in Freedom City.
Fox Posted February 15, 2011 Author Posted February 15, 2011 Gaian Knight pulled his rock up a bit in reflex as the explosion rocked through the slimy quintet, apparently doing a fair bit of damage. "Jeeze!" He blinked behind his goggles, glancing between his fellow hero and the recovering monsters, adding, "Remind me to never make you angry. Still, as long as you can do that and we're safely up here--" He should have known better. This time he did pull his rock up, backing away when one of the blobettes streaked through the sky. "That's...kinda gross. Ah - hold still." Shards and chunks of earth broke off from his platform, arranging themselves in the air around the earthmover before hurling in a stream of jagged stone toward Supercape and - more importantly - the green thing trying to weigh him down. A rock or two may not have done much, but a constant barrage eventually wore the thing's defenses away, cutting it from the tendrils and bits of body that had grabbed hold and sending it plummeting to the ground. "Y'okay? Told you the things stinged like nothing else."
Supercape Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 Supercape gratefully looked up at Giain Knight with a cheery salute and a heartfelt "Thanks!" before concentrating on the unstable molecules of his costume. Within a second, they started glowing with a blue green radiation. He had made a few modifications, and by bending his mind to the lattice of quantum instability in the costume, he could maintain a chain reaction, bathing his body in plasma that was harmless to him, but would certainly give any blob trying to ensnare him second thoughts. He swooped down to his felled assailant. He was not an expert fighter but he only needed to touch his opponent with the plasma, not put any force behind a blow - and his cape could swim and reform according to his whim, making him all the more dangerous.
Fox Posted February 16, 2011 Author Posted February 16, 2011 The blob had barely hit the ground before Supercape landed a harsh blow - enough to make it reel backward a bit, shuffling uncertainly with a curious crooning noise. Its nearby companions, blind as they might have been, immediately shifted in that direction: the two worst-hurt lunged forward in what was, even for shapeless amorphous masses, clearly predatory and instinct-driven hunger. The one who got their first pounced, tearing into an ally to stunned and hurt to defend itself; the loser of that race, driven by some unknown frenzy, opted to instead pounce the closest fellow nearby who it had bumped into during the mad dash to feed on the wounded. When the dust settled there were three small blobs, not five, and two green stains in the dirt surrounding a pair of large, porous rocks. Those that feasted looked, at least in small part, rejuvenated by their cannibalism. The big (and original) creature seemed to finally get its bearings back - as Supercape swooped in to take the fight to his enemies it tracked his progress and lashed out with a tentacle...missing by a mile.
Fox Posted February 16, 2011 Author Posted February 16, 2011 Gaian Knight watched all of this from his rock in the sky, a grimace hidden behind his mask. "That's...really gross. I mean, it's good for us, I guess, but...that's really, seriously gross. Still, if that's the way they react....hmm." Bits of debris lifted off the ground, pelting into the big blob - the biggest blob! - from every direction but seemingly to no avail; it seemingly had too much bulk to care about such an unfocused assault. The earthmover could be heard swearing a little as the creature turned to regard this new flying nuisance, and he pulled away a bit.
Supercape Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 "They are eating themselves!" shouted Supercape, stating the obvious. He reflected on the matter briefly, despite the pressing fight. "Some primitive reflex maybe? like insects, or lower life forms? we may be able to trick them into consuming themselves... if we can find out what triggers the behaviour..." Meanwhile, he decided, there was no real reason to be punching acidic blobs on the ground. He stood up and soared to the sky again, as his costume lost its plasma charge and he redirected his mind onto exciting a few key particles he left behind on the ground. As he ascended, another small localised nuclear furnace erupted on the ground in his wake.
Fox Posted February 17, 2011 Author Posted February 17, 2011 Rejuvenated though they might be, the creeping cannibalistic creatures were still blind, and currently flailing around at the air where Supercape had been just a moment before. In an odd twist of fate, the one smaller blob who had not yet eaten a fellow seemed to shake off its vision impairment, hurling debris at Supercape - and missing by a fair margin, shaking itself as if it hadn't quite recovered yet. The bigger monster had no better luck - Gaian Knight may not have been able to hurt it, but he'd certainly got the thing's attention, and it lobbed a boulder at the man's hooded head.
Fox Posted February 17, 2011 Author Posted February 17, 2011 "There are animals that do that?" Gaian Knight shook his head, watching the pair of friend-devourers flail uselessly at the air. "I was really hoping it was something only strange alien ooze monsters did. It's really kind of creepy to think that- hey now!" He pulled his rock to the side as a boulder whipped past him in the air, reaching out a hand and slowing the projectile down to a halt behind him. "That's not how you give someone a gift. I have plenty of rocks, anyway." He spread his hand, and the boulder split into a number of smaller fragments, which swept over his head as he moved his arm, hurling through an arc like a giant hammer to rain into the blob from above. "Have it back." His attack was seemingly to no avail, however - the blob shook the attack off with an angry noise, searching about for something else to throw.
Supercape Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 "Yes, I read it somewhere... can't remember where. Probably in the Times or something on some lazy Sunday afternoon. Whoaaaaa!" He stopped his chatter as a boulder whizzed past his field of view. "That was too close... they can see again. Not that I know how they see... light waves, infrared, who knows... but that burst dazzled them before..." Another explosion of light erupted beneath him, bathing the creatures in an electromagnetic burst. "...and I hope it will again. I don't like the having rocks thrown at me" he continued, swooping off several yards to his left. "They seem remarkably resilient... except to each other... if there is some way we can throw them into one another maybe?"
Fox Posted February 18, 2011 Author Posted February 18, 2011 Supercape's strategy is once more highly effective: the burst leaves the creatures at a loss. The smaller ones - what remain of them, anyway - mill around throwing objects at where the caped crusader used to be. Their bigger friend at least still knew where his target was, but the park bench thrown toward Gaian Knight just missed, falling back down to plow into the ground.
Fox Posted February 18, 2011 Author Posted February 18, 2011 "If you've got an idea, I'm all ears," Gaian Knight called back, pulling his rock to the side and away from where the blobs were aiming. "Nice trick with the flash, by the way. I was kind of hoping I could get them to attack each other if they were hurt, but it seems a little easier said than done!" As if to underscore the point, he swept out a glowing hand and launched another series of projectiles at the bench-bearing blob...with roughly the usual results. "I am really, really starting to dislike these things."
Supercape Posted February 19, 2011 Posted February 19, 2011 "Well, if we can hurt them enough..." speculated Supercape, and speculation it was. He baulked at doing it, but needs must. With a deep furrow in his brow, and his body actually contorting with effort, he mentally reached down into the belly of the largest beast, and shifted a few atoms. A bright green haze enveloped the Blob momentarily, a haze that at points leapt out in green bolts of light. "Gamma radiation..." he said, his brow dotted with sweat. His head hurt all over, but he had managed it. "...I have no idea what it will do, but its toxic to most life, and I suppose our friend can be loosely defined as life..."
Fox Posted February 19, 2011 Author Posted February 19, 2011 At long last, something fazed the largest of the blobs - it twitched and shuddered under the effects of the haze, slumping a little and discoloring a bit at the edges. One could assume it was, if not badly hurt, at least damaged - and rather upset about the fact. It and two of the smaller green, globular gastronomists all shook off their visual impairment and grabbed anything they could find, hurling them upward at the first enemy they laid 'eyes' on: Gaian Knight. Only one actually hit him, at least....
Fox Posted February 19, 2011 Author Posted February 19, 2011 The tree stump caught Gaian Knight in the shoulder, sending him spinning a bit to the side on his rock, but he seemed to be largely okay - if increasingly perturbed. "Well," he said, grimly, "that didn't last too long. Fine, then. Let's see you recover from this one: I learned this trick on a trip to the desert...." Spread his hands, the earth-empowered hero's eyes glowed clean through his goggles as two dim points of golden light. Dirt and dust on the ground stirred, subtly, then whipped into action, filling the air around the monstrous molds with a miniature sandstorm, particles drifting and spinning through the air in a good radius. From above, with the sun shining from above and behind the heroes, the dark, shifting shapes of their enemies could be seen within the cloud...but from the way those shapes milled and flailed, they were having a truly awful time seeing back out. The effect's creator swung his rock in a bit and to the side, looking tired but satisfied. "If you happen to have any more of that gamma radiation lying around...."
Supercape Posted February 20, 2011 Posted February 20, 2011 "Plenty" replied Supercape, who had shut his eyes and kept them clamped against the sand. He could sense the Blobs in just as good detail with his own uncanny senses. Drifting again, to keep a moving target, he once again shifted a few key molecules out of existence, and a burst of gamma radiation flooded the major blob. "However, I have no idea how much help it is. These thing's seem built to withstand a nuclear blast. Almost literally..."
Fox Posted February 21, 2011 Author Posted February 21, 2011 Deep in the sand cloud, upset-looking shifting shadows flailed and bumped into each other, enraged and impotent without their ability to see something to attack. The large shape belonging to the biggest of the group seemed extremely disoriented after Supercape's last attack, shuffling uneasily back and forth; one of the smaller shapes grabbed something nearby and threw it out of the inflicting dust storm, but without being able to see the heroes it only managed to trail dust into the air as the projectile burst free and was graciously caught by a nearby bush.
Fox Posted February 21, 2011 Author Posted February 21, 2011 Gaian Knight raised an eyebrow at the disoriented-looking, shadow-indicated blob, smiling as he reached his power down into the earth under the blind and ravenous group. "Well, it certainly seems to be doing something," he encouraged. "More than I managed to do it, anyway. Guess I'd better stick to what's worked in the past...." He pulled a hand up, like yanking something out of the earth, and stone spines erupted from underground into the amorphous shadows, jutting out at every possible angle before most of them collapsed. From the sounds of things it wasn't a fight-winning move, but he'd hit something....
Supercape Posted February 22, 2011 Posted February 22, 2011 Id didn't really take much physical effort to do what it did. In fact, it took none. But Supercape found himself out of breath anyway, from the mental exertion, adrenaline, and stress. Another pulse of Gamma Radiation erupted around the blob beneath him. "Its like chipping away at a mountain" he groaned. "And I'm not entirely sure its the right thing to do anyway..."
Fox Posted February 22, 2011 Author Posted February 22, 2011 The Blob managed, this time, to weather off the attack. The previous radiation blasts had taken their toll, however, and it shifted uneasily before seemingly turning its attention not on trying to find heroes outside the cloud...but on trying to find its fellows inside. One of the blobettes, who had managed to avoid the worst of Gaian Knight's earthen spikes, apparently knew what was coming; it fled as fast as it could (which wasn't very) away from its bigger sibling. The other two, who hadn't fared so well against the stone assault, were not quite so lucky. The more injured of the pair drew the short straw; the giant blob simply engulfed it, leaving no trace of its morsel and almost immediately looking (or, through the dust cloud, at least moving in a way that implied being) healthier.
Fox Posted February 22, 2011 Author Posted February 22, 2011 Gaian Knight spotted the runner, swinging his rock in closer and trying not to listen to the screeching, cut-off cries of the ex-blobette more towards the center of the dust storm. "No no. You stay in there, big guy." Rocks had been, almost unbidden, gathering up in the air behind his shoulders; more than a few of these broke off from the rest, arcing around the earth-wielding hero to stream into the cloud at the fleeing threat before it could reach the edge. Even said hero was surprised, however, when the assault stopped the thing in its tracks - it slumped to the ground and apparently disappeared, withering away into invisibility. "....huh. Well, then. That's what you get...I guess. Shows you?"
Supercape Posted February 23, 2011 Posted February 23, 2011 "Good shot sir!" clapped Supercape as he unleashed another pulse of Gamma radiation. The nice thing was, atoms where not exactly in short supply... good thing too as it looked like he would be needing plenty of them. He continued swooping around, hoping the creature blow would not be able to get a fix on him. Of course, it seemed pretty cunning and he had no idea what it could do, but it paid to be safe.
Fox Posted March 4, 2011 Author Posted March 4, 2011 "Thanks," Gaian Knight called back, watching with a little dismay as the two remaining threats made a run for the edge of his storm...in opposite directions. "The little ones are a whole lot easier to take down, I guess. But it's the big ugly one that I'm really worried about...." He frowned, sweeping out a glowing hand. Earthen debris from all over the makeshift battlefield leapt off the ground, sweeping toward the larger of the two shadows in the dust. By chance, or (more likely) due to the continued beating it had been taking from Supercape, the blob shuddered, pausing for a moment in its sprint (roll? slide?) for freedom from the obscuring cloud. "Hah! It can be hurt," the coat-clad crusader noted, with an awful lot of satisfaction. "Almost lost my faith in hitting things with rocks, there."
Supercape Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 Supercape paused, scanning the situation. The caped living radar could easily penetrated the dust and debris caused by both Gaian Knight and the Blobs, and he detected the two creatures parting ways. "They really do seem rather intelligent" he commented, as another eruption of Gamma radiation flowed through the larger creature. "Where did they come from? and more importantly - are there any more?"
Fox Posted March 5, 2011 Author Posted March 5, 2011 The giant blob was starting to fare rather badly under the constant and continuing radiation; it only made half the distance to the edge of the cloud before being stopped in its tracks by Supercape, wobbling uncertainly and seemingly highly disoriented by the assault. Its smaller companion, having wisely (or luckily) run in a slightly different direction, managed to escape the sight-impairing storm to emerge angry and flailing, shifting around as if trying to reorient itself and locate what was supposed to be easy, if annoyingly air-borne, prey.
Fox Posted March 5, 2011 Author Posted March 5, 2011 "They're at least as smart as a decent predator," Gaian Knight agreed, watching them try to escape his sandstorm. "Nice shot on the big one. It doesn't seem to like whatever you're doing very mu-ahh, where do you think you're going?" He'd oriented on the little blob, who had burst out of the cloud, trailing little tendrils of dirt behind it as it searched around for the heroes. "No. You were supposed to stay in there. We can't afford you hurting people." He tilted back, a stream of jagged projectiles detaching themselves from the rock he was riding to hurl into the amorphous escapee.
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