Teocawki Thread One: Hope Academy

[Zelphas]

Teocawki. A world beset by literal monsters and cursed with a sea of life-leeching mist. Out on the fringes of human habitation, and even in some places well within human territory, any day could be the last for a hapless community. Homanity’s future on Teocawki would be bleak indeed… if not for one other thing:

Heroes.

Heroes, who defend the islands that humanity has reclaimed from their hostile world. Heroes, who constantly research and explore, pushing humanity to greater lengths and heights. Heroes, who fight the monsters and villains alike so that the average person can go about their lives without worry. With Teocawki’s Heroes Guild, humanity remains united and strong, and a future that should be dark as death shines brightly ahead. Certainly, there are still hardships and struggles; on the edge of humanity’s reach, the monsters known as “Tribs” can still overrun whole settlements, sowing death and despair. But these occurrences are growing rarer, and common opinion holds that humanity, and the Heroes Guild, are now more prepared than ever for whatever their hostile world will throw at them.

The fools.


The day of the Hope Academy Entrance Exam dawned bright and clear, the air carrying with it the hint of coming snowfall—practically balmy weather to those from the Outer Ring and the Magellans, though those from the Inner Ring would consider this a fine mid-autumn day. Of course, you didn’t get to enjoy much of the fresh air; from your meeting point at the Hope City docks early in the morning, you and all fifty-odd of your fellow Hope Academy hopefuls are bundled into a small, windowless airship shuttle. Shortly afterwards, you are let out… into the loading deck of another, much larger airship, this one also seeming to lack windows. The room you are led to is nice enough, with a carpeted floor and a snacks table over on one wall, though it seems like it was made to fit twice the number of people inside it; people quickly end up clustering into small groups or spaced out along the wall, watching the rest.

After several minutes here, people have gotten a little restless. Some choose to blow off this steam by showing off their powers, while others are making new friends or simply eating more than they probably should. In short, typical reactions from a group of teenage super-powered individuals when all clustered together. No one seems to be quite sure what they’re waiting for.

Connor

There are only a few earthen materials that you can sense, so high in the air. Somewhere behind you and to the left, you can distantly feel the thrum of the huge Flux crystal that’s allowing this airship to carry all of you aloft, and your senses lit up suddenly a few minutes ago when a boy next to you turned into some kind of marble statue, but otherwise the only continuous earth you’ve felt near you is your collection of Ashpah dirt. Just recently, however, you’ve noticed some other dirt formations, far beneath your feet. They’re far enough away that you can’t quite tell the shape of them; they could be buildings or tall hills.

The earth underneath you is roughly rectangular, and it has been shaped by an Earth Elementalist recently. It’s most likely a building, though the fact that someone shaped it only a few days ago at the latest is somewhat odd.

Back inside the airship, it seems that you have somehow gained your own personal bubble. People seem to be giving you a wide berth, and you catch a few dark looks in your direction. It looks like some of the people here know your last name, and the story behind it. One group of three seem especially mutinous; they keep casting you angry looks, and you thought you heard one of them mutter something like “show him what we think of his family…"

Gain a Hero Point for your Berg Family Complication.

Erica

At some point, you and your brother got separated in the crowd, but he should be rather easy to find; the perks of an empathic connection! You’ve ended up near the snack table, right by where a few Transformers seem to have gathered, using their alternate forms to pack away more food than a human should normally be able to eat. A little farther away, a familiar (salon-Enhanced) platinum-blonde head flips her hair theatrically, delivering a punchline of some sort that leaves her group of hangers-on reeling with laughter. Even though you’re fairly sure she didn’t come here with anyone she knew (besides you), it doesn’t seem to have taken long for Nancy Keroack to find ‘friends’.

Enough about her, though; you have a mystery to solve! You’ve noticed that every time you look away from the snacks table, some of the food goes missing. You’ve checked, and the Transformers aren’t eating it, and no one else is close enough to have been taking food manually. You haven’t felt any supernatural pilfering going on, so the question remains: who’s nabbing the food?

Take a Hero Point for your Insatiable Curiosity Complication.

Roy

While Erica’s over at the snack table, you’ve found yourself somewhere in the middle of the room, surrounded by fellow teenagers in various stages of nervousness and excitement. Luckily for you, it seems that Bernhard Silado has decided to ignore you for the time being; at least, you haven’t seen him since boarding the airship, so who knows what he’s up to right now.

Most of the people around you are expressing their nerves in various harmless ways; talking too loudly, showing off their powers in little, flashy bursts, stuff like that. Your attention is caught, however, by a burst of unpleasant laughter from a small group nearby. The laughter is familiar; the signature mocking guffaw of a bully humiliating a victim. Looking over, you can see a girl with one hand clamped over her mouth, the other reaching out for an odd mask-like device held nonchalantly in the hand of a boy who zips backwards a few feet with superhuman speed whenever she gets close, leading the girl around in a circle to the laughter of his compatriots to either side.

There’s some sort of gas leaking from behind the girl’s hand, where her mouth should be. It’s grey-green, and seems heavier than air, and… well, it’s probably not very healthy, judging by the look of panic on her face.

Take a Hero Point for your Those Within My Reach… Complication.

Serhe

If this upcoming exam deals with combat against your fellow hopefuls, you’re feeling pretty confident. More than half of the people here have shown off their powers in one way or another, and more keep doing so every minute. The amount of Transformers in the group is slightly worrisome, but they only seem to take up a little less than a quarter of the group, so you have good odds.

Besides, as he was so fond of reminding you, “Annihilus” passed his Hope Academy Entrance Exam with flying colors. There’s no way you’re going to do worse.

“Nihilo, right?” A short girl with oddly familiar features abruptly comes up to you, interrupting your survey of the room. She pushes back long brown hair and looks you over, obviously unimpressed. “Doireann Kelemen, Riptide’s little sister. You being Annihilus’ brother, I’ll admit I expected someone more… impressive.” Ah. Now it makes sense. Riptide was one of Annihilus’ Cell, a powerful water and air elementalist.

Take a Hero Point for your Shadow of Greatness Complication.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Yes, Erica had definitely got accidentally separated from Roy in the crowd and in no way made any sort of beeline, immediate or otherwise, straight for the snacks. This was clear and obvious to everyone who knew her. But while she was in the area...

She was dividing her attention between the snacks and the kids showing off their powers. And she'd be honest, she dearly wanted to show off hers. She knew it was maybe kinda immature and all but what could she say? After spending her formative years watching other kids show how they could things like lift a refrigerator or run to the wall and back in two seconds or fly and having a choice between "sit quietly and hope no one notices" or "I can make my dolly dance", showing off her powered armor was as enticing as that plate of chocolate chip cookies.

But Erica's armor remained in the form of the loose, flowing white-and-sky-blue garment that seemed uncertain whether it wanted to be called a dress or a robe. It wasn't a matter of maturity or discipline (as evidenced by the chocolate chip cookie she was unabashedly munching). It was a matter of waiting for the right moment. She had been waiting years for this, and was not going to ruin it by jumping the gun.

She spotted Nancy in her surveying, and despite the instinctive stress response that was her body's default reaction to seeing her, some insane part of Erica actually told her she should go over and say hello. She hadn't seen much of Nancy since coming to Hope (although their parents remained in contact), and their...issues had been a long time ago. She should really make a fair effort to bury the hatched and start off fresh, especially if they were going to be classmates. Heck, far as she knew, they could even end up Cell-mates!

But before Erica could muster up her bravery, she was distracted by a puzzle! A puzzle, says I! A mystery that demanded a solution, and any thoughts of making contact with her childhood bane would have to be set aside until this challenge had been resolved!

Who was nabbing the food? Erica reviewed the snack table with an observant eye. No clue would escape her knowing gaze! No single crumb, literal or otherwise(!) of evidence would elude her notice!

~...Okay, someone's making the snacks disappear. Taking bets. Telekinesis, teleportation, invisibility, super-speed...?~ she sent to her brother, because life was better when it included a rambling telepathic commentary. ~Someone hiding under the table?~ A true investigator never overlooks even the most unlikely of possibilities!

Routine Investigation for 26 to search the snack table for clues!

[herodofcows]

Connor sits alone, his bag of True Ashpah's micaceous clay leaning on his rucksack as a combined makeshift bench and palisade against the rest of the mass of humanity with whom he is currently sharing the airship. His cane lies on the floor next to him as he carefully picks his way through a paper plate full of sliced meats and crackers and fruits. He doesn't recognize all of the food on the snack table, and so each foreign product is met with a careful sniff and a cautious bite.

He didn't want to admit it, but most of it was very good.

Of course these Inner Ring types would keep the best for themselves . . .

As he eats, he can feel the approach of earth and rock far below. His heart leaps a little at the feeling: Ashpah's clay and the odd bursts of creative terrageneration could only keep him calm or sustained for so long. This, though . . .

<Hello there?> he asks, reaching out with his own terrakinesis, <My name is Connor Berg, and I come from True Ashpah. It's lovely to meet ye! Can ye tell me what ye are?>

He listens, and he can almost feel the ground beginning to open up, to tell him more about itself and how it wishes to lie and rise and be shaped.

<Well, look at that! You've been shaped, and shaped new too! I wonder why that is? Have ye schist within ye? Sand or silt or stone or clay? My homeland is full of clay, and micah, and no small bit of bog iron. I wonder what ye'll have within ye? I cannot wait to find->


“. . . show him what we think of his family . . . "

The muttered words seem to his his ear like a slung stone, and his eyes snap open. Looking around, he notices the space around him, the looks . . . It's not unlike the looks that he used to suffer in True Ashpah, back when he first started working. He'd won them over eventually, by force of a disciplined good nature and hard work . . .

. . . and look how THAT turned out in the end . . .

. . . but right here, right now, he can't bring himself to turn a friendly face.

"Oh aye?" he growls, smiling a lemon-sour smile as he turns in his seat to face the whisperers, "And what may that be, that which ye're thinkin'?"

With exaggerated care, he gets to his feet and walks over to them, leaning heavily on his cane.

Clack . . . Clack . . . Clack . . .

"Come on, now!" he smiles, approaching ever closer, "What're yer thoughts on my family? Say 'em loud! Can't be leavin' the others in the dark, them as hasn't set mind nor foot beyond the Inner Ring!"

Clack . . . Clack . . . Clack . . .

He stops just in front of them, still smiling a vinegar smile.

"Go on then! Tell me . . . what do ye think of my family?"

Connor is gonna try to Intimidate this fool. Specifically, I'm going in for a Coerce, to at least attempt to keep the peace until we land.

[roll0]

[Arcran]

The fact that the airship had no windows unnerved Serhe more than it should have. While he completely understand the why behind it, he'd been rather looking forward to sitting by a window, Enhancing his eyes, and just watching the scenery go by below. It was what he'd normally done in airships, albeit with the added step of hiding as far from Tarro as possible.

Instead, Serhe contents himself with leaning against the wall, watching people around the room with a keen focus. After all, if he was going to make half the impact that Tarro had, he would need at least have a basic idea of the powers of each and every person in the room. It didn't need to be horribly in depth, but just knowing whether the big burly kid was an Enhancer or a Paragon would be very nearly the difference between life and death.

Fortunately, it seemed like nobody else had the same thought as Serhe, and he was rapidly able to pick up on the powers for a good number of the group. All he had to do was sit and wait and, soon enough, he'd have enough to know how to beat everybody in the room. Simple enough, right?

Serhe was just starting to feel confident in his odds when he heard somebody come up to him. His eyes flew up and down the figure, taking in as many details as possible.

Come on you idiot, how the hell do you not know her? Serhe thinks to himself, mentally berating himself. She was so familiar, but he couldn't quite place the figure...

That is, until she mentions her sibling. Serhe's face visibly sours as she begins their relationship with an insult, although that quickly turns into a smirk. After all, she was here to get a rise out of him, right? Create some sort of rivalry, where Riptide could show up Annihilus by proxy through his siblings.

Unfortunately for Doireann, Serhe had years of training when it came to dealing with somebody trying to provoke him. Slowly and intently, Serhe looks up and down Doireann, before giving a soft chuckle.

I'm sorry, Serhe says, doing his best to adopt a coddling tone, like one would use with a toddler spouting nonsense. I didn't even notice you. I'm so embarrassed; you noticed somebody so obviously unimpressive as me, but I didn't even recognize Rolltide's sister, Serhe says, intentionally messing up her sibling's name. Serhe keeps eye contact the entire time, and attempts to maintain the slight smirk as he does so.

[Thokk_Smash]

It is with idle concentration that Roy feels his sister make a mad dash beeline for the snack table. A byproduct, both fortunate and unfortunate, of a life spent worrying over the both of them against crowds of people. Their time within the Inner Ring had made him less wary of crowds of kids his age, but years of life-learned lessons aren't so easily forgotten.

Without a wall to lounge against, he opts instead to place his hands in his pockets and fiddle with a little trinket he'd made to keep his attention. Something to fidget with when bored, with a little spinning bit on it...now if only he knew what to call it, he could set it up for market. Anyway, as he fidget spins (hmm...nah, it'd never stick) he scans the teenagers around him through the visor around his eyes. A transparent Flux crystal inset near the forehead glows softly as he watches his potential opponents in the entrance exam. One hand raises, both to sweep back the messy brown hair from his eyes and mask the crystal's glow.

There is the urge to show off, of course. Even without going full armor-mode, there are bits of his utility crystal he could make a show of. He refrains, mostly because showing off before the main event could give the other teens something on him to use against him--or his sister. The fact that this is hardly the stage for such a dramatic reveal is, of course, the other half of his reasoning.

Also, he'll admit, his extensive surveying of the area is a way to spot Bernhard before the other boy spots him. His relationship with Bernhard Silado is...complicated, and simple at the same time. Roy's biggest bully, and a great driving force; a long-standing tormentor, yet an amazing rival. Bernhard hadn't been thrilled to hear that Roy had gotten a letter as well, although Roy is glad that he's seen fit to leave Roy alone for the most part.

His internal musings are cut short at the sickeningly familiar laughter nearby. He knows even before he turns what he will find: a tormentor, a bully, a craven coward masking insecurities with picking on others. He takes in the scene in a single glance: a seemingly-gaudy mask, worn out of necessity; a speedster, fast enough to unmask the poor victim without warning; the confident swagger of one assured of their "superiority".

Roy had tried to step into situations such as these early in life, when he was too young to control his impulse for justness. As he'd grown, he'd gotten a better hold on his knee-jerk reaction to such things, managing to swallow down any anger and just pass by. He'd tell himself he would do something, someday.

Well, if not today, then when?

~"Happy hunting, sis,"~ he thinks back to Erica. ~"Save me a cookie, huh?"~

Putting on his vaguely unhinged grin, he walks toward the tormentor and his posse. "Wa ha ha ha!" he bellows his laughter, overblown and exaggerated, meant to deride and catch the ear. "Yes, good show, man! That'll teach her to wear a protective mask meant to protect others!"

He continues his wide laughter until he's within arm's reach of the speedster. "Or perhaps you'd like to get a mouthful of the gas seeping through her fingers?" he asks, less loud but no less intense. "She'd probably be able to easily take that back from you, if she cared as little for those around her as you do and stopped covering her mouth. We are heading for an academy for Heroes, after all. One has to wonder what you're doing here, since that's the case."

[Zelphas]

Erica

Your intensive search comes up with very little; the dastardly snack-thief is unfortunately not hiding under the table, or behind one of the support beams nearby, or within the group of hungry Transformers (not even next to the were-sabre-tooth-tiger who is patiently explaining to the werewolf that they are not, in fact, "basically the same"). Throughout your search, more snacks go missing, seeming to vanish every time you blink.

As you move around the table, however, you bump into... no, wait, there's nothing there. You hear a murmured apology...or was that the wind. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a potato chip rise up from the snack table and disappear with a crunch that seems to fade from your memory as soon as you register it.

What were you thinking about?

Connor

When you reach out to the earth beneath you, you get an immediate reply: WE ARE GRANITE. WE WERE DRAWN UP, TOLD NOT TO FALL AND BREAK THE- at this point, the Elemental sends a burst of untranslatable sound at you. You have encountered something similar to this before, from other Elementals when they come into contact with Supernaturalist power. MUST WE NOT FALL DOWN? MUST WE NOT BREAK THE ---?

Your staredown against the threesome muttering against you has drawn the attention of a small crowd, which seem to be quickly forming a circle around you. Two of the whisperers, a young man whose hair seems to be blowing despite a lack of a breeze in the room and a woman who looks completely normal as far as you can tell, take one look at you and back off, melding into the growing crowd. Oddly enough, The man seems to have been convinced by the fact that you're carrying a cane.

The last person who was whispering, a giant of a man, seems undeterred. "I think," the man says, turning fully to face you, "That your family tore Ashpah to pieces and then joined the wolves to pick apart its bones." As he spoke, your earth senses suddenly ping; small patches of some sort of thin, extremely sharp stone seem to be forming at the man's knees, elbows, toes, and fingers. "If your family had any decency, they would have shown it by running off to the Magellans, where they could at least pretend they were helping by dying in the middle of a failed Reclaiming, instead of weaseling their way back into power."

Serhe

Doireann smiles thinly at your response, the expression never reaching her icy blue eyes. "Charming. I had considered seeing if you were worth pairing up with in this exam, but I don't need someone that I'll have to carry. Who knows? If you manage to scrape through this exam... well, you're definitely no Annihilus, but at least that would prove that you're worth something."

She's angrier than she's letting on, but it's not because of you saying her brother's name wrong--she actually thought that was kind of funny. No, she seemed to bristle the most when you said "didn't even notice you"... someone's got a Napoleon complex.

Roy

Your laughter throws the speedster off his footwork; he stumbles, and the girl almost manages to grab her mask back before he recovers. He turns to you, a mocking smile on his face... which seems to wilt in response to your continued intensity. He looks as though he's about to answer back hotly, before glancing around and noticing that his group of friends all seem to have mysteriously disappeared. "Fine then. I was just joking around; no harm done." In a flash, the speedster is gone, the girl's mask safely in her outstretched hand.

When you questioned why the speedster was here, he became extremely angry... and a little bit ashamed. You might have touched a nerve, there.

The girl quickly reattaches the mask to her face, the covering connecting with a low hiss as she snaps it into place. She turns to face you, pushing thick greenish-black hair out of her violently green eyes. "Thanks," she says, the buzz from her mask nearly hiding a faint accent that marks her as someone from one of the far Outer Ring Islands or the Magellans. "Nauseating several of my possible classmates probably wouldn't have been a great start to my Hope Academy Career. I'm Elita Coste."

[Quellian-dyrae]

If Erica hadn't been paying such close attention, she might not have noticed. But looking around for inconsistencies, the ones she found were more mental in nature, not physical. Memory obscurement. ...That was disorienting.

~Okay! It looks like it's some form of memory obscurement. Probably a passive memory concealment, since they seem to be invisible as well and that's a shorter jump, although I haven't ruled out active memory modification. Can you do me a favor and remind me of this in like a minute?~ If it were passive, she'd remember her own thoughts on the subject. But if it were active, such memories could likewise be erased.

"So, the whole can't-be-remembered thing is super-cool and all, but would you mind turning it off? It's a bit disorienting," she requested of the general area around her, taking one of the water bottles and setting it nearer. "If you can't turn it off, you can indicate that by laying the water bottle on its side," she added, making a mental note, If that water bottle is lying on its side and I don't know why, it means that I'm talking to someone whose power prevents others from creating memories of them, and they can't turn it off.

Of course, if it were an active power and the user was trying to mess with her, the probable response would be erasing her memories of having figured it out. Which a reminder from her brother would counter, unbeknownst to the memory manipulator barring more advanced mind-reading capabilities. At which point she could come up with a new plan of action.

[Arcran]

Serhe's face visibly darkens when Doireann speaks. While he'd done the exact same thing to her moments before, being nothing compared to the legend that is Annihilus was, well, a bit of a sore spot.

That said, Serhe couldn't help but relate to the girl slightly. If he was right, his little jab had hit a little more at home than he was expecting, meaning that there was a very good chance that the two of them had something in common: the desire to never, ever hear their siblings' names said in reverence again. Of course, there was a very good chance that Doireann had a wonderful, exceptionally powerful talent, just like her older brother, and simply was self-conscious about her height. Even if that was the case, she and Serhe had the same goal: stick out from the crowd. Still, he didn't particularly like the girl...

Serhe clears his throat, somewhat awkwardly, and decides to just go for it. He needed friends, and who better than somebody who had the same delightful upbringing as him?

Of course I'm no Annihilus, just like you're no Riptide, Serhe says, locking eyes with Doireann. If I was, I'd be blowing up half the flux crystals on this ship just for the hell of it. I'd get away with it too, since a great power makes you a golden child, Serhe says, the bitterness in his tone souring the air itself. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be compared to spend the next few years being constantly compared to my brother. I'm not going to sit happily in his shadow like a good little sibling, Serhe adds, his eyes narrowing. And for some reason I feel like you feel the same.

I'm going to beat everybody in these trials. If you want to team up, I can promise everybody going up against us will have a hard time keeping up, and for the first time in your life people will talk about you, not Riptide. I might not be as flashy as Annihilus, but I have my tricks.

Deal? Serhe says, extending a hand.

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy scoffs at the speedster's back--anything he'd wanted to say had been precluded by the fast-moving boy speeding away. Part of him is glad that it had only taken a bit of opposition to get the kid to back down. His affected persona had done most of the job there, to his amusement. There is a minority of his mind, though, that almost wishes the boy had spoken back. 'No harm done', maybe, but that doesn't mean it was a joke. Roy only hopes the future may provide another chance to correct the boy's attitude; he hardly believes he's sorry for his actions.

But! There is a piece of technology to marvel at! "Think nothing of it!" he says loudly, still maintaining his affectation. His expression is not angry, but still more intense than normal even for Teocawki, as he closes in on the girl's mask. He keeps some distance, but he is still close enough to be a bit discomforting. "I am Roy Stonesmith. And it would have been that child's fault, if nothing else."

He examines the mask as he continues to talk, "What excellent craftsmanship, Elita--if I may call you Elita? Did you craft this yourself? I am a tinkerer, myself, is the reason I ask."

Meanwhile, in his mind, he gives an impish mental grin. ~"Hey, Erica, don't forget about the memory-manipulator,"~ he thinks, about ten seconds after her request. Just a few short seconds later, he thinks, ~"Hey, Erica, how's that memory-manipulator doing?"~ Rinse and repeat at intervals more frequent than she'd requested, just for the funsies.

[herodofcows]

Connor's eyes flicker over the remaining antagonist. His mode of dress and accent are enough to suggest that he's from the Outer Ring, so it's not as though he can be dismissed as some rich priss with a head full of history . . .

. . . and some kind of terrakinetic himself, to boot . . .

. . . And admit it to yerself, Berg, he thinks ruefully to himself, F'r all yer bluster, he's not far off . . .

He inhales deeply through his nose, willing his pride down. Today is not a day for making enemies.

"Ye're not half-wrong about my ancestry, I'll give ye that," he declaims, still loud enough that anyone listening would have no trouble hearing, "I've the blood of bastards and despots in my veins, sure as the Mists burn. Ashpah's scarred and scarred deep because of Fissure and his ilk. I've no mind nor need to defend him.

"But I will say this: just as Fissure's blood poisons my veins, likewise am I kin to hard workers and just lawmen. I got hatred for the works of Fissure and his band of cronies with my mother's milk, and that's a lesson I'll never forget. Aye, we Bergs broke Ashpah, but damned if we won't fix it.

"THAT's why I'm here, my man: my blood is heavy with debt, and I've come to repay it. Hope Academy is my best way o' learnin' such as will fix the wounds dealt to my people by my kin, else I'd still be in the mines without a soul to bother me.

"So, that puts the decision on YE, friend: Will ye let me carry my burden peaceful-like, or will ye be lookin' to rouse me blood and bring out me great-grandfather? For I'll say this; Connor Berg has ne'er struck first, and not a thousand slanders on my family will change that. So either ye can take that swing ye're thinkin' on, or ye can take me declaration in earnest and leave. Me. BE."

. . . All right, today is mostly not a day for making enemies.

If I'm allowed to routine this retrospectively, Persuasion is 18. If it's too late, it's a 10.

[Zelphas]

Erica

A gasp becomes the whisper of nonexistent wind. A timid voice whispers, "Did you notice..." before fading away... but a moment later, you remember it.

There's a water bottle in front of you, on its side. It takes a moment of struggle, but you eventually remember seeing it topple over slowly, seemingly of its own accord. A few moments of struggle more and you have a hazy impression of someone standing in front of you, even though your eyes, ears, and even nose tell you that nothing's there. They seem to be waiting.

Serhe

Doireann looks you over for a moment, still wearing her thin smile. Finally, she takes your hand in a quick, firm handshake. "Tell you what," she says after letting go of your hand. "If this is a team thing, I'd still rather not end up on teams with you right away; the comparisons to our siblings would just get stronger from that. How about a truce, instead? I won't attack you or otherwise try to sabotage your chances in this exam, and you agree to the same for me. After the exam... we can reevaluate our terms."

Roy

Elita seems uncomfortable with your close proximity, ducking her head down and moving back a few steps as you come closer. Your questions take her somewhat by surprise. "My--oh. Yes, I built it--well, mostly," she says finally. "The first few models were just basic stuff that an Enhancer in my village made for me, but my power would make his stuff break down all the time, so I started to--"

Her voice cuts out as one of the canisters on her mask suddenly vents out a small jet of steam with a hiss. Elita holds up one finger for a moment before reaching and popping out the hissing canister with one hand, the other hand reaching into a small bag tied at her belt and pulling out an identical canister. The new canister is slotted back into her mask with a metallic click, while the old canister slides into a ring set into her belt on the right side. Three other canisters are similarly slotted into rings nearby. "--to build my own stuff with what I could find," she continues smoothly after her operation is finished. "It's not perfect, but I can breathe fine most days and almost never make people around me throw up by accident anymore, so I suppose it works. Do you make things then, too? You don't look like you have much on you."

Connor

The crowd stills at your speech, faces flicking between you and the giant man who insulted you periodically. For a long, tense moment, you aren't sure whether the man is going to attack or draw back, but just before he opens his mouth you get your answer; the thin blades of stone in his body vanish from your earthen senses all at once. "Big words, Berg," the man growls, rolling his shoulders. "But words can't wash off the blood on your family's hands. There's no point in crushing you now; all that would get me is expelled before class even started. I'll put you down in the entrance exam, instead." He turns away from you and looks out over the crowd. "Did you come here to gawk at two people talking?Get out of my way." Roughly, he brushes past the crowd and out of sight.

A moment after the man turns away, something... strange brushes across your awareness. It appears only for a moment, swooping past high above the ship and then away again, but you could have sworn that a cluster of rocks just flew past the airship. Your connection to the Elementals in the rocks was tenuous, even in that brief moment; something seemed to be blocking the connection. All you got was a wave of slow, earthen anger.

[Quellian-dyrae]

~...Thank you brother,~ Erica sent back, in a sort of sing-song deadpan.

"I mean, barely. It takes...non-trivial concentration. I'm Erica, by the way. What's your...wait, no, that won't work. Here, wait," Erica slung her bag off her shoulder, rooting around in it and coming out with a pencil and notebook, setting them down on the snack table. "There we go! So, what's your name? Also, wow that power has to be something of a hassle, yeah? You can't turn it off at all? How does, like, your family deal with it? Do people just get better able to deal with it over time? Or do you just write a lot of notes or something? Given the mental and illusory aspects, I assume it's Supernatural?"

...Yeeeaaah, Erica kinda tended to go a little overboard on the questions. Side effect of being both very outgoing and very curious.

[Arcran]

I can agree with that, Serhe says, taking Doireann's hand. Can't have people think we're just Annihilus and Riptide 2.0, after all, the boy continues, nodding slightly. Still, I can be subtle. Maybe I'll throw a little help your way, if you need it, Serhe says with what could almost be mistaken for a confident grin.

I look forward to ignoring you, Serhe says with the same stupid grin. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm a little hungry, the boy says, giving an awkward wave goodbye as he makes his way over to the snack table. Of course, you're free to come if you want, he adds awkwardly, not quite sure how to act.

[Thokk_Smash]

~"You are most welcome, sister,"~ Roy says, sounding satisfied.

"FFfffffffascinating," Roy proclaims, drawing out the first syllable at Elita's obviously-practiced routine. "Does it ever happen that you run out of those canisters? What happens if you can't replace a filled canister fast enough?" He starts to think of a half-dozen other questions pertaining to her gas powers, but visibly restrains himself: she might not be comfortable giving potential intel to a potential enemy, after all. Instead, he asks, "Does the gas impair your breathing, or is it that the mask can constrict your breathing sometimes? I'd be more than willing to help you improve on it, if you'd let me."

Although it may seem that he's ignoring her question, since she'd asked it he'd been subtly showing off one of his more proud inventions. Beginning as a pair of sleek, bulky gauntlets on his belt. He puts them on and moves them to catch the light, showing off the craftsmanship and work of it. Then he puts the palms together as he continues to question her intently. His fingers and wrists begin to move in some sort of pattern, and the gauntlets quickly begin to shift and change shape. After a mere split second there are twin pistols in his hands, where once were gauntlets covering them.

"It's quality, not quantity, El," he declares with a roguish wink.

[herodofcows]

Connor nods as the other gentleman stalks off.

Lovely. Already feels just like home . . .

He limps over to the snack table, not bothering with a plate as he goes for a hunk of cheese. His mind is elsewhere, though: what was going on with the rock outside?

<Begging yer pardon, but what manner of goings-on are these? Are ye from below, or taken elsewhere? Are ye called by another through talk or by Supernatural command? I've nothing to ask but information, sure . . .>

"Takes all kinds, aye?" he pipes up to the gentleman that just approached the snack table.

Im having him talk to Serhe but no pressure to respond if it interferes with your scene!

[Zelphas]

Erica

It takes a little less concentration this time to see the pencil lift up and write on the notebook. The pencil writes only for a short time before setting down; looking over, it seems that the mysterious person has written only two words:

I'm Nobody.

At that moment, there is a slight distraction in the form of a man appearing down the snack table in a gust of wind.

Serhe

Doireann shrugs. "I won't say no to free help." She turns back towards the crowd. "How will we ignore each other if we both go to the same place?" It's... difficult to tell if she's making a joke or not. "I'm going to do some more networking. We'll talk after the exam... if you make it through."

Your journey over to the snack table is uneventful, and you're able to grab a good assortment of snacks with no problem. There's a slight interruption as another of the people in the room addresses you... followed by a slightly larger interruption as a man appears out of thin air right next to you, accompanied by a gust of wind.

Roy

Elita blinks, seeming almost dazed by the barrage of questions. "The mask stops working then, so I always carry enough canisters... um, I suffocate? I'd take off the mask before that happens... It's the mask, mostly, and... no. I'd rather not risk--I mean, it's kind of important..." She seems relieved when you change the subject by turning your gauntlets into guns. "Oh, that's Enhancing work, isn't it?" she says, seemingly torn between leaning in and leaning away. "I'd better not get too close... What ammo does it use? How do you store it? What--"

Elita is interrupted by a commotion occurring at the far end of the room.

Connor

As you reach out towards the cluster of rocks in the air, you feel a gust of wind from behind you and a strong hand claps your shoulder. Looking back, you can see a tall, middle-aged man with weather-beaten brown skin and thick grey hair, looking down at you with stormy grey eyes. "Full marks for observation, lad," the man says in a deep, warm voice, "But you don't want to go losin' any points before the exam's begun, do ye? Leave those Elementals sleep for now, and pay attention to the podium." He points towards the far end of the room.

Everyone

At the far end of the room, opposite the snack table, there are a few screams and some scrambling as a section of the floor suddenly splits open with a hiss, opening into a rectangle of space roughly the size of a small stage. A platform rises up out of the floor with the same low hiss, filling the open space and rising slightly above floor level. Atop this new raised platform is a tall man with shoulder-length golden hair, glowing amber eyes, and a superhuman physique that all of you recognize as Glory, Censor for the city of Hope and the public face of Hope Academy. To Glory's left is a short, thin woman with mouse-brown hair and dull grey eyes, wearing oddly bland clothes that would not look out of place anywhere in Teocawki. With a wink and a gust of air, the tall man shoots away from Connor's side and lands at Glory's right side.

You can't be certain, as no depictions of her exist, but judging by her bland clothes and her place next to Glory, you think that this might be the Hero Doctor Proxy, a Supernaturalist who is a genius at stealth and creating simple enchanted constructs for reconnaissance and communication.

"Future Heroes!" Glory booms, his voice carrying easily across the room despite a lack of any visible amplifier. "Welcome to the entrance exam for Hope Academy!"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica...elected to assume that was their codename. Based on the capital letter. "Well, it's nice to meet-" she began, before being interrupted.

"Ooh, gotta go, later!" she said quickly and quietly after Glory spoke, hastily putting her notebook back in her bag and slipping over to where her brother was, her heart starting to pound with excitement and a bit of anxiusness. If the test was starting now they needed to be together. For Reasons.

~Okay here we go here we go!~ she sent as she got near, trying with very little success to keep the grin from her face. ~Oh! Who's your friend? ...What's with the crazy mask?~ she asked as she passed him a little paper plate with the previously-requested cookie.

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy showed a bit of disappointment at her declination of his help, though perhaps not for the reason she might think. If she really can't turn off her power, and that mask is needed to A.) let her live among people and B.) allow her to kick a** as a Hero, then she deserves to not run the risk of suffocating while using it, however small the risk. Still, he doesn't comment on it and instead beams as she asks about his weapon.

"Nonsense, take a look," he declares, moving the guns closer to her so she can see them easier. "They fire a special compound with a painful impact that expands into a constricting mass upon impact, my own special blend. As for storage, well--"

The commotion from afar interrupts him, and he ends with a grin, "Trade secret. Ask me again after the test, maybe we could swap notes."

Roy is also buzzing with barely-contained excitement as Erica joins them. "Awesome, awesome!" he sing-songs, gratefully taking the plate and chowing down on the cookie. "Elita, this is my sister, Erica. Erica, this is Elita Coste, my new frie-quaintence."

~"Easy now, sis,"~ he thinks to her, although his mental voice is hardly more calm than hers is. ~"Elita's a Transformer who makes gas from her mouth, but she can't turn it off, so she wears the mask to keep from hurting others. Some jacka** had ripped it off and was taunting her with it before I stepped in."~

[Arcran]

Serhe whipped his head around at the gust of wind, before seeing a large man holding the other's shoulder. He was about to say something when the man soomed off, vanishing as quickly as he'd appeared. You know him? Serhe begins, before the commotion at the front cuts him short.

When the heroes appear, Serhe can't help but steal a sidelong glance at Doireann to see how she was responding. While he only recognizes Glory, he assumed the others on stage had to be famous.

As things begin, Serhe begins to rapidly looking around, hoping for some hints about what the exam could be.

Analytical, Darkvision, Rapid, Extended Vision
Perception: [roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica gave a little wave and friendly smile to Elita, not wanting to speak while the Heroes were speaking.

Telepathic commentary was another matter entirely!

~That sucks. The memory-blank person I was talking to seems to have the same deal. Can't turn it off.~

Granted, having gone through having pitifully weak powers, Erica would sooner take cool-but-a-hassle powers in a heartbeat. At least those you could come up with creative workarounds for. Still, she couldn't say for sure that Elita or Nobody wouldn't have made the opposite claim. It could very easily be a "grass is greener" situation. So regardless, she could sympathize.

[herodofcows]

"I-Hold on, what? Who're-?"

Connor nearly falls over as he spins around, trying to keep up with the tall man who is now standing at the podium with . . .

Woof, Allmind and Elements preserve us, they brought out the whole mob.

"I know him no more than ye," he mutters along one side of his mouth as the Censor's speech continues, "I suppose he didn't like me rousing the granite below . . ."

He holds his hand out, making brief eye contact.

"Name's Connor," he whispers, omitting his last name semi-purposefully.

[Zelphas]

Erica and Roy

Elita seems to shrink in on herself as the arrival of the three Heroes, responding to Erica's wave with a jerky nod. She watches the raised stage apprehensively, one hand occasionally fiddling with the tubes on her mask as though checking to make sure that they are attached.

Serhe

It's a bit difficult to find Doireann as the crowd around you shifts and shuffles, but you manage to catch a glimpse of her once or twice. She seems to be splitting her attention between the Heroes on the stage and the crowd around her. Your eyes meet for a moment, and she acknowledges you with a brief nod before turning back to the stage.

Everyone

Glory waits for the crowd to settle down slightly before speaking again. "All of you are here because you have shown that you have the potential to become defenders of humanity and explorers of the world--in short, to become Heroes," he announces, his amber eyes flashing. "There is one more task ahead of you before you can begin your education at Hope Academy: the entrance exam. I know you are all eager to begin the exam, so I will give the floor to Doct--" The woman to Glory's left gives him a sharp look, and the giant Hero stops, chagrined. "Ahem--to my fellow teacher, who will explain the rules. Best of luck to all of you!"

Glory steps to his left, and the woman takes his place. When she speaks, her voice is monotone and noninflected. "The test will take place on the field prepared below. You will only earn points while within the walls of the field. The test will consist of live combat with prepared drones, as well as protection of assets from said drones. Points will be awarded according to the type of drone defeated. The following examples are not full-size, and their attacking enchantments have been removed."

Reaching into a small handbag at her side, the woman pulls out what looks like a tangled ball of cloth. holding the ball in the palm of one hand, the woman whispers a word in an unknown language, bending slightly over the cloth. With a shudder, the ball shakes and then springs into something resembling an over-sized dandelion seed, floating slightly above the woman's hand. "Cloth drones are worth five points each upon destruction." Next, the woman pulls from her bag what appears to be a handful of splinters; another whispered word, and the wood assembles into a four-legged shape with no discernible head, standing still below the ball of cloth. "Wood drones are worth ten points each." Finally, the woman pulls out a small cluster of pebbles, which upon her whisper transform into a vaguely humanoid shape. "And stone drones are worth twenty points each."

With a word and a gesture, the woman tosses the three shapes into the air. The cloth strings fly apart and shape themselves into two long crescents, the splinters separate into several long legs, and the stones rearrange themselves into a long column until a shape vaguely like a blown-up version of a dragonfly floats lazily in the air, its cloth wings flapping up and down lazily. "This is the Echidna Moth drone. There is only one such drone, flying over the designated exam field. The Echidna Moth drone will break into a number of cloth, wood, and stone drones if defeated. However, any team that attacks the Echidna Moth drone will immediately lose one hundred points."

Echidna Moths are one of the odder species of Tribs; never being smaller than Cyclops-Class, they are the only known Trib species that do not actively seek out and attack human beings. They are dreaded, however, for their death throes: Propagation. When an Echidna Moth is killed, its body splits apart and transforms into at least five seemingly random Tribs one class level lower than itself, including at least one Echidna Worm. The Echidna worm will eat everything around it and, if not killed within minutes, will metamorphose into another Echidna Moth of the same size as its 'parent'. The Heroes Guild specifically stipulates that no Echidna Moth should ever be attacked unless at least three full Cells of Heroes are on hand to exclusively deal with the resulting threat.

The woman reaches into her bag one last time, pulling out what seems to be a small wooden doll. "These are the assets that must be protected from the drones. There are a certain number of assets currently within the examination field, enchanted to wander randomly. Each asset is worth one point to every examinee. If the number of assets drops below fifty at any time, all examinees will fail the Hope Academy entrance exam." Her voice is still without emotion, and she looks over the crowd with a blank expression on her face.

"You will be placed randomly on the field. Protect the assets and destroy the drones until the time limit expires. Also, the first person you meet while you make your way through the examination field will be one of your Cell-mates for the entirety of your first year." A few shocked cries and a lot of muttering follow this statement, but the woman hardly seems to notice. "Your points will pool with theirs, and you will pass-or fail-together. Hope Academy will take the top ten pairs or the pairs which accrue more than two hundred points will be admitted to Hope Academy, whichever is less."

Stepping forward, the tall, grey-haired man looks over the group and speaks next. "Yer first year at Hope Academy is goin' t'be about two things--the basics and adaptability," he rumbles in his deep voice. "When yer out doin' Hero work, ye can't always choose who yer workin' with, so you've got to be able to work with anyone, and well, at a moment's notice. Ye won't be any good to us as a Hero if you can't think--"

The floor of the room suddenly shimmers with an odd light before simply vanishing, exposing what seem to be several dozen funnels leading to twisting tubes. A moment later, a howling gale of wind bursts from above, tearing each of you away from those around you and sending you shooting down one of the funnels and into the darkness of the tubes.

"--fast," the man finishes, breathing slightly heavily. He glances aside at the woman on the podium. "A bit too on the nose, d'ye think, Doc?"

The woman shrugs, her face still oddly blank. "I have always been a sucker for theatricality," she intones, her voice flat.

---

Erica

The howling wind keeps you in the center of the tube as it twists and turns, forcing you downwards at a breakneck pace. Finally, the tube levels out ,and you shoot out its end.

Dazzling light hits you in the face as you find yourself staring almost directly at the morning sun. Looking away, you can see below you what seems to be a city made out of solid black stone, with a small river winding through its center. Shapes dart through the streets and squares of the granite city, but you are moving too fast and at too odd of an angle to make out what they are. Behind you, you get your first glimpse of the airship you were riding on; wooden tubes spiral out of its belly like a snarl of tangled ropes, and a single set of sails atop its oddly flat deck allow it to move lazily through the air. People are tumbling out of the tubes in all direction, some seeming to attempt to control their flight while others seem completely out of control.

The wind is still pushing against you, but its force has lessened severely; it seems to be guiding your flight--or fall--through the air, rather than controlling it.

Well ahead of you, where the wind is blowing you towards, you can just make out a steep hill of stone, which seems to be covered with layer upon layer of heavy padding. It looks like as long as you don't alter your course too much, you should land more-or-less safely.

Roy

The howling wind keeps you in the center of the tube as it twists and turns, forcing you downwards at a breakneck pace. Finally, the tube levels out ,and you shoot out its end.

You can feel the heat of the sun on the left side of your face as you exit the tube into the bright autumn morning. You can see below you what seems to be a city made out of solid black stone, with a small river winding through its center. Shapes dart through the streets and squares of the granite city, but you are moving too fast and at too odd of an angle to make out what they are. Behind you, you get your first glimpse of the airship you were riding on; wooden tubes spiral out of its belly like a snarl of tangled ropes, and a single set of sails atop its oddly flat deck allow it to move lazily through the air. People are tumbling out of the tubes in all direction, some seeming to attempt to control their flight while others seem completely out of control.

The wind is still pushing against you, but its force has lessened severely; it seems to be guiding your flight--or fall--through the air, rather than controlling it.

Well ahead of you, where the wind is blowing you towards, you can just make out a steep hill of stone, which seems to be covered with layer upon layer of heavy padding. It looks like as long as you don't alter your course too much, you should land more-or-less safely.

Serhe

The howling wind keeps you in the center of the tube as it twists and turns, forcing you downwards at a breakneck pace. Finally, the tube levels out ,and you shoot out its end.

The shadow of the airship falls over you as you exit the tube into the open air, coloring the early morning with the chill of winter. You can see below you what seems to be a city made out of solid black stone, with a small river winding through its center. Shapes dart through the streets and squares of the granite city, but you are moving too fast and at too odd of an angle to make out what they are. Behind you, you get your first glimpse of the airship you were riding on; wooden tubes spiral out of its belly like a snarl of tangled ropes, and a single set of sails atop its oddly flat deck allow it to move lazily through the air. People are tumbling out of the tubes in all direction, some seeming to attempt to control their flight while others seem completely out of control.

The wind is still pushing against you, but its force has lessened severely; it seems to be guiding your flight--or fall--through the air, rather than controlling it.

Well ahead of you, where the wind is blowing you towards, you can just make out a steep hill of stone, which seems to be covered with layer upon layer of heavy padding. It looks like as long as you don't alter your course too much, you should land more-or-less safely.

Connor

The howling wind keeps you in the center of the tube as it twists and turns, forcing you downwards at a breakneck pace. Finally, the tube levels out ,and you shoot out its end.

The sun's rays strike the right side of your face as you find yourself suddenly in midair, the open mouth of the tube receding quickly behind you. You can see below you what seems to be a city made out of solid black stone, with a small river winding through its center. Shapes dart through the streets and squares of the granite city, but you are moving too fast and at too odd of an angle to make out what they are. Behind you, you get your first glimpse of the airship you were riding on; wooden tubes spiral out of its belly like a snarl of tangled ropes, and a single set of sails atop its oddly flat deck allow it to move lazily through the air. People are tumbling out of the tubes in all direction, some seeming to attempt to control their flight while others seem completely out of control.

The wind is still pushing against you, but its force has lessened severely; it seems to be guiding your flight--or fall--through the air, rather than controlling it.

Well ahead of you, where the wind is blowing you towards, you can just make out a steep hill of stone, which seems to be covered with layer upon layer of heavy padding. It looks like as long as you don't alter your course too much, you should land more-or-less safely.

Here's something that I stole got as influence from another game on the forums I've read: landing strategies! This doesn't necessarily have to be something that your character can directly duplicate at the moment, just a little bit of fun to show how your character would react to this situation. Figure out how you want your character to land, and then write it out in a cool/awesome/funny way. The funniest/coolest landing may get a Hero Point!

[herodofcows]

Rattling through the tube, Connor grits his teeth against the pain. Obviously the mechanism was designed to ensure that nobody would knock into the tube walls, but this slipstream was playing merry hell with his leg and the ensuing fluttering was no fun at all.

Finally, he emerges into the air and gets a good look at his surroundings.

"Hell's . . ."

He casts his eye around to the best of his ability. The forms below are rushing by, too quick and angled too far away for his easy examination. Instead, he focuses on finding the important thing . . .

<Clay! Clay of Ashpah, are ye . . . Och, thank the Allmind, there y'are. I'll be back for ye, fear not.>

". . . bollocking . . .

<Stone! Stone in the hill! A pleasure to meet ye. My name is Connor Berg. Would ye do me the kindness of coming to meet me? If ye would be so kind, most of ye might flatten yerself into a disc's shape, that I might have a place to stand and look about? And if some more of ye might be so kind as to ring me as armor and floating protectives, I'd take it as a powerful favor . . .>

A mass of stone and silt flies up from the hill, and he smiles as it begins to form around him . . .

". . . BELLS!" he finishes, exultantly.

He is now riding down on a slowly-descending disc of stone some hundred feet above the ground. His form is ensconced in densely-packed silt, with rocks and stones swirling around him in a protective aegis. He looks like a golem of some sort, gazing down on the motions below.

"Right then!" he yells aloud, still speaking to the Elementals but exulting verbally from his own surge of adrenaline, "Ye've got my thanks, friends! Now, let's see what manner of arsin' about lies below, eh? HA!"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica listened through the explanation, but before she could properly devise a strategy...they were falling.

For a moment, her heart leaped into her throat, an instinctive panic response. She got control of herself quickly though.

She could appreciate the lesson the teachers were trying to present. She might have even played along if it was just, first person you meet you have to work with for this excursion. But she wasn't going to accept even a slight chance that she and Roy might not end up in the same Cell. Even ignoring the tactical advantages of the two of them working together...four years at Hope Academy would just have been less fun if she and Roy weren't on the same team.

She could admit to a slight twinge of disappointment at the setup. Pretty much since the day they received their letters, she had been looking forward to whatever test there would be starting and the two of them would just bust out their powered armor and it would be awesome. She wanted to show off, darn it! But whatever, there'd be time for that later. For now...

Well, just because nobody was watching didn't mean she couldn't show off.

Down went Erica, flipping into a dive, arms held out behind her, streamlining her slender form for maximum speed. The ground approached rapidly, and as it did, her attire changed. Light shoes and flowing cloth shifted to shining steel as she called on her armor to transform mid-dive, going down her diving body starting from her feet. It was when the helmet appeared around her head that she struck,throwing herself into another mid-air flip as she quick-drew her sword, Prism Edge shining like a rainbow in the bright sunlight.

As she rotated a full three-sixty degrees, within only a few feet of the ground, she slashed out at the air with her sword, pumping Supernatural power through two of the bands of Flux gemstone making up its rainbow edge. They glowed brightly, one with the gray light of the sun filtered through clouds, the other a deep blue flecked with pinpricks of brilliant white.

And then she was gone, as if her sword had cut a hole in the world that just swallowed her up. Which is precisely what had happened. The gray stone, enchanted to warp space rather than negate gravity, filled with that much energy focused into the sword's edge, sliced open a fleeting portal to whisk her elsewhere. At the same moment, the blue-and-white gem created a powerful resonance field with the Flux gemstones in her brother's armor, directing the spatial rift to his location.

At the same moment her brother touched down, she would appear beside him, back-to-back, her orientation brought to a ready standing position as she stepped between space, the momentum of her fall entirely cancelled out. She held her sword at the ready, in a high guard, shimmering with prismatic light while the armor she wore gleamed like mother-of-pearl from the enchantments layered upon it.

She held the pose silently for a few seconds, just because.

...Well, externally silently. Over their link she sent, ~Tag! We're on a team!~

Power Stunting off of Prism Edge: Senses 13 (Ranged Acute Accurate Penetrates Concealment Radius Extended 3 Detect [Roy]); Teleport 15 (Change Direction, Change Velocity, Increased Action [Standard]).

Standard: Teleport to Roy's location.

Current Status: Fatigued as of next turn.

[Arcran]

Serhe had been hanging on each and every word that the other teachers were saying, doing his best to take in every tidbit of the rules. After all, there was a very, very good chance that his powers would be useless here. Against another person, Serhe had a pretty good chance of taking them down, as long as he can shut down their powers before they can shut him down. That is, unless they're a Transformer. But against drones? How in the hell would that work? Alternatively, he could have his partner focus on taking out drones while he hindered other teams; as long as he hit 200 points he'd pass if nobody else got that high. It wasn't a good plan, but it was a plan.

Fortunately, Serhe had an easy way to test if he could shut down the drones. As the woman brought out the Echidna Drone, Serhe locked eyes on the tiny cloth creature floating near the woman, focusing his eyes and silently praying that she was a Supernaturalist. An instant later Serhe's vision flashes purple for a fraction of a second, and he watches the tiny drone intently. When it falls with hardly any effort, Serhe grins slightly. He might just be alright here.

Unfortunately for Serhe, his happy reverie was rather rudely interrupted by his rapid fall from the ship. For a long moment, the only thing in Serhe's head was a very long, very rapid string of curses. He couldn't fly, and we wasn't a competent enough Enhancer to survive a fall from this height. He was, to put it simply, completely and utterly screwed.

Just when he was convinced he was going to end his short hero career as a smear on the stones in the black city below, Serhe noticed two things:

One, that he wasn't falling nearly as fast as he should have been.

Two, that there was a massive amount of cushioning on the hill of stone.

As his panic slowly died down, Serhe did his best to try to control his fall, and spent more than a few seconds trying to orient himself to look down at the city below. A quick Enhancement later, and he was staring down at the city as if he had a telescope. His pupils were a blur as they tried to scan the streets, before locking onto the small group of drones. He spent a long moment trying to pick out a target, until the dolls stumbled in. A little frantically, Serhe pushes his eyes to the limits, locking onto the wooden drone closest to the dolls.

Night-night, Serhe mutters, the wind making the words all but inaudible. An instant later, Serhe crosses his arms in front of him, trying to cushion the landing as much as possible.

Serhe is going to try to shut down the wooden drones! Focusing on the one closest to the dolls; if he shuts it down, he'll use the second attack on the other, otherwise he's trying both on the same one.

All-Out, Power Attack at max, and using my Supernaturalist Nullify. I'll use Innate to ignore anything over Rank 10. I don't know if Subtle 2 makes Vulnerable at this range, but if it does that would be great :smalltongue:

AC: [roll0]
Nullify: [roll1]

AC: [roll2]
Nullify: [roll3]

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy's excitement only grows more potent with each sentence from him and his twin's future teachers. Doctor Proxy, it seems, doesn't like to be acknowledged by name--not every Hero wants the spotlight, after all. He raises the last bite of cookie to his mouth just as the floor disappears.

His biggest concern, as he falls through the funnel on his wind-blown adventure, is the bite of cookie floating just out of his reach in front of him. He wants that last bite, darnit! He eventually gets himself into a more streamlined position and finally grabs the treat just as he's ejected into the open air. Only then does he focus on the dilemma in front of him: hey, he wanted that cookie, so he's darn well gonna eat it!

Roy observes the situation intently. He can confess to a certain amount of disappointment, certainly. This is hardly the ideal situation or audience to reveal his armor. He'd had fantasies of shoving the armor into Bernhard's face with its reveal. He sighs and lets that fantasy go.

Nonetheless, as his visor glows faintly and enhances his sight, as he takes in the vision of fake slaughter in the distance, the gunmetal grey steel of his armor grows into reality. It begins from the inset purple crystal at his belt, and swiftly encapsulates his entire body one piece at a time. His pistols are hefted just before his helmet covers the grin on his face. This is the starting line!

He points the pistols at the cloth drones and opens fire. Even the weakest enemies can be dangerous in sufficient numbers. As he lands his visor's glow fades, and crystals on his palms and feet turn the characteristic colorless hue of Enhanced Flux. Swooping between the drones, Roy scoops up two of the wooden dolls and carries them away from the carnage. He spins in the air as he flies, hovering inches over the ground, before coming to a stop facing the drone group: one wooden doll across his shoulders, one in his left arm and his pistol leveled at the group of drones.

He keeps the pose for a moment, just in time for Erica to appear out of nowhere beside him. In their shared mindspace she can feel his glee, and an underlying certitude, or perhaps faith: faith that she would've been able to get to him. ~"Look out, Hope, here we come!"~ he replies with a jovial tone.

Perception rolled in the OOC.

Move-by Action: Fire Violane Verse at the cloth drones, AoA/PA -5/+5, Routining for a total of 20 and using Takedown 2 to take as many of them out as will fall. DC 26+Multiattack Toughness vs Damage, DC 21 Defense vs Dazed/Stunned (Physical actions only), DC 21 Dodge to avoid a Create that's meant to encase them in a glue-like substance.

Free action: Swap array slot to Enhanced Antigravity Effect to allow Roy to move under his own power.

Free action: Grab two of the wooden dolls away from the drones.

End turn distance rank 2 away from the group of drones. Strike a pose.

Status: Fine, Defenses -5
HP: 2
Luck: 4/4

[Zelphas]

Erica and Roy

Roy's bullets punch through the cloth drones as though they were tissue paper rather than thick cloth, scattering them into ribbons which are then plastered to the ground by the resulting glue. The dolls do not seem to react to his movement of them; on his arm and shoulder, Roy can feel them twitching in robotic motions, as though they are still trying to walk.

As the twins hold their heroic pose for a moment, they can both see a shimmer above the downed cloth drones. The stone drone turns with deceptive speed to face the duo, ignoring the dolls nearby, which walk jerkily away. A few moments later, there is a dull scuttling sound, and a trio of wood drones appear, scuttling along the sides of the buildings nearby. They reach the square and pause for a moment, as though taking their bearings.

Roy: [roll0]
Erica: [roll1]

Enemies: [roll2]

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UHMNbrX1OICTuFMtf78mrkbHtHyjfSubq7Tyjl_tQkc/edit?usp=sharing)

Erica and Roy are up!

Serhe

You can feel the magical energies fade from the wood drones as you stare them down. The padding on the hill is enough to blunt the impact of your fall and keep any of your bones from breaking, but the tumble down the hill still hurts. You roll to a stop nearly on top of the pile of planks and splinters that used to be the wood drones. The cloth drones, thick wads of thick ribbon several feet long, are whizzing around in even greater agitation, the dolls forgotten as they swerve to face you. You feel the ground rumble underneath your feet from something nearby...

Connor

The earth leaps at your call, eager to come to your aid, and soon you are floating slowly down out of the air. Oddly enough, instead of coming up from directly underneath you, the earth had come to you at an angle, knocking you slightly off course: the granite beneath you seems to have been locked in place by a stronger Elementalist's will than yours. The angle knocked you slightly off-course, and the sun is now more or less behind you.

Below you and slightly to the left, you can see about five cloth drones whizzing around in an agitated mob in an open square. There are several life-sized dolls between you and them, but the cloth drones seem to be ignoring them; instead, they are focused on something beyond them, which their erratic motions are hiding from sight.

The granite buildings around the square are radiating anger. Almost hidden by their anger, you catch another pile of stones within two of the buildings, relating the now-familiar slow irritation that you've now felt twice before.

Connor still has a full round of "surprise round" actions to take, so he can place himself on the map where he likes and take those actions. After that:

Initiative:

Serhe: [roll3]
Connor: [roll4]

Enemies: [roll5]

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UHMNbrX1OICTuFMtf78mrkbHtHyjfSubq7Tyjl_tQkc/edit?usp=sharing)

Connor takes his surprise round, and then the enemies go!

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica turned to face the golems. Wow. They were...bigger than she had expected. Okay then!

She telepathically filled Roy in on what she had picked up. As for a plan of attack, little discussion was required. The two of them had already spent plenty of time discussing possible plans and strategies, and they knew each other's capabilities as well as they knew their own.

So Erica wasted no time retracting the blade and crossguard of her sword into the hilt, flipping the hilt in her hand. The pommel, a cluster of Flux gemstones, blazed with light as she charged her energy into it. That light gathered into one crystal in particular - a crimson ruby that engendered a whip of brilliant, sunset-red light.

With this, she lashed out, striking at all four of the golems, timing her attacks in conjunction with her brother. The blue-and-white gemstone on her belt buckle glowed brightly, resonating with the energy that would be passing through his weapons, allowing the power she was channeling to pass equally to his armor even as his own enhancement passed to hers'.

The whip struck in fluid arcs, lashing at each of the golems in turn. It would strike and burn, yes, but also bind - she whirled and dipped and spun as she struck, a surprisingly graceful dance for someone in full plate armor, seeking to entwine each target in turn in the band of energy, which would then detach, a new one springing forth as she attacked her next target. The dance also brought her closer to the golems, hopefully the movement would draw their attention.

The golem of stone was last, and against that enemy, she did not detach the whip, trying to loop it around the golem as much as possible and secure it tight.

Move: Into S10.

Free: Activate Arcane Augmentation.

Standard: Attack all four golems with Flux Dancer as a Team Attack with Roy, activation Augmentation. All Out Attack for 4, Multiattack for 4, Power Attack for 5. Crits on a 19+. On a hit, Toughness DC 28 vs. Damage, Defense (or Strength or any movement speed rank) DC 23 vs. Vulnerable+Physically Dazed/Defenseless+Physically Stunned. If the Stone Golem gets hit, it also has to roll Strength or Dodge DC 23 vs. Grab. DCs may be modified further by Team Attack. Note that Erica has the Teamwork advantage, so if she misses by less than 5, and Roy hits, she may still provide a Team Attack bonus to his DC for matching effects.
Wood Golem 1: [roll0]. Miss, but would hit with Teamwork, so can provide +2 to Roy.
Wood Golem 2: [roll1]. Hit
Wood Golem 3: [roll2]. Miss, but would hit with Teamwork, so can provide +2 to Roy.
Stone Golem: [roll3]. Miss, but would hit with Teamwork, so can provide +2 to Roy.

Current Status: Fatigued, -4 Defense this turn.

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy sets the wooden dolls down to walk on their own. They'll have to keep an eye on them, but he needs his full attention for what comes next.

The Flux on his hands and feet return to their purplish hue in favor of the large-ish gemstone inset into his belt buckle. He can feel his sister's energy, almost as familiar as his own, rise within his guns as he raises them. With precise bursts he times his attacks with hers. More ammo pours out than before, small glowing dots of compressed energy and gunk. His attack isn't quite as aesthetically pleasing as hers: it's hard to put a flair on aiming a gun and pulling a trigger. Nonetheless he supports his sister's attacks thoroughly, entrapping the drones in a veritable avalanche of gluey gunk.

Free action: Drop wooden dolls; Switch array slot to Enhanced Output.

Standard action: Attack with Violane Verse, Multiattacking for 4, All-Out Attacking for 5, Power Attacking for 5. The following attacks are including the +5 Teamwork bonus; subtract 5 if the Teamwork bonus doesn't apply unless both attackers hit. DC 26 Toughness vs Damage, DC 21 Defense vs Dazed/Stunned, DC 21 Dodge vs Create.

Wood Golem #1: [roll0] Crit! +5 bonus to DC
Wood Golem #2: [roll1] Miss Should be a hit; Multiattack 4/AoA 5 means his base to-hit is 11 before PA and Teamwork, so the total is actually 14
Wood Golem #2: [roll2] Hit
Stone Golem: [roll3] Miss

Status: Fine, -5 Defenses
HP: 2
Luck: 4/4

[herodofcows]

Beneath his carapace of rock and dirt, Connor bares his teeth in an excited grin.

<WELL! We cannae have this, can we? Friends in granite and silt, shall we not liberate yer poor enchanted brothers?>

Masses of granite fly up in front of him, forming into loose spheres as he flies closer to the commotion.

<Let's give them a bit of a shock, aye? Broadside the poor buggers! Smash the sorceries enslaving them! FIRE!>

The rocks blast off, smashing into the cloth golems and rendering them little more than limp bundles of material. Connor claps his hands together, laughing freely now.

<Aye, that's the way of it! But what's this? More stone and earth, restrained? No, this will nae do!>

"Good day t'ye, friend!" he calls aloud, landing next to Serhe and shedding enough of his carapace to show his face, "Seems ye're stuck with me now! And lucky ye are; I'm sensing plenty o' angry rock an' stone within the buildings around us! 'specially those two!"

He indicates the two buildings hiding the angered piles of stone with his cane, still floating a couple of feet off the ground.

"So, what do ye say? Let's save these poor blind dolls an' free the rock from its gross enchantments! If they make us heroes by the end, so be it, aye?"

[Zelphas]

Roy and Erica

The Wood Drones and Stone Drone move much faster than their size would suggest; all but one of the Wood Drones evade Erica's whip, the last drone wobbling as the burning whip tears into it. Roy's projectiles have a much more devastating effect; one Wood Drone is torn apart and glued to the center of the square, while another struggles jerkily against the hard, glue-like substance anchoring it to the walls of nearby buildings. The Stone Drone evades Roy's bullets by simply leaping straight up in a reverse-avalanche roar. It plummets from the sky, landing between the twins and sending up a massive shock-wave of crushed stone and flung dirt. The free Wood Drone, still reeling from Erica's whip, lifts up one leg... which shoots off with an eldritch crackle, the sharpened plank of wood glowing with blue-black energies as it whizzes towards the female Stonesmith.

Some of the dolls wander through the square and into the streets beyond, while a few others appear in the square from various directions.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UHMNbrX1OICTuFMtf78mrkbHtHyjfSubq7Tyjl_tQkc/edit#gid=0)

Wood Drone #2

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action: Splinter Bolt against Erica. [roll0] On a hit, Damage DC 23. Hit

End of Turn: Try to shake off Vulnerable/Physically Dazed (DC 23): [roll1] Nope

Wood Drone #3

Actions: Stunned.
End of Turn: Try to get free of stunned (DC 21): [roll2] Nope

Stone Drone

Move Action: Leap to S12.

Standard Action: Ground Slam. Roy and Erica, Dodge DC 17 for half, Toughness DC 22/19 vs. Damage, Fortitude DC 17/14 vs. Hindered/Immobile.

PCs are up!

Connor and Serhe

As Connor destroys the Cloth Drones with brutal efficiency, he feels the earth hidden in the buildings suddenly cut off, the Elementals within pulled into slumber as the Supernatural force binding them wakes into full life. His arrival and announcement is greeted by a huge crash as something enormous bursts out of the roof of a building nearby, scattering granite everywhere. The enormous thing resolves itself into a Stone drone, dropping down like a meteor to land inches from the Earth Elementalist. A blast of stone and dirt pelts both boys in a rippling shock-wave out from the giant drone.

A second crash heralds a second Stone Drone, this one bursting out of the wall of a southern building. The second Drone grinds towards the twosome and lifts up a giant fist... which rockets off of its arm with an eldritch screech, the boulder shattering into fist-sized rocks and glowing with blue-black energy as it soars towards the scion of the Berg family. The erratic flight of the stones causes them to miss Connor entirely, but he can feel them swinging around for another pass.

Some of the dolls wander through the square and into the streets beyond, while a few others appear in the square from various directions.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UHMNbrX1OICTuFMtf78mrkbHtHyjfSubq7Tyjl_tQkc/edit#gid=0)

Stone Drone #1

Move Action: Shift to L12.

Standard Action: Ground Slam. Serhe and Connor, Dodge DC 17 for half, Toughness DC 22/19 vs. Damage, Fortitude DC 17/14 vs. Hindered/Immobile.

Stone Drone #2

Move Action: Shift to Q19.

Standard Action: Stone Edge on Connor. [roll3] on a hit, Damage DC 25+Multiattack (with secondary effect). Miss

PCs are up!

[herodofcows]

"BOLLOCKS!"

Connor staggers backwards as the first Stone Drone sends a wave of gravel and dirt blasting into his carapace. Some of it gets absorbed, but his ill-advised lowering of his own carapace means he gets a rattling face full of rock.

<Now, now, friends, enough of that! Off my face, will ye? Let me . . .>

He ducks under the second Drone's fired rocketing fist by luck as much as perceptiveness, and scowls as he sees the blue-black energy ensconcing the fist.

"Damn Supernaturalists!" he growls, "It's not right, them messin' about with the Elements like this . . . Makes me sick, tell ye the truth . . ."

<Right then. Granite? Be a love and give me a wall, will ye? Nice and long, tall if ye can. 'Round the square, that's a dear . . .>

A wall of granite springs up along the periphery of the "city square", blocking off the two Stone Drones from any "civilians" that might come in and become collateral damage.

He grimaces at Serhe now, gesturing at the periphery.

"Well, we've got our ring now!" he exclaims with bluff cheer half-felt, "Now, here's hoping ye're quick with yer fists!"

In case it's not clear, Connor is using Raise Earth (Create 8 (Continuous, Movable, Accurate 4, Innate, Limited [Must raise from existing earth])) to make a wall around the square and cut off any new "civilians" so we can focus the drones without fear.

[Arcran]

Serhe was busy trying to mentally tally up his points when Connor appeared, shredding the cloth in a matter of seconds.

25 points. We've got a long way to go... he thinks to himself, before being distracted by Connor suddenly showing his face. A small grin crosses Serhe's face, and he nods curtly.

Seven down, at least a hundred to go, right? Serhe says, cracking his fingers and rolling his head from side to side. Sorry to put this on you, but we're finishing first, understand? Serhe says as his eyes frantically dart around. Annihilus only got second, and being able to rub that fact in his brother's face would be the greatest gift the Academy could ever give him. I suppose that just means we're freeing more rocks, aye? he says, before his eyes instantly begin tracking the massive stone titans as they break free.

Serhe is just a hair too slow and isn't able to avoid the wave of shrapnel that flies out from the titan's impact. He was far from down, but he wasn't exactly looking forward to an extended battle with these creatures. This one's mine! Serhe snarls, looking up the one in front of him. Keep our other friend busy, alright? I can handle the Supernatural bits, he says, gritting his teeth.

Why don't you take a seat big guy? Serhe mutters, his vision flashing purple as he locked his gaze on the stone titan that had just been bold even to strike him.

Luck: 2/4
-1 to Toughness

Serhe is going to keep doing the same thing! All-Out, Power Attack at max!

AC: [roll0]
Nullify: [roll1] 33

[Quellian-dyrae]

The wooden spike shattered harmlessly off of Erica's armor. As the stone drone came leaping in, she tried to shield her brother from the shockwave, but she was too over-extended from her attack to get quite in the right position in time. All she really managed to do was expose herself to the full force of it.

Which, you know, meh.

So, okay, that could have gone better. Maybe they had gotten a bit greedy, been a little too ambitious. Live and learn. Erica's whip of light retracted, the cruciform longsword extending back out from its hilt. White-gold light shone from the blade's rainbow edge, a shield of pure positive energy manifesting on her other hand. Her armor still resonating with her brother's, she lashed out. With the resonance active, she'd be able to absorb the energy from her target and redirect it as healing power. She'd tap Roy with the flat of her sword once she had struck, sending any energy she absorbed to him.

As soon as the attack was complete, though, the light left the white-flecked blue gemstone in her belt buckle - and shone brilliant silver from the crystal embedded prominently in the armor's chestplate. The attacks she had faced hadn't done much - with her wards reinforced, they would do nothing!

Move: Attract attention, I guess?

Standard: Attack the Stone Drone with Flux Paladin as a Team Attack with Roy, All Out Power Attack for 4, critting on 19+. [roll0]. On a hit, Toughness DC 27+Team Attack vs. Damage unless Roy's DC is higher, pretty sure it's immune to the Affliction. On a miss by one degree, Roy gets +2 Damage instead. In addition, Roy receives Healing (Bruises first) at [roll1] with a Secondary Effect. The degrees of Healing is capped by its degree of failure on its resistance check (note that a Team Attack is reflective of both attacks, so if it winds up rolling against Roy rather than her, its result still applies to the Healing cap). Hit or +5 to Roy's Damage if it's higher than DC 27. Roy heals a Bruise as long as it fails by at least one degree.

Free: Swap to Force Shielding. Erica is now immune to any Toughness-resisted attacks of rank 8 or lower.

End of Turn: Fortitude to remove Hindered: [roll2]. Recovers

Current Status: 2 Bruises, Fatigued.

[Thokk_Smash]

As the shards of debris and stone shrapnel explode, Roy throws his hands in front of him to try and ward it off. Even with his sister's protection, he gets several large shards of rock in his side, though his mobility remains intact.

And, of course, his sister had to take the brunt of the blast for him. He never really likes that.

Pressing joints and molding the pistols, a gleaming sword of cold iron and a flux pommel appears in his hands. The body of the blade shines yellow, and the edges a bright white against the air. He times his swing with his sister's, the gemstone on his belt buckle glowing fiercely as the blades hit home. Still reeling from the aftershocks of the debris' damage, he nevertheless directs the healing energy from the white edges through the pommel and to his sister as he taps her lightly on the arm.

Following through with his attack, the belt gemstone dims to normal. And a veritable river of Flux begins to glow softly in lines all across his armor. He can feel his ability to evade heighten even further, and he faces the drone with a grin.

Move: Staggered

Free: Swap to Beryl Bridge

Standard: Attack with Beryl Bridge, AoA/PA -5/+5 [roll0]. On a hit, DC 28+Multiattack Toughness vs Damage, [roll1] Healing applied to Erica capped by degrees of damage failed plus one. Miss within one degree, so +2 to Erica's Damage DC

Free: Swap to Enhanced Hardness. Roy is now immune to any Dodge-resisted attack Rank 12 or less, and can substitute his Dodge for an Area resistance check.

Status: -5 Defenses, Staggered (Bruise pending results of Erica's healing)
HP: 2
Luck: 4/4

[Zelphas]

Serhe and Connor

Connor's wall rises smoothly, blocking off the Stone Drones and the two Heroes-to-be from the rest of the square. A few seconds later, both of you can hear a couple of distant, hollow thunks; Connor gets the distinct feeling that a few of the dolls just walked headfirst into the wall.

In response to Serhe's stare, the Stone Drone next to the duo vibrates violently before simply collapsing in on itself, becoming a large pile of rubble within seconds. Connor can feel the Elementals in the stone rejoicing at the sudden reduction in Supernatural energy, though some of their anger remains. The second Stone Drone shifts to focus on Serhe as its duplicate falls, leaping forward through the rubble and swinging one massive fist at the power nullifier's face. Meanwhile, Connor feels the Supernaturally-laced stone swing back around, firing towards him once more.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UHMNbrX1OICTuFMtf78mrkbHtHyjfSubq7Tyjl_tQkc/edit#gid=423066111)

Stone Drone #2

Move Action: Leap to J12.

Standard Action: Heavy Slam on Serhe. [roll0] On a hit, Damage DC 23+Multiattack, Fortitude DC 18+Multiattack vs. Dazed & Vulnerable/Stunned & Prone. Hit; +2 from Multiattack.

Meanwhile, Stone Edge has Homing 1, so it targets Connor again: [roll1] On a hit, Damage DC 25+Multiattack with Secondary Effect. Hit, no Multiattack.

Erica and Roy

The twins' swords bite shallow gashes into the Stone Drone's hide, peeling off thin strips of granite that break apart into pebbles as they hit the ground. The Stone Drone hardly seems to notice, turning its attention towards Erica with a giant haymaker of solid rock.

One Wood Drone still struggles feebly against the sticky goop holding it in place; the other, seeming to assess the situation for a moment, shifts slightly and slings a shaft of oak at Roy, the bolt crackling with Supernatural energy as it wings its way towards him. Meanwhile, the dolls continue to wander aimlessly about; you can't decide if their utterly featureless faces are unsettling or not.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UHMNbrX1OICTuFMtf78mrkbHtHyjfSubq7Tyjl_tQkc/edit#gid=423066111)

Stone Drone

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Heavy Slam on Erica. [roll2] On a hit, Fortitude DC 18+Multiattack vs Dazed & Vulnerable/Stunned & Prone. Miss

Wood Drone #2

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action: Splinter Bolt on Roy. [roll3] On a hit, Damage DC 23+Multiattack; on a miss, Homing 1. Miss; Homing next round

End of Turn: Recover from Physically Dazed/Vulnerable (DC 23): [roll4] Nope

Wood Drone #3

All Actions: Stunned.

End of Turn: Recover from Stunned (DC 21): [roll5] Nope

[Arcran]

Serhe, having been far to focused on the previous stone golem, is caught completely off-guard when the giant stone fist slams into his face, sending him flying into the impromptu wall that was sitting around the edge of the field. Still, Serhe couldn't help but let a smug smirk cross his face as the other stone golem falls, its Supernatural magic stripped away.

65 points! Let's make that 85! Serhe shouts, spitting out a globule of blood as he sways on his feet for a moment. He braces himself against the wall before staring up at the other golem, his vision flashing purple before he attempts to strip away yet another enchantment. He'd never been able to use his powers like this and, despite the fact that he probably had a few broken ribs at the moment, it was exhilarating.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Her wards stopped the stone drone's blow cold. It might as well have been hitting a solid steel wall.

But time was a wasting. Erica shifted her morphic blade into the form of a slender rapier, all the Flux gemstone condensing into a brilliant multihued prism at its tip. She danced and darted, swift thrusts and fleeting blows with that shining blade, seeking to draw its attention. Then of a sudden she leaped up to stab straight under the drone's chin, the rapier's tip blazing blue-white as she channeled her power through a gemstone that gave off electrical energy. The full force of a bolt of lightning was condensed into the tip of that slender sword.

Resist that!

Move: Still just drawing attention or whatever.

Standard: Attack the Stone Drone with Flux Duelist, All Out Power Attack for 4, at [roll0]. On a hit, Defense DC 27 vs. Damage, Will DC 22 vs. Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless. If it has Impervious Toughness, it may substitute half its Impervious rank for its Defense if desired.

End of Turn: Secondary Effect triggers. Degree capped at 1, can't roll less than one degree, so Roy heals his Stagger.

Current Status: Fatigued, -4 Defense this turn.

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy dodges the Wood Drone's spike with a nonchalant sidestep that is more of an afterthought.

Seeing Erica's blow lock up the Stone Drone's limbs and body with lightning, Roy is quick to shift his sword into the sleek pair of gauntlets it once was. The gloves seem larger, somehow, with struts and pistons jutting out towards his shoulders. He enters a boxing stance and gathers his strength. One step closer to the Stone Drone and he twists his hips, gathering momentum. With a small grunt of exertion he lets loose a vicious one-two on the Stone Drone, and in tandem the pistons on the gloves slam down into the gloves. Waves of energy flow over the golem's body, wearing down its defenses and spreading damage where it goes. The pistons and sheer energy from the gloves' Flux crystals combine to threaten to launch the gigantic golem away and towards the remaining Wood Drone attacking them.

Move action: Meh

Free action: Swap to Iridium Introduction

Standard: Attack with Iridium Introduction, AoA/PA -5/+5, [roll0] vs DC 33 Damage, DC 28 Move Object (Limited to down or away),DC 28 Will vs Vulnerable/Defenseless/Incapacitated. If it is immune to critical hits, subtract five from the effect DCs, as the auto-crit from a Defenseless opponent is included in them. Miss, but re-rolled in the OOC for 27

If the Stone Drone fails the Move Object, Roy will attempt to launch it at the wood drone still attacking them at [roll1] vs DC 23 Damage (28 Damage if Power Attack still applies) and a Contagious Move Object DC 18 (Or 23 if Power Attack applies).

Status: Fine, -5 Defenses
HP: 2
Luck: 4/4 3/4

[herodofcows]

"Allmind preserve us . . ." Connor breathes as the first Stone Drone topples like a marionette with its strings cut. Not knowing the root of the other boy's power, it was a bit humbling to see him take down such an imposing foe without apparently lifting a finger to do it. He hadn't seen anyone else with real major power in action before. To see something so arcane, so seemingly effortless . . .

In his amazement, he fails to see the rock fist come flying back around at him. It smashes into him from the back and he staggers forward.

"GAH!" he howls as his bad leg takes the brunt of his weight.

He collapses onto one knee and glares up at the Stone Drone. He extends his hand . . .

<Right, ye poor rock, I'll be needing ye for a mo'. Do to yer kin what ye done to me!>

. . . and the rock fist veers towards the Stone Drone, smashing into it like a punch from a mountain.

"Aye, ye like that?!?" he yells, laboriously getting to his feet as the Stone Drone stumbles, "Ye like-"

His taunt dies in his throat as the second Drone falls flat, once again unraveling due to the work of the other boy. He chuckles slightly, shaking his head in wonder.

"Well, seems I hitched my wagon to the right engine!" he grins, stumbling slightly, "First place, ye say? I can get behind that . . . Ye got a way to move quick? I can make ye a flying disc if ye like!"

Looks like that Drone is taken care of! I believe access to stone and rock means that he's no longer staggered as of the end of his turn either (Regen!). Still Bruised though.

Also I'm gonna try to use Terravoyance to find more Stone Drones, if I can? If not this round then next. [roll0]

[Arcran]

Serhe can't help but grin as he hears the other boys' enthusiasm. Truth be told, it was the first time that anyone had seemed remotely interested in his powers, or teaming up with him. It was a good feeling, to say the least.

No, I'm a bit slow, Serhe says, still breathing heavily. A flying disc would be great! Anything that keeps me a long ways from those fists Serhe says, a note of enthusiasm in his voice. Sure, the fall had been the closest he'd ever gotten to flying and it was rather terrifying, but if he had some ground under his feet it would be better, right? And if they could just zip around the battlefield, he could shut down drones left and right without a whole lot of risk. With a grunt Serhe shoves himself away from the wall

You're good with earth, right? Serhe asks, stating the obvious. Any chance you could, uh, smash these two up a bit? I turned them off, but I have no idea if they can turn back on, Serhe says awkwardly. I'd feel a lot better if we did something with the bodies really quickly. If Connor was looking closely, he'd notice that Serhe's eyes were slowly becoming bloodshot, as if he'd stayed up for days on end.

[herodofcows]

"Right! No problem at all!" Connor beams, "Just . . . a . . . second . . ."

He extends his arms towards the two crumpled Stone Drones. This is less out of necessity and more for the look of things, honestly. He's feeling a bit overawed by the other boy's abilities and is anxious to show that he can pull his weight as well.

<Now, comrades . . .> he addresses the fallen Drones, <I think this nonsense has gone on long enough, aye? This Supernatural slavery had best come to an end, says I. Collapse now. Be as ye were . . .>

The stones within the drones' forms shift and bounce about, scrambling into something far less anthropomorphic and far more . . . rubble-y.

<Lovely! Now, could I perhaps beg another two of those lovely flying discs? One for me and one for my friend?>

Two discs of granite detach from the ground and hover at Connor and Serhe's feet. Connor gestures proudly at them.

"They'll not outpace a speedster or a vehicle, mind," he says, stepping onto his own, "But it'll keep ye out of harms way, sure enough! The rock is smart: move with yer feet and it'll figure out what ye want!"

He commands his disc to soar upward, and (once Serhe steps on his) commands it to follow suit.

"Now then! Let's see who else needs our saving!"

[Zelphas]

Roy and Erica

Erica's rapier cuts a shallow divot into the stone forming the Drone's "chin" before glancing off, only marring the surface of the smooth granite rock. The electrical blast, however, is much more effective; it latches onto the etched runes whirling over the Stone Drone's form and seems to sink into them, causing the Drone to jerk and twitch wildly as it struggles to maintain its cohesion against the rattling electric storm... which is exactly the opening Roy needs.

Roy's first punch strikes just to the right of the center of the Stone Drone's form, disrupting a series of runes that Erica realizes are essential to the Drone's ability to maintain cohesion. His second strike is merely a formality; by the time it lands, the Stone Drone is nothing more than a collection of various-sized rocks, which blast across the square and into the still mobile Wood Drone.

The Wood Drone's limbs splinter and crack under the force of the rocky hail, but thick oak mixed with Supernatural energy is a powerful combination; the Drone holds its ground, still standing even after the last rock falls. Standing oddly on two limbs, it fires one of its remaining legs at Erica even as part of its body shifts into place, forming another limb to replace the one it had fired earlier. To his right, Roy hears a whistle of displaced wind... Followed by the spear of wood he dodged earlier arcing unerringly towards him once more. With a sound of breaking stone, the other standing Wood Drone breaks free of its restraints at last, turning towards the pair of Stonesmiths.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UHMNbrX1OICTuFMtf78mrkbHtHyjfSubq7Tyjl_tQkc/edit#gid=423066111)

Wood Drone #2

Move Action: Dazed x2!

Standard Action: Splinter Bolt on Erica; it can't harm her, so this is merely a formality.

End of Turn: Homing 1 on Splinter Bolt against Roy: [roll0] On a hit, Damage DC 23+Multiattack. Crit with +2 Multiattack, so Damage DC 30.
Also, Dodge to recover from Physically Dazed/Vulnerable (DC 23): [roll1] Nope.

Wood Drone #3

Maybe now it will escape from Stunned (DC 21)?: [roll2] It will!

PCs are up!

Connor and Serhe

The last Stone Drone reels from it's own rocky fist sent against it by Connor's will before falling in a flash of Serhe's eyes, leaving the square still and silent save for distant sounds of battle. The stones still rattle with anger to Connor for a moment, but a quick effort of will is all it takes to calm them and remove the Supernaturalist etchings from their surface. Beside Serhe, the splinters and spars of wood rattle slightly as the Supernaturalist power within them attempts to pull itself together before falling once more under the power nullifier's sway.

Connor reaches out with his senses to comb the city--and gets back a wave of responses from all directions. There are more Stone Drones hidden within the walls and patrolling the streets, Connor is sure, but until he gets closer he can't pinpoint precisely where they are.

If it's all right with you guys, I'm going to pause you for a bit until Erica and Roy sweep their area; I don't think it should take more than a round or two. Famous last words.

Feel free to RP as much as you like and/or pick a direction to go, of course!

[Quellian-dyrae]

"WOO-HOO!" Erica cheered as the stone drone shattered. The bright smile beneath her helmet settled into a smirk as the wooden spike shattered harmlessly against her armor. But then the other one came flying back around for her brother. It was correcting for his movements, so of course, Erica countered it in a manner it couldn't so easily correct for - that is, hurling herself straight in its path. It actually wound up hitting her shield stone, which kinda discharged a bit of the energy of her wards, but meh. Nothing she couldn't deal with.

The glow left the silver gem in her breastplate, and white-gold light began to shine from the crystals in her pauldrons. That would renew the lost warding energy, and also flood the gems responsible for moving the heavy armor with additional power. She rocketed ahead, lashing out with her rapier at the recently recovered drone, the blade flaring with brilliant crimson as she feinted, spun, and struck.

Free: Swap to Positive Energy Flow.

Move: Into I15.

Standard: Attack Wood Drone 3 with Flux Duelist, All Out Power Attack for 4, at [roll0]. On a hit, Defense DC 27 vs. Damage, Will DC 22 vs. Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless. It may substitute half Impervious Toughness for Defense if desired. Variable Descriptor is Fire in case that matters.

End of turn: Regenerates the Bruise.

Status: Fatigued, -4 Defense this turn.

[Arcran]

While Connor demolished the stone drones, Serhe made his way over towards the wooden ones and begins the task of smashing them into kindling-sized pieces. Fortunately for Serhe, the wood gave quite easily when faced with inhuman strength, and it didn't take long. Soon enough, Serhe makes his way back towards Connor, idly swinging a stick he'd taken a liking to while shattering the drone.

When he returns, Serhe lets out a low whistle as he sees the disc. This is going to make life a hell of a lot easier, he says excitedly, quickly offering a hand. Don't think I got a chance to properly introduce myself on the ship. Name's Serhe, the boy says in a friendly, if tired tone. At Connor's comment, Serhe gives a short laugh.

Saving doesn't get us first. No, we're hunting, Serhe says, grinning maniacally. You took down those cloth ones easy enough, right? I'll keep an eye out for those if you can find more of those big stony fellas, alright? I shut them down, you smash them, Serhe says, scanning the horizon for a cluster of cloth drones.

Looking for cloth drones, or really anything interesting with SUPERVISION: [roll0]

[Thokk_Smash]

Too caught up with his successful attack, Roy doesn't notice the spiked tree branch hurtling for him until Erica throws herself into its path. ~"Thanks for the save, sis!"~ he thinks with gratitude.

Bringing his palms together, Roy reconfigures his gauntlets into a two-handed gun with a long barrel--a sniper rifle, if you would. The lines of Flux covering his armor fade into darkness, just as he fades into invisibility. If one can see beyond, they will see a soft clear glow suffusing the crystals at the ankles of his armor. Lining up his shot, he takes aim and fires at the Wood Drone that's been harassing them.

Free action: Swap to Enhanced Lightness and Transparency, Sapphire Solo

Standard action: All-Out/Power Attack -5/+5 [roll0] vs DC 32 Damage.

Status: Defenses at 17
HP: 2
Luck: 3/4

[Zelphas]

Erica and Roy

Erica's rapier manages to pierce the wood of the Drone before her, but the electricity doesn't seem to have as much of an effect on it as it did on the Stone Drone; in any case, it doesn't stop it from swiveling over to Erica and lashing out several times with pointed legs crackling with an electricity of their own. The other Wood Drone, in the midst of turning back towards Roy, stops in confusion and swerves back to launch a bolt at Erica, it's odd movement shifting it just enough so that Roy's blast goes wide.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UHMNbrX1OICTuFMtf78mrkbHtHyjfSubq7Tyjl_tQkc/edit#gid=423066111)

Wood Drone #2

Move Action: Still Dazed.

Standard Action: Splinter Bolt on Erica. [roll0] On a hit, Damage DC 23+Multiattack; on a miss, Homing 1. Hit due to AoA; no Multiattack.

End of Turn: Recover from Dazed & Vulnerable (DC 23): [roll1]

Wood Drone #3

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action: Rain of Spears on Erica. [roll2] On a hit, Damage DC 21+Multiattack, Fortitude DC 16 vs. Dazed/Stunned (Secondary Effect, Cumulative). Crit! Damage DC becomes 31; Fortitude becomes 21.

End of Turn: Recover from Impaired & Vulnerable (DC 22): [roll3]

Serhe and Connor

With his enhanced vision, Serhe can see that the cloth drones seem to congregate in "landing zones" where examinees would have come down from the airship. It seems that three such zones nearby are empty, the examinees who were supposed to land there presumably altering their flight downwards: one almost due north, one to the southwest, and one north-northeast.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The barrage of wooden spikes was enough to rattle Erica even through her wards, but she gritted her teeth and pressed on, because she was a human being and that's what they did! Trusting in the constant flow of positive energy to see her through, she kept up her assault with another strike from her flame-charged rapier.

Move: Dazed.

Standard: Attack Wood Drone 3 with Flux Duelist. All Out Attack for 4, Power Attack for 5, at [roll0]. On a hit, Defense (Vulnerable doesn't apply) DC 28 vs. Damage, Will DC 23 vs. Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless. Should still hit thanks to Vulnerable

End of Turn: Regenerate one Bruise. Recover from Dazed (DC 21): [roll1]. Nope

Current Status: 1 Bruise, Fatigued, Dazed (DC 21, SEc), -4 Defense this turn.

[Thokk_Smash]

Snarling at his bungled shot, Roy quickly lines up another as Erica takes down her drone. This is the start of him throwing off his uselessness--he can't give this poor of a showing!

Move: Meh

Standard: Sapphire Solo, AoA/PA -5/+5 [roll0] vs DC 32 Damage.

Status: Fine, DC 17 Defenses, Concealed
HP: 2
Luck: 3/4

[Zelphas]

Roy and Erica

Erica's rapier thrust spears the Wood Drone in front of her, the resulting electrical discharge literally burning the runes off of the oak planks. The charred timbers fall just as Roy lines up a perfect shot on the second Wood Drone, With a thunderous retort, his bullet plits the remaining drone in half, the two sides twitching fitfully before falling to the ground immobile. The square is now still and silent save for the sounds of distant battle.

[Arcran]

Serhe blinks rapidly, causing his vision to return to normal.

Looks like there's about three landing sites that nobody made it to nearby, Serhe says, quickly pointing out the directions. I can see the cloth drones from here; if we hurry, we could take out the stuff in those. Probably a cool 85 points per base, which means we can be more or less guaranteed a spot if we can handle two more, Serhe says, looking to Connor to see if he agreed. If we get all three, we might even snag first.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica had to take a moment to collect her wits, but once she had...rather than immediately get moving, she turned her attention to one of the civilian dolls.

She had an Idea.

The visor of her helmet began to give off a clear light, resonating with the enchantment on her glasses to enhance it, letting her view the actual flows of magic on the dolls and analyze it much more clearly. Reviewing what the runes did, how they worked, and if there was any sort of tamper-proofing on them. Because if not...

She was pretty sure she could hack them.

That little ploy aside, she let her brother take the lead in directing their progress. He'd be able to find targets much more easily than she could. Then they could just zip around and hit them one set after another, taking full advantage of their coordination and the tactical knowledge that came from years listening to their mom's stories.

So, my original version of this plan was basically to scan the civilian drones with my Analytical Supernatural Detection to make sure this wouldn't like trigger point loss or explosions or anything, but then use a power stunt somewhere along the lines of:

Affliction 12 (-/-/Controlled+Transformed; Will; Contagious, Extra Condition, Precise, Accurate 2, Affects Objects Only, Limited Degree 2 [3rd Degree Only]). And maybe some Quickness to justify the scope of the programming.

With the Transformed effect probably degrading their Strength a bit in exchange for some Speed and Close Combat (Touch), and the Controlled giving them a much more robust tactical program. Seek out other civilian drones that haven't been affected and touch them, seek safety, stay absolutely still if a dangerous drone is in sight, etc. So the affected drone goes off at decent speed, converts any drones it finds, which converts drones they find, etc. And if a threat drone touches one...well, it'll probably resist since third degree only, but there's a chance it might get caught by the Contagious.

I'm down to either spend a Hero Point to negate the Fatigue for doing that as a proper power stunt, or just fold it into the general rolls. Or maybe they have anti-tampering measures and it won't work. Whatever.

Beyond that, I'll let Thokk cover the "finding enemies" portion of the plan. Combat-wise, it's more-or-less what we've seen so far - hammer the monsters hard, Takedown 2 any cloth drones we can get our hands on, make full use of strategic combos and Team Attacks to maximize the hurt, Interpose and heal as needed to keep us upright.

Either way, Erica's roll will be Expertise (Magic), representing either the drone hacking, general "figure out how these things work so as to better wreck them" stuff, or both. [roll0].

Team roll Thokk and I discussed will be Expertise (Tactics), representing the twins' strategic and coordinated approach to combat in general as well as doing what they can to maximize their points just by gaming the system and such. They ain't above it :smallamused:. [roll1].

[herodofcows]

<Now, comrades! Who among ye remains enslaved by Supernaturalist chains and enchantments? Speak now, that I may come to yer aid!>

The elemental outpouring of anger and complaints is almost deafening, so much so that Connor has to tune out just a second to catch Serhe's words.

"Well, I'll not look a gift horse in the mouth then!" he responds, angling his disc to follow Serhe, "The granite's right pissed to be magicked, so might be we can pick up some more Stone Drones on our way! But aye, I'll follow your plan happily! Let's go!"

He goes jetting off towards the first target of opportunity, leaping down from his disc as ambient rock swarms and thickens around his fists. He squares up like a prizefighter (boxing is big in Ashpah) and slowly dances forward as Serhe comes in eyes hot.

"The green grows past the wall, comrades/The green grows past the wall!" he bellows semi-melodically, the Ashpah United Front song springing naturally to his lips as he moves in for the first of many mighty blows, "The green is more than gold can hold/The tyrants all will fall! . . ."

"Green Grows Past The Wall" refers to True Ashpah's flag and the Ashpah United Front's goal. Rather than keeping the benefits of True Ashpah's governance (the green of the flag) inside the walls, they seek to bring it out to Ashpah as a whole (hence, bring it "past the wall").

"The green grows past the wall, comrades
The green grows past the wall!
The green is more than gold can hold
The tyrants all will fall!
Our motherland is yoked and sore
Its children beaten crawl
(But) together we will raise them high
As green grows past the wall!

"Oh father, shed no tears this day,
Oh mother, stand up tall!
Let tyrants cower and dismay
As green grows past the wall!
Brothers and sisters all will cheer
And set down pick and maul
For we'll all join hands in fellowship
As green grows past the wall!

"The green grows past the wall, comrades
The green grows past the wall!
The green is more than gold can hold
The tyrants all will fall!
Our motherland is yoked and sore
Its children beaten crawl
(But) together we will raise them high
As green grows past the wall!

"The Alchemists may love their gold
And with its glint enthrall
But we will smash their treasuries
As green grows past the wall!
The Pits are cruel and heartless
For they're scourged by Mistress Gaal
But the overlords will lose their horde
When green grows past the wall!

"The green grows past the wall, comrades
The green grows past the wall!
The green is more than gold can hold
The tyrants all will fall!
Our motherland is yoked and sore
Its children beaten crawl
(But) together we will raise them high
As green grows past the wall!

"Mother Ashpah is suffering
She cries out for us all
We'll end her doom and salve her wounds
And grow green past the wall!
The wounds are dark and fissures deep
From Fissure's rise and fall
But we'll fill the chasms finally
When green grows past the wall!

"The green grows past the wall, comrades
The green grows past the wall!
The green is more than gold can hold
The tyrants all will fall!
Our motherland is yoked and sore
Its children beaten crawl
(But) together we will raise them high
As green grows past the wall!"

[Zelphas]

Connor and Serhe

Utilizing Serhe's exceptional eyesight and Connor's connection with the land, the duo are able to traverse the faux city incredibly quickly, tearing apart Stone, Cloth, and Wood Drones with simple ease. Connor senses several Stone Drones in buildings as they fly overhead; a quick shifting of the earth to draw them out, and Serhe quickly drops them, with Connor able to demolish the remains while hardly slowly their pace. Once they reach the empty squares, Connor's barrage of stones shred the cloth drones swarming in their wake, while Serhe is able to nullify larger threats from the safety of his earthen disc until they can be dealt with later. Two of the three squares are scoured in this way with no issue.

On their journey, Serhe and Connor see a few of the other examinees, locked in various battles here and there. A woman wearing an odd gas mask lobs square metal canisters at drones, the canisters bursting apart and spilling an acid potent enough to melt a Stone Drone into slag, before being whisked away by a vaguely-humanoid blur. Doireann, standing next to the river that winds through the town, laughs as she redirects its flow into a crushing jet that tears apart several cloth drones; behind her, four Wood Drones burst into flame as a glowing orange bird streaks over them, calling proudly. Once, Connor finds his stone barrage commandeered by the will of another Elementalist, the rocks shredding into fine sand around a boy in a thick white robe with his face shrouded in shadow. The boy nods his thanks to Connor before turning back to his own fight; on the other side of the square is an unsettling statue of an emaciated... beast, surrounded by thousands of thin quills which churn in the air like living things and strike down Drones one by one.

It is after they clear their first square that the duo catch sight of the giant Echidna Moth, swooping lazily over the center of the field. The enormous construct dwarfs the airship that they were ejected from, its entire form crackling with eldritch energy. True to the briefing they were given, the Moth does not pursue them, simply gliding through the sky in eerie silence.

By the time Connor and Serhe turn to the third square near the center of the city, they are confident that they have amassed more than enough points to qualify for the top ten; of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that they've won yet, and there's still more time! Looking ahead, however, Serhe notices that the third square is now empty of Drones, occupied instead by two examinees. Looking closer, however, reveals that these two are too old to be examinees; they're in their late twenties, at least. As he watches, one of the pair, a tall, extremely well-muscled woman, darts across the square and seizes one of the ever-present dolls wandering through it... promptly crushing the doll's head in what seems to be an over-sized metal glove. The other figure, a shorter man in expensive-looking clothes and sporting odd metallic boots, begins gesticulating wildly; Serhe and Connor can practically hear the man yelling from where they are.

Just by their odd hand-and footwear, you can tell that these two are Gauntlet and Greaves, twins and minor villains from the city-citadel of Brdgehead. Gauntlet is a minor Paragon with her powers boosted by the gauntlet her brother made, and Greaves is a very minor Supernaturalist with Paragon-like super-intelligence and a massive superiority complex. What are they doing in the Hope Academy entrance exam?

Points earned in intervening time: 375

CURRENT POINT TOTAL: 460.

Erica and Roy

Erica finds no tamper-proofing on the dolls, but it takes her a few minutes to perfect her 'hacking' enchantment and apply it to a waiting figure. The doll stands still for a moment, then rockets off at twice the speed of the others of its kind, bumping into more dolls while sticking to the shadows of buildings as much as possible. It seems like the hack was a success! In the intervening time, Roy is able to use his visor to get a general feel for where the Drones are clustering most thickly. It seems that the Drones are most numerous near the center of town and in open spaces. Erica combines this with her knowledge that the drones "call" other drones by being destroyed, and the two soon work out a system; by moving near the center and using their mobility to draw out and destroy two or more Cloth Drones a moderate distance from each other, they are able to draw other Drones to a place of their choosing and destroy them en masse. While they lose a few minutes reprogramming the dolls, the twins soon begin raking in the points.

While repositioning, the Stonesmiths see a few of the other examinees from time to time. A wisp of a woman with huge, furry, pointed ears and a profusion of fox-tails does a series of impossible parkour leaps and flips which seem to freeze Drones in place, which are quickly smashed by a giant of a man with what seem to be black stone blades jutting from every joint. In one square, twin girls, one with glowing golden hair and one with hair of glowing silver, blast away at Drones with moonbeams and sunlight; the silver-haired woman seems oddly familiar to Erica and even gives her a timid smile as the twins pass by. Roy sees Bernhard in his phoenix form in the distance, torching Wood drones while a short woman sends blasts of water at anything else around them.

Every once in a while, the sky darkens as the Echidna Moth passes overhead. The giant creature soars in random loops and in total silence, causing many of the examinees to stop attacking and look up for a moment as it passes by.

After their ambushes have reaped rewards for some time, Erica and Roy stumble upon a destroyed doll in one of the streets of the city. A destroyed doll is uncommon, but not necessarily rare, but the way this one has been destroyed stands out: it's head has been crushed, and the rest of its body has been carefully dissected. A few hundred feet down the road is another doll's body, it's head crushed, it's body dissected with slightly less care. A few hundred yards more, another doll, another crushed head, another rushed dissection. A few hundred yards more...

Points earned in intervening time: 375

CURRENT POINT TOTAL: 455.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Well, that was curious.

Which of course meant Erica, who at this point was relatively secure in their lead, immediately started flying off following the trail of destroyed dolls. If some of these turned out to be dolls that Erica had upgraded, she was going to be rather put out. As Roy could tell you, it was not generally a wise idea to break Erica Stonesmith's toys...

[Thokk_Smash]

Without missing a beat Roy follows after Erica. He's just as curious as her as to the source of the dolls' destruction, after all. The drones wouldn't be so surgical. An examinee wouldn't break them considering if they all drop below fifty then they all fail. Is there something foul afoot here...?

Perception to pick up on any clues, just regular senses at the moment, no enhanced visor: [roll0]

[Arcran]

Connor, stop! Serhe shouts, mentally keeping track of the number of points they'd wracked up. Those are villains! Serhe shouts a moment later, glaring down at the square. For a fleeting moment Serhe considered simply ignoring them and continuing to hunt down drones, but then a thought crosses his mind. If these two killed enough dolls, everybody would fail the exam. Even more, what better way to cement himself as better than Annihilus than to apprehend two villains in his damn entry exam?

Gauntlet and Greaves, Serhe says, speaking rapidly. Super strength and super intelligence, Serhe adds, before locking his gaze on Greaves. If they take out all the dolls, everybody fails. Focus fire on Greaves, and we'll take him out first, Serhe says with a savage grin, before willing his disc closer. After all, think how many points these two have to be worth!

Serhe stares down at the man and focuses his mind, glaring intently at Gauntlet as his gazes flashes blue, although Serhe can feel the strain in his eyes beginning to build up.

Let's get this started!

Using Hero's End (Nullify Paragon) on Gauntlet! Like always, AoA and PA at max.
AC: [roll0]
Nullify: [roll1]

[herodofcows]

Connor grunts in affirmation, following Serhe's gesturing finger . . .

<Right, lads! It's broadsides for these two bemittened piles of wank! LET FLY!>

. . . and sends a mass of granite and silt blasting into the apparently-perturbed Greaves.

"Beggin' yer pardon, friend!" he calls out, approaching closer on his own disc, "Seems to me that yer a mite out of place! Perhaps ye'd like to wait til our exam is finished? Ye being villains and all, seems ye'd prefer to do battle against those of us with proper credentials . . . unless it be ye'd RATHER play with dolls?"

Inside, a mix of elation and terror is bubbling in his stomach. This is precisely the sort of foe he'd come to learn to fight, but he hadn't learned anything yet. A part of him wants to back off, leave it for the teachers and established heroes to deal with . . . but he doesn't want to look cowardly in front of Serhe.

Besides, a Berg bringing in a pair of villains? No small coup, that . . .

Early submission because I am a bad employee.

[Zelphas]

Serhe and Connor

Serhe feels his nullification center in on Gauntlet, before being repulsed; it seems that the Paragon's power is slightly stronger than that of the Drones. The Echidna Moth Drone swoops in close as the duo dive towards the pair of villains, giving them a somewhat unnerving but still useful bit of cover to drop in. As they close on the villains, Greaves' rant becomes somewhat clearer...

Roy and Erica

The trail of destroyed dolls stretches for several yards down two streets, every drone's head crushed, each disecction becoming more and more slipshod until the twins are passing by a trail of unblemished dolls (besides their crushed head). One doll that had been fully dissected again in this lineup turned out to be one of the dolls that Erica had modified, and after that the twins saw a few more of those dolls, although the unmodified dolls far outnumber them. Finally, they reach a stretch of empty streets turning towards a square, and they both can hear the sound of an angry male voice ahead...

Everyone

"... last bit of research that I need for, let me remind you once again, what was supposed to be a covert reconnaissance mission, Edith, which is continually being ruined because you keep going for their heads!" the man shouts, both hands rubbing at his temples. He pauses to glare at the giant of a woman before him, who stares at the ground looking rather sheepish. "They're easier t'get by the head, though," she mumbles, somehow managing to twiddle her thumbs despite her right hand being encased in a giant gunmetal-grey gauntlet.

The man sighs, bending down to adjust one of the sleek golden greaves attached to his lower legs. "No, they certainly are not, Edith," he says in the tired tones of someone who has repeated himself many times before. "You just like the way their heads sound when they break." The woman giggles.

Perhaps more interesting than this conversation, however, is the sight that can be seen on the south edge of the square, between the Stonesmiths and the two villains. On the ground amidst a couple of decapitated dolls are two examinees. One is a boy who seems to be wearing a giant, ugly-looking plant with an odd, mouth-like flower as a necktie, the large bruise on his forehead giving an obvious reason as to why he is currently sprawled in the middle of the road. The other person... is Nancy Keroack, who somehow still has perfectly flawless hair and looks as though she simply decided to get some beauty sleep during the exam.

Still bent over, the man is in the perfect position to get a faceful of dirt mid-sentence. He cries out in pain and stumbles slightly, clawing silt out of his eyes. The woman jumps and looks around wildly, her eyes landing on the Stonesmith twins as they round the corner. "More test-people, Artie!" She calls out, pointing. The man, glaring up at Connor, looks over to the twins and back to Connor before sighing. ""This entire mess has been a comedy of errors from start to finish," he mutters.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1h1y5e0RijwovPpsq_-AY8jWnmFyVrUN1MoszDhzqMVs/edit?usp=sharing)

Initiative

Serhe: [roll0]
Erica: [roll1]
Connor: [roll2]
Roy: [roll3]

Enemies: [roll4]

All PCs are up!

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy takes in the situation in a single sweeping glance. Two unconscious fellow students means the situation became that much more complicated. Best to get them out of the way, first.

"The woman's an endurance Paragon and her gauntlet hits like a strength Paragon's!" he shouts for the benefit of the two examinees approaching from the opposite side. "The man's greaves have microscopic, poisoned needles in them--be careful if he points his shins at you!"

Even as he calls this out he is moving, flying low to the ground toward the unconscious pair. As gently as he can while moving at high-speeds he scoops them up and away from the hostile pair of villains. Doubling back quickly, he deposits the two against the wall of a building down the alleyway, his pure, clear Flux humming double-time as he works.

Without warning he shoots back (well, forward, relative to his original position) toward the stalwart Gauntlet. "Cease this at once, villains!" he booms, in full eccentric scientist mode, his gauntlets primed and pistons ready. He can tell without looking that Erica has already taken up a flanking position with him. "Your days of using oddly-conceived-yet-brilliant devices for your own gain are over! ...Lookin' at you, Greaves."

He compliments his strange declaration with a rapid-fire one-two against Gauntlet. It's the same basic attack as he'd defeated the Stone Drone earlier with, and yet the resonating power from his sister's Enhanced Flux Crystal stokes his own crystals' strengths to greater heights. The crackling electricity that causes the target's defensive movements to slow also threaten to lock up their joints, and will travel to anyone who they come into contact with for a short time after.

Move action: Fly to Nancy and plant-dude, scoop them up as a free action thanks to my Feature, fly back and deposit them at let's say N34, a goodly amount away from the fighting, then fly into Close Range of Gauntlet.

Free action: Swap to Enhanced Output, Iridium Introduction

Standard: Team Attack with Erica with Iridium Output, AoA/PA -5/+5 for [roll0] vs DC 28 Damage, DC 23 Move Object (if she fails, she's launched at Greaves at [roll1] for DC 28 Damage and the following Affliction), and finally, DC 23 Will vs Vulnerable+Dazed/Defenseless+Stunned/Incapacitated+Paralyzed, which carries a Contagious.

Status: Defenses at 17
HP: 2
Luck: 3/4

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica's heart jumped into her throat a bit when she saw Nancy lying on the ground. She wouldn't have been able to say she liked Nancy, but she knew her. They had history, even if it wasn't very good history. And she didn't want to even think about how her father would take it if something happened to her.

Not that she'd let any of that show. As her brother whisked the two unconscious hopefuls out of danger, she spoke up in a clear, strong voice. "You two couldn't come up with a less risky experiment to conduct than interfering with a Hope Academy selection process? Like maybe diving into the Mist to see how deep it goes, or something?"

As Roy came flying back in, she shot forward right alongside him. Her sword contracted down to the hilt, from which sprang a whip of golden light. She came in hard with a low spin, trying to catch Gauntlet and launch her at Greaves, the whip of energy detaching to bind her movements as she went.

Move: Into K18.

Free: Swap to Arcane Augmentation.

Standard: Attack Gauntlet with Flux Dancer as a Team Attack with Roy, All Out Attack for 4, contributing to the Team Attack so +5 for Teamwork, at [roll0]. On a hit, Roy gets +2 to his Damage and Move Object DCs, +5 if she hits by three degrees or more. If Gauntlet is thrown, Team Attack the launch against Graves at [roll1]. In addition, if she hits without counting the Teamwork bonus, Gauntlet must roll Defense (Strength or any speed can be substituted) DC 18+Multiattack vs. Vulnerable+Physically Dazed/Defenseless+Physically Stunned. I believe that's +5 to Roy's Damage and Move Object DCs, +2 to Roy's launch Damage DC, and Affliction hits with +2 Multiattack

Current Status: Fatigued, -4 Defense this turn.

[herodofcows]

As Connor moves in close, the newcomer's advice is met with a salute and a nod. Sure, and it would make sense that the weasely-looking one might have some kind of underhanded tricks up his sleeve . . .

"Well now, as they've got yer muscle occupied," he calls, coming closer to Greaves as the rock and dirt courses up around him, "Let's see if we cannae do something about yer brain!"

<Boarding action now, lads! To my fists! Let's show this dandy lily-guts a thing or two about the hard life!>

The rock flows around his fist to form oversized gauntlets not unlike those worn by Gauntlet, and he comes in with a swing at Greaves' head.

WHACK

"F'r instance, perhaps we might remove it from yer shoulders, ye mincing Inner-Ring candy-guzzling crumpet!"

Okay, coming in for an Accurate Attack Wield Earth.

[roll0] vs. 22, DC 21 Damage, DC 16 Fortitude Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated

[Arcran]

Serhe's eyes narrow when he hears Gauntlet's cry, before spotting the two unconscious figures across the way..

More test people? How many others have these two taken out.? Serhe wonders, before focusing on the woman. Like hell he was going to let her get away if she was taking out other examinees! With a snarl Serhe locks his gaze on Gauntlet, his eyes flashing blue as he tries to strip away that superhuman endurance. Unlike the others, Serhe saw no need to get any closer; the boy simply stays up on his rock, focusing his vision on the Paragon as much as possible. Serhe hardly notices the other two joining the battle, except to note that they seem to be on the same side. Those bastards were going to steal his points, damn it!

Serhe uses Hero's End!

AoA, PA at max.

AC: [roll0]
Nullify: [roll1]

[Zelphas]

Erica and Roy's whip-punch combo sends Gauntlet rocketing into Greaves, who looks half-flattened from the sudden weight of his sister. Connor, fists flying in to smash up Greaves' day, ends up accidentally striking Gauntlet instead due to the twins' maneuver, and it is his granite fists that come away smashed. A heavy blast from Roy's gun leaves Gauntlet reeling, clutching at the side of her head and whimpering. Serhe focuses down on Gauntlet, but just as he readies his nullification the Echidna Moth Drone swoops down close enough to ruffle his hair, screwing up his aim.

"Absolute... comedy of... errors," Greaves wheezes, pushing himself back to his feet. His eyes dart every which way, looking over the quartet of enemies facing him. "Edith, I think that Operation: Bowling Pins should work fairly well here," he says finally, straightening up.

Gauntlet gives him a blank look, and Greaves sighs, his hands on his temples once more. "Just... just punch the ground, Edith. Really hard." With his face still turned downwards, he kicks one foot towards Erica. A small compartment on the toe of his foot slides open, sending a large syringe arcing directly at the female Stonesmith. Her face dawning with comprehension, Gauntlet rears back and slams her gauntleted hand into the ground, causing the granite floor of the square to fracture and leap up in a massive wave of shattered stone.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1h1y5e0RijwovPpsq_-AY8jWnmFyVrUN1MoszDhzqMVs/edit#gid=0)

Greaves

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Anti-imunno Cocktail on Erica. [roll0] On a hit, Fortitude DC 22 vs. Weaken Toughness and Fortitude. That's a hit.

Gauntlet

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Earthquake. Connor, Roy, and Erica, give me a Dodge DC 20, then Damage DC 25/20, Fortitude DC 20/15 vs. Dazed/Stunned.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica knew, she knew that her brother's armor was enhanced to offer superior protection against physiological threats. Him taking that attack for her was simply smart tactics, no different than when she had put her more physically resistant armor in the way of direct attacks meant for him earlier. It was a planned and expected strategy that the two had discussed well in advance.

But blast if it didn't cause a spike in her heart rate when it happened.

The earthquake hit. Erica didn't move an inch. She just stared down the villains, the impassive helmet of her powered armor communicating her disdain far better than any expression she could have made.

"Is that all you've got?"

"You come here, to Hope Academy of all places. You interfere with our selection process. Did you even realize the ramifications? Those dolls that you destroyed determine whether or not every student here has a chance of getting in. Dozens of people with the potential to become some of the finest Heroes of our generation,
and you put every one of our chances to learn from the best, to reach our potential, at risk."

"And then you think to fight us? You think that your pitiful little toys can measure up against the power of Hope academy initiates? Let me make this abundantly clear. We may be new. We may have not yet attended a single class. We may have much still to learn. But never doubt for a moment that we're still Heroes!"

"And you...out there they might call you villains. But not in here. Not among the promise of humanity's newest generation. To untested Heroes in their first true battle, you're not threat or foe. YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN POINTS!"

Move: Nah.

Standard: Spending a Hero Point for Inspire 5! Roy, Connor, and Serhe get +5 on all checks this round.

Free: Swap to Magic Projection.

Current Status: Fatigued.

[Arcran]

Serhe blinks rapidly as his vision fails to do anything to Gauntlet, pausing momentarily. Could he not shut off his powers? Was he in way over his head?

That is, until the other girl gives her speech. He might not be able to beat down two super villains, but what he could do was get points. More points than anybody else in this entire competition. Enough points that Anihilus would have to look at him with something other than barely concealed disdain. All he had to do was win right here, and right now.

This fight is over! Serhe shouts, staring down at the two of them before his eyes flash purple then blue an instant later, and a thin trickle of blood begins to leak out the corner of his right eye.

Serhe is going to Extra Effort for double the standard actions!

AoA and PA at max.

Hero's End vs. Greaves:
AC: [roll0]
Nullify: [roll1]

Hero's End vs. Gauntlet:
AC: [roll2]
Nullify: [roll3]

Serhe is Fatigued.

[herodofcows]

Connor goes reeling backwards as the shockwave blows his legs out from under him. His mind goes partially blank with the pain, but the rest is filled with bubbling rage.

"Punch at . . . MY rock, will ye?" he growls, struggling onto one knee and holding out his leg at an awkward angle.

<Take her. Hold her down.>

Granite swirls around Gauntlet like a whirlpool, rising up and weighing her down until she's unable to move her extremities. Connor intentionally leaves her more delicate areas open and granite-free, so as to not interfere with prospective pummeling.

"I've got her! Who's got the knockout?" he calls out, hands extended as he holds the villain in place.

Gauntlet is grabbed hard as per OOC rolls! Regen Staggered as well, I believe?

[Thokk_Smash]

"Coming right up, Geodude!" Roy yells, hefting his rifle toward the bound woman. Before he fires, he hesitates as he realizes she seems unsettled, and even her skin seems softer than a moment before. As a split second decision, he shifts his sniper rifle back to the dual-pistol form. It'll still hurt like hell, but at least she wouldn't be at threat of getting a hole ripped through her.

Taking aim again, he showers Gauntlet in the painful, sticky substance before moving on to her brother.

Free action: Switch to Violane Verse

Move action: Dazed

Standard action: Attack Gauntlet, AoA/PA -5/+5 for [roll0] vs DC 31+Multiattack Damage, DC 26 Defense vs Physically Dazed/Physically Stunned, DC 26 Defense vs Create/Trapped

Extra Effort action: Attack Greaves, same conditions, [roll1] vs DC 26+Multiattack Damage, DC 21 Defense vs Physically Dazed/Physically Stunned, DC 21 Defense vs Create/Trapped

Status: Bruised, Dazed this round, Defenses at 17, Fatigued, Exhausted next round
HP: 5
Luck: 2 1/4

[Zelphas]

Gauntlet suddenly staggers, her giant metal fist suddenly seeming to weigh her down as Serhe's power goes to work. She manages to pull herself to her feet again just before the stones themselves rise up around her, slamming her back into the ground and locking her in place. She struggles futilely against their bonds.

Greaves glares at Erica as she finishes her speech, still breathing heavily. I'll show you toys, you dumb... stupid... what?" he stops talking confused, before staring with unnerving intensity at a broken pebble on the ground before him. The pebble doesn't react to his glare, and he clutches at his head, moaning "By the Helper, I'm an idiot! My power's gone!"

"Uh, Artie..." Gauntlet stammers out as Roy levels his pistols at them both.

"Edith, is this how you feel every--" Greaves begins, turning to his sibling. He leaps to one side, avoiding the worst of Roy's sticky barrage and scraping the rest off of himself quickly. Arthur turns to look at Edith, motionless as he views the mass of granite and glue that hides his twin sister. When next he looks back at the four would-be Heroes around him, his eyes are blazing.

Perhaps, if Serhe's power wasn't lowering his intelligence to bog-standard human level, Greaves would have countered Erica with a speech of his own at this moment. Something suitably villainous and mad-sciency, all about how the pathetic Heroes didn't understand his genius, how this was just a minor setback in his plans, how he would have revenge against them all someday, etc.

"Fine," Greaves spits out, his words laced with venom. "Look down on her and beat her up. That's all you Heroes are good for anyways. That and fighting monsters--like THESE!"

At his cry... nothing happens, for a few moments; and then a shadow appears in the sky, growing larger and darker as it begins to fall.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1h1y5e0RijwovPpsq_-AY8jWnmFyVrUN1MoszDhzqMVs/edit#gid=0)

Greaves

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action:

Subjugation Cocktail on the Echidna Moth (Subtle 2). [roll0] On a hit, Fortitude DC 25 vs. Fatigued/Exhausted/Incapacitated, Will DC 25 vs. Entranced/Compelled/Controlled. Hit.

Echidna Moth is Immune to Fortitude. Will save vs. DC 25 [roll1] Controlled.

All PCs are up!

[Quellian-dyrae]

Behind her visor, Erica's eyes narrowed on Greaves.

It wasn't so much his whole "playing the victim" bit. Like, sure, that was annoying, but whatever. Villains. What honestly annoyed her was the sheer hypocrisy of it.

"Really?" she demanded as she rushed him. Either the moth wouldn't actually do anything because it was just the moth or he had gained control of it somehow, in which case knocking him unconscious sounded like a practical solution to the problem.

"Guess what, buddy? The only person in this battle who has been putting down your sister? Yeah, that'd be you! Pretty much from the moment we first saw you, actually," she pointed out as her sword returned to its normal form, a cruciform longsword, shining with white-gold light even as a shield of the same radiant energy appeared on her left arm.

"And if you didn't want her to get beat up, maybe instead of using that intelligence-augmentation you're so upset about losing to come up with a wider selection of not-so-subtle ways to call her stupid, you should have put it towards coming up with a plan that didn't involve interfering with a hero academy and treating your sister like a glorified bodyguard, you idiot!" she struck out with a shield, a hard bash for his face, before following up with a slash of the sword, a flash of golden light settling upon Connor, to finish healing his injury.

"So don't go blaming us for your failings as a brother!" she finished, either to his unconscious body, or if he was still standing after that, over a follow-up bash-and-stab routine.

Move: Into L14.

Standard: Attack Greaves with Flux Paladin, All Out Attack for 4, at [roll0]. On a hit, Toughness DC 23 vs. Damage, Fortitude DC 18 vs. Dazed+Vulnerable/Stunned+Defenseless. Either way, Connor heals his Stagger, since he's out of Bruises now.

If he's still standing, Extra Effort: DO IT AGAIN! [roll1]. In this case, the healing goes to Roy, removing his Bruise.

Current Status: Fatigued, possibly Exhausted as of next turn, -4 Defense this turn.

[Arcran]

While Erica rocketed forward to handle Greaves, Serhe was busy watching a myriad of darts fly up through the air before connecting solidly with the Echidna Moth, causing its rather sudden change in behavior. Serhe looks to Greaves quickly, before looking back up at the Echidna Moth. He had to assume that the darts didn't have any power behind them, which meant that Greaves had created some cocktail that could make even a giant, lifeless drone follow his commands. Perfect.

For a moment, Serhe panics. If it was powers, he could easily shut it down, but technology? That would work whether he wanted it to or not! And if he messed up he could damage the Echidna Moth, which would not only lose him a hundred points but put him right smack in the middle of a horde of very angry drones. However, by the same token, if that Echidna Moth made contact, well, he was almost certainly done for.

As Serhe stares up at the incoming creature, he spots a small dart sticking out of the Moth's hide, and a ridiculous, idiotic idea crosses his mind. The odds of it working were low but, if it did, he'd have stopped the moth from taking him down.

Don't worry about the moth! Serhe shouts, sending as much power as he could to his eyes as he zoomed in on the Echidna Moth. Serhe's eyes flashed purple time and time again as he focused on the tiny bits of the construct around the darts. Instead of trying to shut down the entire thing, Serhe was just trying to shut down the parts interfacing with the darts. It was a stretch, but it was the best idea that he had.

Going to Power Stunt Slave's End: Ranged Sustained Broad (Control Powers) Simultaneous Nullify 8, Resisted by Will, Subtle 2, Insidious, Precise, Limited (Cannot be used to Counter), Check Required (Perception, 4), Accurate 4

I also realized I was completely forgetting to do my Perception checks. :smallredface: Need a 22 to use at full strength: [roll0]

AoA and PA at max
AC: [roll1]
Nullify: [roll2] - Actually 29 since I failed my check by 2.

Serhe is Exhausted/

[Zelphas]

There is nothing quite so pitiful as a super-intelligent person brought down to the normal mental level and presented with irrefutable evidence of their own flawed methods of thought. Greaves still stands after Erica's first bash-and-slash through main spite, but he only manages to choke out a mangled "Y-you--" before her second flurry of blows brings him to the ground. He collapses with a thud, his greaves clanking noisily as they crash into the crushed stone beneath him.

Even as his sight goes blurry from repeated use, Serhe continues to throw his power at the Echidna Moth Drone, nullifying pinpoint area after pinpoint area even as the giant construct falls faster and faster towards the square. Finally, after a flurry of purple flashes, Serhe's vision turns painfully purplish-white--

--And fades back into colors and shapes again to show him the Echidna Moth Drone flying lazily away, its enchantments seemingly unaffected by either Greaves' attack or Serhe's hasty nullifications. The square is still and silent for a long moment; even the sounds of combat from other examinees seem to have faded significantly.

Just as your vision clears, you feel a peculiar sensation. At first, it feels almost like you've been taken suddenly ill, but then it's as though you are taking medicine for your illness and improving. Within a few seconds, the feeling disappears... and you notice that some of the painful bruising inflicted upon you by the Stone Drones a while ago is now gone.

Serhe heals two Bruises!

Greaves seems to be... healthier than he should be, expecially after getting bashed in the face. He's still unconscious, but his nose doesn't look broken anymore. The large burn from Roy's sniper rifle on the side of Gauntlet's head is gone as well, though the Paragon is also still unconscious.

Both Gauntlet and Greaves have healed 3 Bruises.

Sticking out of the granite surrounding Gauntlet's still form as though grown there is a single, jet black feather, about as long as the average person's index finger.

And that's the fight; everyone take a Hero Point!

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy wipes the blood from a cut over his eyes he hadn't even realized was there. Must've been Gauntlet's explosive punch, but he'd been too hopped up on the battle to notice.

"Great work, guy-who-I-don't-know-enough-about-for-a-nickname!" he shouts to the examinee still in the air. He hurries to the two unconscious villains and kneels beside them. He doesn't have professional medical experience, but living in a Magellan in your formative years will teach you a few things about rudimentary first aid. Enough to know where to feel for a pulse, and enough to find it pulsing strongly in them.

"Okay, if anyone's got any rope, we should bind their hands and arms," he says, rising to his feet and checking his own pockets for any binding utensil. That is when he notices the black feather in Gauntlet's bindings, and the fact that they look remarkably well-off for the damage they'd just taken. Had someone healed them? Who had shot that black feather?

Putting his hand to the side of his visor, he swings his head around the area for any remaining hostiles. ~"Erica, GG look healthier and Gauntlet has a feather sticking out of her. It might not be a hostile, or it might be a partner of theirs, so don't let your guard down just yet."~

Perception of 20 rolled in the OOC, with Counters Concealment and Extended 1.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Woo! Awesome job all!" Erica said cheerily, if a bit breathlessly. It had been a long test. "I'm Erica, by the way. This is my brother Roy. And you are?"

She grew a bit more serious at Roy's warning. Well that was a bit weird. Erica's visor began to shine with clear light as she once again activated its resonant field, enhancing the aura-viewing power of her glasses. She scanned first the fallen siblings, and then the surrounding area. Her glasses wouldn't pick up all the stuff Roy's visor would, but when you are telepathically coordinated, two pairs of eyes never hurt.

"Um, excuse me!" she called into the air, just kinda arbitrarily assuming someone was watching somehow. "Uh, judges...teachers...whatever! We have a couple unauthorized villains on the field! They're down, but can someone play the role of the police and come take them in, or something?"

Activating Arcane Resonance. Vision is Extended and Counters All Concealment. Team Check Roy's Perception at [roll0]. Should be two lower from Exhausted, still works. +2, bringing Roy to 22.

Also scanning GG with Ranged Acute Analytical Detect (Supernatural). Routine Perception 8, so probably won't be able to detect anything hidden, but any unconcealed magical auras should be visible. Routine Expertise (Magic) for 24 to comprehend anything she sees.

And Routine Insight 23 (after +3 for Arcane Resonance in face-to-face interactions) to make sure they're not faking being unconscious or whatever.

For the record, she currently also has Ranged Detect Elemental (not Acute or Analytical though, so just the basics) and Ranged Acute Analytical Detect Emotions active, if anyone wants to play around with those. :smallamused:

EDIT: Edited to include -2 for Exhausted.

[herodofcows]

Connor laughs appreciatively as the young man fires point-blank at Gauntlet with his . . . goop gun?

Allmind preserve us, I guess it takes all kinds . . .

And then things seem to happen very fast.

Before he can react, Greaves has laid some kind of enchantment or technological nonsense on the Echidna Moth . . . and the thing is barreling down to them.

<Uh . . . Right then, gravel! Be ready to part on my command! We're going to swallow this th->

. . . And then Serhe has taken care of it. Serhe, his teammate. Has taken care of it.

". . . Faaaaaaaaaa**in' hell!"

He looks around at these three new faces, who have just thrown down harder and louder than he'd ever credited possible, and feels a million bubbles of respect and admiration and envy bursting in his chest.

"Did . . . Did that just f***in' happen? Allmind f***in' above, did that just f***in' happen?" he babbles hysterically to himself.

Roy's suggestions around binding them snaps him somewhat to attention. Dazed, he tells the granite to encircle the two villains, thereby pinning them down until such time as someone more capable could handle them.

"Er . . . pleasure. My name's Connor. Thank ye for yer help. I don't know what in the Allminding hell we would've done had ye not show up," he replies to Erica, shedding his rocky armor and holding out a hand to shake. As he does so, he turns up to Serhe and beckons him down.

"Mate, yer going to have to tell me how it is ye managed to do . . . THAT!" he calls out weakly, gesturing grandly at the floating Echidna Moth.

For mechanical purposes, I'm using Raise Earth to entrap the two villains.

[Arcran]

Serhe lets out a sigh of relief as the Echidna Moth flies away, falling back onto the floating piece of earth and simply lying there for a moment. He rubs his face, and is surprised to see his hand come away with blood. Still, he'd done it. He had no idea if it was going to work, and it did. The healing was strange, but, well, that was something to worry about later. Serhe couldn't afford to look a gift horse in the mouth.

As the others begin shouting, Serhe tries to get the rock to return to the ground, before stumbling off it, more than a little winded. As he looks at the two villains, he's surprised to see how healthu they look, and almost comments on the strange black feather before turning to look at the other heroes.

Uh, hey, Serhe says, quickly wiping the blood on his hand off on his pants before offering it to the other heroes. I'm, uh, Serhe, he says hurridly, still more than a little short of breath after that last battle. Glad to be able to help. Hopefully these two idiots are worth a lot of points, Serhe says, a stupid grin plastered across his face. Even the golden boy of golden boys Annihilus hadn't been able to take down two villains during his entry exam! The same stupid grin remains on his face as Serhe goes over to the rock and yanks out the feather, looking at it closely.

And, uh, Connor, I'll let you know exactly how I did it, Serhe says, before making contact with the other boy and grinning like a dizzy, ecstatic idiot. After we get a hundred more points.

Going to Routine a 28 on the feather with Analytical Vision.

[Zelphas]

Erica's call and Roy's search both come up fruitless; the area around them seems deserted, of drones, dolls, or anything else. While the twins do not find any people moving about, they do see something else interesting; Roy notices several minute cuts scratched into the sides of buildings, which Erica is able to recognize as magical runes, though they are too small to read properly in a short amount of time.

Serhe's examination of the feather reveals to him that it does not come from any sort of bird; rather, the feather is a minute construct made out of--as far as he can tell--pure darkness. In Elementalist terms, the feather is composed entirely of Void. Even as he notices this, the feather begins to flake away, vanishing bit by bit until nothing remains.

Moments later, approximately one third of the runes on the buildings disappear before the Stonesmiths' eyes. The other runes flare with silver light, and their purpose is immediately made apparent as the woman from the blimp's voice suddenly echoes throughout the training field:

"Attention all examinees: the Hope Academy Entrance Exam is now concluded. Please make your way to the Exam Field Gate, located in the southwest corner of the Exam Field. Any further attacks against drones will not be counted towards your score; any destruction of dolls will be counted against the final score of all examinees."

It's difficult to tell with the voice booming all around you, but it seems as though the announcement began to issue from the houses around you a few seconds later than it did from the rest of the training field.

The runes that disappeared from the sequence were all variations of the same rune: the Rune of Binding and Imprisonment.

A few moments later, the voice begins to speak again, but this time it seems to only be coming from the buildings around the four of you. "Mr. and Miss Stonesmith, Mr. Nihilo, Mr. Berg, please bring the two villains you apprehended with you to the southwestern gate," she says smoothly. "Their capture will factor into your final score."

The pause between the general announcement and the personal one was longer than it needed to be... almost as though the voice on the other end needed to process what had happened in the square before speaking.

[herodofcows]

Connor's face settles into a satisfied smirk as he hears the cadence and the pauses in the woman's voice. He's no mind-reader, but he feels like he has a fair idea of what the hesitation means.

"A hundred points, ye say?" he laughs, terrakinetically picking up the granite bundle that contained Greaves, "Brother, I think ye can set yer sights a mite higher than that! Can ye not tell? We've gobsmacked them on the blimp and no mistake! Like as anything we're in, points be damned!"

He gestures towards the cocooned and gooey Gauntlet, looking to Erica and Roy now.

"Er, beggin' yer pardon, but could one of ye take charge of the brawny one? It's only that I can take one at a time an' I'd not like to make two trips."

He calls up another granite disc and levitates himself around ground level, keeping up with his companions without relying on his cane. Usually he'd hobble along just to be ornery, but he's feeling more exultant than anything.

They may know my last name, but they've not seen a Berg like me . . .

"So!" he continues, boisterous in his elation, "Ye know my shenanigans. My lad Serhe here has a gaze that'll stop ye in yer tracks . . . What about ye two? Ye makers of some sort? Super-brains, like my charge here?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

As the test was called, Erica's armor changed back into regular clothes. There wasn't any folding or warping or writhing - just a faint halo of sparkles going down her body, and where it passed, gleaming steel was replaced with flowing cloth. There was an amused grin on her face at Connor's enthusiasm. "Well, it's good to meet you both! And meh, you'd have still taken 'em! It just might have taken marginally longer, is all," she said with certainty, shaking their proffered hands.

She left the heavy lifting to Roy, whose enhancements were better geared towards such tasks. For her part, she'd first finish up healing whatever injuries remained on the others, because no sense in being all beaten up, before going over to where Roy had left Nancy and her presumed teammate. Assuming the two were still there and unconscious, she'd channel her power through the positive energy crystal in her sword, rapidly healing them back up. "You two okay? We're all supposed to head to the field gate, in the southwest corner of the arena." If they weren't there...well, she'd assume they had recovered on their own.

Either way, she'd head back to the others when she was finished, heading along with them to the gate. "Kinda. I don't build stuff so much as enchant it. Flux crystals, mainly."

[Arcran]

Just getting in isn't good enough, Serhe mutters quietly at Connor's comment, although it's still loud enough for the others to hear, if only barely. If they were getting points for the villains they had to have a good chance of coming in first, unless the Stonesmiths had been ahead before the attack. Either way, it was going to be close.

As much as he tried to, Serhe was having trouble keeping the worry off his face as he made his way towards the southern gate. At Connor's request, Serhe pauses and focuses on Enhancing his own strength for a moment, then does his best to pick up Gauntlet.

At Erica's comment about using flux crystals, a slight twitch crosses Serhe's face. While it was far from what his brother did, it wasn't exactly something that made him comfortable.

If you don't mind me asking, Serhe says, glancing to and from Erica quickly. Just how many points did you have? Before the villains, that is.

Just routining that Perception. Serhe has 4 Strength, which should be enough to carry him, but if he can't then somebody else will carry I suppose.

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy continues to glare with suspicion at the surroundings even as the voice calls an end to the exam. He sighs, and releases his armor into its normal form: it shifts from head down to toe, each inch appearing to transmute from solid gunmetal-steel to soft cloth. He'd noticed the Void nature of the object in Serhe's hand, and it unsettled him.

Roy's armor shifts forms with the appearance of transmutations from Fullmetal Alchemist.

Regardless, there's work to be done and rewards to be reaped. Hopefully reaped, anyway, though he has to agree that the voice seems to be impressed or at least surprised. "I've got her," he says to Connor as his visor's crystal loses its glow. He hovers closer to the bound Gauntlet and easily lifts her off of the ground, or makes sure Serhe has her securely before dropping back. Even though he knows that she's going over to help out, Roy keeps a sharp eye on Erica and the recumbent Nancy. If the bully wants to start something, she'll get as good as she gives.

He picks up on the younger Nihilo's words and implications, but doesn't make an outward acknowledgment of it. He knows about Annihilus, of course--if this Nihilo is the younger brother, he's got one hell of a shadow to get out from under. He keeps to his bombastic persona as he answers, "By my last count, I believe we had a respectable four-hundred fifty-five! Although my dear sister here did pull a little tomfoolery to make the wooden dolls a bit less suicidally unaware of danger, thus hopefully preventing some of their destruction. We are both smiths, as we crafted this armor ourselves--perhaps our name was prophetic, haha!--but I tinker a sight more than Erica."

[Zelphas]

Erica finds Nancy and the boy with the strange plant necktie sitting up groggily, just beginning to look around. Nancy pushes hersself to her feet and stares around, her eyes wild. "Where are the--" her eyes land on the unconscious, bound Greaves and Gauntlet, and she gapes at them for a long moment. "Where are the teachers?" she demands suddenly, her voice imperious. "Why aren't they picking up these Villains after they took care of them?"

"Um, Miss Keroack, I reckon these folks took care of 'em," the boy interjects, hushing his necktie as the plant suddenly swivels and begins to snap at the people around him. His rough drawl marks him as a Magellan resident, though exactly where is hard to tell.

"That's nonsense," Nancy snaps, her own Magellan accent erased by years of living in the Inner Ring (and no doubt hours of practice). "The Stonesmiths, take down a villain? Please." She turns on her heel, never once looking at Erica. "Come on. We need to find a teacher. I'll give them a piece of my mind, letting Villains in in the middle of an exam--" Still muttering, Nancy disappears down a side alley, heading vaguely southwest.

The boy gives Erica a rueful look. "Last name Stonesmith, I'm guessing?" he says drily. "Well, Miss Stonesmith, I suppose I have you t'thank for saving us. Well, all of you." He turns to the group and bows. "Name's Farhan MacDonald. Thank y'kindly." The plant at his neck snaps still louder, and the boy once again reaches to his neck to quiet it down, the act strangely reminiscent to straightening a standard necktie. "Y'have t'fergive my friend here; it doesn't like... competition. See y'all at the closing ceremony." With a bow, the boy leaves.

---

The southwest gate of the exam field is already crowded with examinees in various states of wear and tear as the four of you arrive, towing along your Villain burden. The outburst of muttering and pointing that follows your arrival is silenced as a gust of wind blows over the group, heralding the appearance of the tall man with salt-and-pepper hair from the blimp. He lands on the ground from the sky and strides over to the four of you, looking you over impassively before jerking his head towards one of the square blocks of granite up against the outer wall. Walking over, the man places his hand on the stone, which melts away at his touch. He ushers you inside before turning back to the other examinees.

"Ye've all done well, lads and lasses," he states in his rich, warm voice. "Bide here a few minutes more, and Glory will be down soon with yer results." He waves his hand and steps back from the doorway, which melts back into smooth wall a moment later.

Inside the block is a small square room, big enough to fit the eight people inside of it plus six chairs and two long beds with restraining straps on top of them. The room seems to be lit by several glowing runes inscribed on the walls. Sitting on one of the two chairs facing the other four is the woman from the blimp; the tall man soon takes the other seat. "Place the villains on the beds," the woman instructs, "And then explain what circumstances led to them being captured by the four of you."

[Arcran]

Serhe strains against carrying the heavy figure, then sets it down on one of the beds as prompted. His eyes flick over towards the sealed doorway, a sense of unease creeping over him. Were they in trouble? Weren't heroes supposed to stop villains? Why did it feel like he was being interrogated?

Well, you see, it's like this, Serhe says, rubbing his (rather sore) eyes for a moment. We were minding our own business, taking out drones and such, when we saw these two breaking dolls left and right. We remembered what you said about the whole class failing if there isn't enough dolls left, and attacked them, Serhe says, looking at his terrakinetic companion for support. With the help of the Stonesmiths here, we were able to take them down, and stop them from hurting any more students or breaking more dolls, Serhe says, hoping that it was a convincing enough story. It wasn't the main reason he'd gone after them, but making sure that he didn't automatically fail the course certainly had played a part, however small, in his decision.

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy ignores the whispers and stares, aided by the concentration required to maintain the sticky cocoon around Gauntlet. Granted, she's out cold, but the structure of the goop and stone give her body a cushion and he'd rather she not flop around like a dead fish.

Inside the granite compound, Roy continues to help Serhe support Gauntlet as they place her on one of the beds. He takes the liberty of putting the restraining straps on, and releases the goop with a sigh of relief. The sticky substance, no longer supported by his energy, quickly dissolves into nothingness.

Finished with that, he walks over to the chairs but makes no motion to sit down. "Well, my sister and I found a trail of destroyed assets strewn in a rough trail. Their destruction was obviously not the work of the drones--some had been dissected, others' heads were shattered--and so we followed the trail. We saw the Lantos twins with several destroyed wooden dolls and two of our fellow examinees, unconscious, at their feet. With the help of Connor and Serhe, we got the two examinees out of harm's way and then subdued the villains."

"If I may ask a question, Doctor," he continues, looking at the woman and pointedly using part of her Hero name. His eyes are intense, even though his tone is practically barren of his heretofore bombastic quality. "How were two villains able to get into the examination area in the first place? Isn't a better question, 'What were the circumstances that led to them being in a place with untested students'?

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Erica Stonesmith, and sure thing," she replied to Farhan's introduction. At his comment about Nancy, she just said a bit flatly, "Yeah. I know."

She supposed she shouldn't be too surprised that Nancy hadn't changed much, although she had had to force herself not to react to her demeaning assessment. It wasn't that what Nancy thought mattered to her, as such. It was just...

...She didn't know.

It was just!

--

That was pretty much the long and short of it, sort of a blow-by-blow description of the battle. Although after Roy asked his question, she added, "I had been thinking they might be trying to get the entire class rejected, or something. But based on their conversation, it seemed like they were conducting some experiment. Or, well, Greaves was, to be precise. Although it sounded like he was trying to use the students as test subjects too. Not sure if the drones were another part of the experiment, or meant to be a lure, or what. Oh! Serhe, show them the feather!"

To be fair, her report was only partially to get the teachers up to speed on the mission. Roy's question was worth asking, but admittedly could have been a bit more tactful. So she offered the additional information in an effort to kinda smooth it over.

Okay first off I'm going to officially HP away the Exhaustion because I'm pretty sure I've forgotten it again and I don't want to figure out which skill checks from earlier I should have failed. :smallsigh:

With that out of the way, gonna toss an Insight to Evaluate the teachers, at [roll0]. This is backed up by Acute Analytical Detect (Emotions).

Routine Persuasion for 26 (31 if Attractive applies).

[Thokk_Smash]

"From what I've heard of them, his personal endgame is a 'Paragon powered armor' for his sister, so maybe that's why he was dissecting the dolls?" Roy mutters, mostly to himself. His eyes are looking down to the right, looking at a memory in his mind. His mumbling is familiar to Erica, at least, as he tends to do when he's thinking over a problem. "Help solidify the workings of the armor, maybe? But how would the propulsion and self-maintenance of wooden dolls be applicable to PTD tech? And he--"

His eyes widen slightly as he remembers something specific. "He mentioned being here on a 'covert reconnaissance mission'," he says, looking to Erica then to the teachers. "Before we engaged, that's what he was reminding his sister."

[Zelphas]

The tall man looks over at the woman in response to Roy's question, his face questioning as well. For her part, the woman remains impassive, although Roy could swear that she gave him a slight nod of acknowledgement when he said part of her Hero name. "In preparation for this exam, I inscribed an array of sensors to allow me to remotely analyze each square and street within the exam field, switching between each approximately mile-square area in a circuit every eight seconds," she explains, sounding as though she is simply giving a lecture on advanced rune magic to her students. "As far as I can surmise, an outside force managed to lock me out of one such mile-square area without interrupting my circuit, and was able to switch their lockout from area to area without my knowledge. I was unaware that my sensors were missing a section of the field until moments after beginning the exam end broadcast. Such a maneuver suggests either an immeasurably powerful Supernaturalist or an Elementalist who has honed their Elementals in methods of evading Supernaturalist detection to an as yet unheard-of degree."

The tall man, who had turned back to the group as the woman began her story, looks over at Serhe. "There was a feather at the scene? Did ye bring it wit' ye?"

The tall man is obviously conflicted; he's struggling between seeing the four of you as children and seeing you as prospective Heroes. You get a feeling of... uneasiness, almost like dread, coming from him, though it seems unfocused. His question to Serhe isn't so much a genuine query as it is a prompt to have Serhe confirm his suspicions.

As for the woman... you're getting nothing from her. You might as well try to emotionally read one of the wooden dolls.

[Quellian-dyrae]

When you had a keen insight into peoples' feelings, especially when that insight was supernaturally enhanced, and especially when that supernatural enhancement may have included a tiny bit of reading their feelings in their aura, it was generally wisest to keep your intuitions to yourself. Commenting on the feelings of a person that they had not elected to share, after all, could make them feel put on the spot some. So in general, it was best to quietly observe and draw-

"Is everything alright?" Erica asked the tall man, a bit of concern in her voice.

...Or that. That, you know, that works just fine too. Never change, Erica.

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy looks to the side at Erica and grimaces. He'd let his annoyance at their treatment make him outwardly cross, and that never helps anyway. So he sighs and allows his posture to relax into a less intense, less hostile stance.

"Someone who can pull the wool over your eyes?" he says rhetorically, eyebrows raised. His tone implies knowledge of what Doctor Proxy is capable of, and the implications of her being out-maneuvered in even so slight a way. "That's...that's not a good thought."

He stares into space for a long few moments. It feels like an eternity of consideration. So, Professor Proxy, Professor Mach...what comes next?" he asks, his voice a fair bit more respectful than before.

[herodofcows]

Back Within the Testing Area

Connor finds himself developing an instant dislike for Nancy. In some ways it's validating: everything about her is exactly what he'd been expecting from Inner-Ring inhabitants. He gives the MacDonald lad a friendly nod and a wave, but that Keroack girl . . .

<. . . Ought to send a little silt and sand at her, aye? See how high and mighty she is with . . . Och, no no no, I was kidding!> he hastily adds as he feels the topsoil start to rise at his suggestion.

Note to self: Seems the alluvium around these parts isn't exactly the joking type.

Connor feels a slight pang of homesickness all the sudden: Ashpah's clay might be a little ornery at times (much like himself, ha!) but at least it had a sense of humor . . .

Erica and Roy's twin introductions (ha, again!) snap him out of his reverie.

"Well, that's right bloody impressive of ye. Enchant flux crystals, ye say? Do ye talk to them at all? Know their minds? I've always wondered, see. Terrakinetics can't mostly get any words out of them, so I've always imagined them a bit stuck up and prissy, meaning no offense . . ."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He'd kept quiet as he and his new companions walked past the other prospective entrants, doing his level best to just look straight forward. Best not to seem too pleased with himself, he'd decided. Sure as anything's sure, a big head would do him no favors among any of those who knew his pedigree . . .

Keeping quiet had continued to be prudent as they were debriefed by the two established heroes. It was clear that Erica and Roy had a handle on the conversation, and Serhe had chimed in enough for their side of things. No, better to let the wiser heads think on these matters . . .

But then the woman made mention of Supernaturalists and Elementals and . . . well, all day he'd been dealing with shackled rock and stone and something inside just twinged to hear her speak so casually . . .

"Might be that enslaving Elementals with runes and bindings keeps them from giving ye a weather eye out?" he asks, trying unsuccessfully to make it sound like an academic supposition rather than a barb. He hastens on, immediately regretting the rancor:

"Sounds to me like our two are cats paws for some bigger bad. Allmind knows they weren't oozing perfidy, aye? Sounds likewise to me that someone's got designs on yer drone process. Whatever else yer Supernatural bindings are used for, best be sure tae guard them well . . ."

And then Roy asks a leading question and Connor manages to get his jaw under control.

[Arcran]

For a brief moment Serhe panics when the woman talks about losing the ability to see part of the city, before a very obvious thought crosses his mind. Even if I did accidentally shut it down, at no point in the entire trial was I trying to be subtle, Serhe thinks to himself, feeling like an idiot for the thought even crossing his mind.

Still, the question from Mach snaps Serhe out of his thought process. He stumbles for a moment, trying to find the words, before answering. No, it started dissolving almost right after I touched it. Vanished a few seconds later, Serhe says regretfully. I got a pretty good look at it though. It looked like it was made out of pure Void, and showed up right after we got healed by something, as well as Gauntlet and Greaves Serhe adds, hoping that some of these details would mean something to Mach.

[Zelphas]

"Indeed," Doctor Proxy replies to Roy. "The runes which broadcast my consciousness are generally infallible within their limits." There is no arrogance in her tone; she is simply stating a fact.

Connor's comment on "enslaving" elementals garners no reaction from Doctor Proxy, though Mach gives the young terrakinetic a sharp look. He refrains from replying to it for the moment, however, his sharp gaze boring into Serhe as he recounts the feather's disappearance. He exchanges a look with Doctor Proxy, the woman finally showing her first expression of the interview: a spark of interest. "Proof of the Crow, here in the Inner Ring?" she questions.

"It's no enough fer the Council, ye know that; no permanent evidence," Mach replies, his tone uneasy. "'Sides, doesn't fit the rumors; since when have they cared about anythin' non-human?"

"Perhaps their methods have changed... or perhaps they have an accomplice."

"Now that's a frightenin' thought." Mach muses to himself for a moment, before shaking himself and looking at Erica. "Ah, 'tis nothin', lass," he says, smiling. "An old memory, 'tis all."

He's lying. The feather spooks him badly, but he's ashamed of the fact that he's so concerned about it, so he's keeping it to himself.

The black Void feather and the name 'the Crow'... you recognize that. The Crow is a bogeyman of the outer ring, a creature of Void in humanoid form which appears to people with strong powers and sometimes heals there wounds, leaving a black feather of Void as a calling card. If you see the Crow three times, the legend goes, it has marked you for death; in a few days, you will disappear without a trace.

Reading between the lines of the myth, it seems that if the Crow exists, they are likely an exceptionally powerful Water and Void Elementalist, who both heals and hunts powerful or uniquely powered individuals in the Outer Ring. None of the Crow's victims have been recovered, which casts some doubt on whether the Crow actually exists, or whether they are a myth co-opted by more mundane villains to hide some of their crimes or adopted by a hysterical public to explain away disappearances.

The largest amount of Crow sightings occur on Mensae, an Outer Ring Island with a strong Tri-Deism congregation. There is some suspicion that the Crow is actually a member of the extremist Tri-Deism group the Greater Power Association (which is based in Mensae), but there is little proof of that.

"As fer what comes next, Mister Stonesmith," he continues more broadly, looking over the group. "All of ye leave here with a story t'tell t'make all the other examinees jealous, and ye find out what yer points be. If ye've gotten enough, we'll be seein' ye in one week's time at th'first day of class." He attempts to sound serious, but spoils the effect by winking at all of you.

"Meantimes," he says, growing more serious, "We'll be steppin' up our security and keepin' an eye out fer more incidents, and I expect ye'll be doin' the same. Ye find somethin' that seems off to ye, ye come to one of the professors at Hope, and we'll come wit' ye to track it down."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Earlier

Erica gave Connor a kinda blank look. She did know that Elementalists viewed their powers as having a certain sentience to them, of course. That was common knowledge. But she had always figured that was for the actual elementals themselves - like, quasi-humanoid embodiments of the elements or whatever. Or possibly for the power in general. The notion that the tangible stuff of the elements would be ascribed sentience and personality had never really occurred to her, since it was like...mages could manipulate elements just fine without any backtalk, despite the "hatred" the elements were supposed to feel towards them. So presumably any sentience involved had to be in the connection, not the subject.

Now, these weren't things she was actively thinking about at the time. Just general theories she had, influencing her views without conscious consideration. Which all was to explain, then, why her response to Connor's question was a vaguely-confused, "Talk to them...? No. I mean, they're just rocks."

Now

You couldn't just dangle ominous foreshadowing in front of Erica and expect her to ignore it. "Who's 'they', now?"

~And who's this Crow fellow?~ she sent to her brother, who often seemed to be an endless font of knowledge regarding more-or-less anyone who had ever used a superpower in a fight before. Or so it seemed to her, anyway.

[herodofcows]

Earlier

Connor stares at Erica, slightly confused. So, NOT an Elemental-type thing. Good to know, but . . . just rocks?

"Er . . . Aye, sure, they're rocks," he rejoins slowly, "But, like . . . D'ye not get anything from them? No, ye know, presence? Purpose? Er, personality?"

A sudden inkling of realization grips him, and he finds himself blanching a little.

"Ye, er, ye're not regular at the Church of the Allmind, are ye?"

For Connor, the squat wood Church Halls had been a place of perfunctory but necessary weekly commune with True Ashpah's clay even before the AUF had started renting it as a meeting hall. Not believing in the Allmind had just . . . never crossed his mind.

Now

"D'ye . . . The Crow? It's real? No, no it's . . . Is it?"

Connor leans over his cane, staring wide-eyed at the feather.

"Did any of ye see anything?" he babbles to his companions, voice shooting up an octive as he stares around, "Anyone nearby when we put down those two buggers? Like . . . like a man made out o' void or something? Serhe? Ye've got those peepers. Did ye see anything like that? Did, er, did anyone get themselves healed up all sudden-like? Oh, shist . . ."

What in the Allmind's name l have I got myself into???

Gonna routine that Insight check, and Connor definitely agrees with the sentiment!

[Arcran]

I saw nothing, but if they were concealed, well, my eyes can only do so much, Serhe says, not wanting to admit too many limits on his powers. I just saw that feather in Gauntlet's cocoon. Whatever put it there can at least hide from me, he adds, running a hand awkwardly through his hair. While he was hardly a people person, even he could tell that something was up about the Crow. Mach was a full-fledged hero, so if this was scaring him, well, it didn't bode well.

And I got healed, right before I spotted the feather. Is that something I should be worried about? Serhe asks, before looking down at himself. His eyes flash a rainbow of colors as he tries to shut down any leftover effects that this Crow had left on him.

[Thokk_Smash]

Earlier...

Roy shakes his head. "Can't say that we are," he says, unable to keep from piping up. For his part, he supposes he has more Tri-Deism leanings--he surely believes in the ideal of humanity rising above the hardships in the world. Perhaps not to the point of divinity, but certainly to the point of a life free from Tribs.

"When one is able to feel an object as you can, it is easier to accept that everything, even things other than the elements you bond with, might have a consciousness. I have always been curious what it might be like to commune with an element, Connor! What is earth like?"

The Present...

Roy's eyes narrow in thought, and through their mental bond Erica can practically feel him straining several muscles in his head trying to remember what he'd heard.

~"Outer Ring bogeyman,"~ he thinks back to Erica after a moment. ~"Void in human form that steals away the strong or powerful that catch its eye--if you see that black feather three times, you're marked for disappearance. According to the myths, at least; there's as much evidence proving the Crow exists as that it's just a persona or hoax enacted by multiple low-level villains looking to hide behind a big name. Biggest thing, though: the sightings are most numerous on Mensae, in the Outer Ring. Between that and targeting powerful individuals, who or whatever this Crow is might be part of Greater Power Association Tri-Deist organization there."~

~"All pure speculation, of course,"~ he finishes with a mental grin and the air of someone hankering for some more info. ~"Just like the prof's speculation that they might be working with someone now. Hard to team up with a fabricated bogeyman, huh?"~

When Serhe mentions being healed, and Connor starts reacting strongly, Roy says, "When I saw the feather I scanned the area. Even with the concealed revealed by my visor, I saw nothing. Doesn't mean there wasn't anything or anyone there, of course--they could've been gone even by that point. If we go by the myths, Serhe's still got two more feathers to see before the Crow'll come for him. And that's if they can get this far again, now that they've revealed their presence."

He grins, voice the picture of confidence and intensity, but his grin levels out into something more serious. "Professors, I know I might be telling you something you already know, but there's a non-trivial possibility the Crow is affiliated with the Tri-Deist extremist group Greater Power Association, on Mensae. With it targeting uniquely powerful individuals, it might be that the GPA is looking to spirit away some promising students."

He says that in a fairly level voice, though there is the fairest hint of indignation in his tone for those listening hard enough (or Erica). The extremities of the Tri-Deist religion disgust him; those who would conduct terrible experiments on innocent people in the name of 'humanity' are anything but human. "Greaves swore by the Helper a few times, too--circumstantial, true, but Tri-Deism is less popular in the Inner Ring than the Allmind."

[Zelphas]

When Serhe switches to his Elementalist nullifying power, he feels for a moment as though his earlier bruises are returning... before whatever lingering Elementalist power reasserts itself and wipes the wounds away once more.

"You have researched Villains prior to entering the Academy, Mister Stonesmith? That was intelligent," Doctor Proxy comments. From the calm, taciturn woman,
this seems like it may be high praise. "According to the World Council, the Crow is a persona crafted by various minor villains as a means of obfuscating their various crimes," she states calmly to Erica. She opens her mouth to speak further but Mach cuts her off. "And until we have concrete evidence of anythin' diff'rent, that's what we be believin' as well," he says gruffly.

Doctor Proxy gives him a level look, and then continues. "The connection with Greater Power Association is possible for this persona, due simply to the similarities between apparent victims. It will be factored into our search, as well as the connection to Mensae."

"Right now, though, I think it's time that all of ye be going out with the rest of the examinees," Mach cuts in again, forcing a smile onto his face. "There's no need to be mentionin' the Crow to the others just yet; we'll make sure all of ye know of the dangers soon enough. Me an' the Doctor will be out soon enough; still need to tally the points." He walks over to the wall and opens it once more, standing aside to let everyone out.

Mach knows, absolutely knows, that the World Council's stance on the Crow is incorrect. However, you get the feeling that this is one subject that he will not talk about, either.

As soon as the wall is open, you can hear the booming baritone of Glory blasting out over the crowd of students, who are clustered close to him. He seems to be telling a story of some sort.

[Arcran]

What do you mean I've got two more feathers before he comes for me? What happens then? Serhe asks, a twinge of panic entering his voice, compounded by him just barely noticing Mach's lie. He did have a power that people would love to get, but how the hell could they know? Was the Crow just watching the trial, trying to spot anybody who was doing anything extraordinary? Or was he just being targeted for his family name?

Either way, Serhe was more than a little shaken. He'd come out of the exam thinking he was on top of the world, but somehow figuring out that a boogeyman that even a professional hero seemed to be scared of was after you put a damper on your day.

Can you at least let me know if I'm safe here? Serhe asks, looking to Doctor Proxy rather than Mach. Just so I can have a little peace of mind?

[Thokk_Smash]

On the one hand, Roy can absolutely understand Serhe's panic. An unknown, apparently powerful villain might be interested in you, and has a history of spiriting those it's interested in away? That's enough to make any teenager afraid. That's way too much to take in all at once.

On the other hand, though...they're here in order to become Heroes. Dealing with villains is going to be their job eventually, and even more than that, fighting freaking Tribs. In the long run, this Crow thing's interest is kinda a compliment...y'know, looking past everything known about it.

Roy doesn't let any of his inner thoughts color his voice as he booms out (in a volume a respectable fraction of Glory's, though still just a fraction), "Relax, my friend, relax! It's a far cry from catching some lunatic's interest to actually being their target!" He laughs a bit and claps a friendly hand on Serhe's shoulder. "I saw the feather same as you--that means I might be a target too, eh? You're not alone in this, mate. Plus, what safer place in the world could there be than the freakin' Hope Academy?"

A slight accent had slipped into his voice near the end there, and still threads his tone as he mutters, "I guess Bol, but at that point it's semantics, and yadda yadda yadda..." The muttering continues.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Earlier

"Nah, nothing like that. I mean, I find them easier to enchant than other objects, but I don't have any sense that they're like...I don't know, more "accepting" of my enchantments, or anything. They're just easier."

As far as the Allmind went...honestly, Erica wasn't particularly religious in general. She put her faith in the human race.

Now

Further information did not appear to be forthcoming. Erica supposed she could understand it; technically, they were still just kids. But it was a conversation she fully planned to revisit once they had graduated. The Crow as Roy described him (her? them?) was an ominous figure, and that they might have attracted his attention was a scary thought, especially given the revelation about Dr. Proxy's sight being obscured.

But she recognized her fear, and swallowed it down. Erica Stonesmith would not give an inch to those who wielded fear as a weapon, be they villain or Trib. "And if he does target you, we've got your back," she told Serhe, her voice stalwart.

[herodofcows]

Earlier

Connor shakes his head in slow wonderment, marveling somewhat at the heathen lives of even the nicest-seeming Inner-Ringers (for so he perceives them, anyway . . .). But then Roy asks about earth and he brightens right back up.

"Och, depends on the earth!" he laughs as they pace along, "For instance, I've brought with me a satchel full of micaceous clay from my homeland. Wry stuff it is, yet plenty of horse-sense to it even if it's not so refined as some of those sands ye get. Now, yer granite here . . . Woof! Well, it's dependable stuff and no question. Bit hard o' hearing and certainly no jokester, but I can't be blaming it for that, seeing as it's been enchanted. Now, the silt around these parts, though . . ."

And so he natters on, and on, and yet further on.

Now

Connor bites his tongue at the assertions of the two adults. To claim that the Crow was but a figment of the imagination seemed . . . well, it seemed like tempting fate, truth to tell. Surely they thought they knew best, and he had too much to learn here to challenge them, but . . . hmm.

His new comrades, on the other hand, knew precisely what to say. He's happy to follow THEIR example:

"Aye! Let it come for you, we'll send it packing down into the depths of the Void from whence it came! It comes for ye, it comes for us all, and we're no measly morsels!" he exclaims, likewise clapping Serhe on the shoulder.

Roy's accent draws his attention as the other boy begins muttering.

From a Magellan, then? Bloody hell, if that's not half-fascinating . . . Well, sure it's no wonder then that they're no regulars in the Church! The things they must've seen . . .

"What say we get out and strut ourselves as befits our exploits, aye comrades?" he booms, as much to distract Serhe as for any kind of eagerness to thumb his nose at any of those giving him dark looks.

[Arcran]

Serhe nods silently as the others promise to do their best to protect him, although it doesn't quite silence the nagging voice in the back of his head. Whoever the Crow was, he'd managed to fool Doctor Proxy's magic with little effort. The others made good points, but Serhe would be watching every shadow with far too much interest for the next week.

I'd like that, Serhe says to Connor, trying to sound more confident than he was. Anyways, we may as well figure out how many points those two were worth, right? he adds a moment later with some false bravado.

[Zelphas]

Doctor Proxy regards Serhe seriously. "You will be as safe as we can make you; Hope Academy is protected by greater powers than my own, both old and new."

"'Course, that's assumin' ye get... aah, I'm kiddin' no one." Mach breaks out into his first genuine smile since the mention of the feather. "We'll be out to give ye the points soon enough. Jes' head on over to Glory an' try not to roll yer eyes too much, and we'll be along." With that, he ushers the four of you out of the wall and seals it behind him.

"...there was no one nearby; the airship had been evacuated and my Cell had the creature on the ropes, so now I could truly let--ah, there are the rest of our examinees!" Clory's voice booms across the square, causing all fifty-odd heads of the other examinees to turn. "I'm certain that our other two examiners will be along shortly as well, then, and we will hear all of your points! Now, where was I..."

As you rejoin the group, the four of your are subjected to various curious stares, although no one seems willing to interrupt Glory's story. Erica sees Nancy look away from the group with a sniff and a toss of her head; by contrast, Bernhard seems to be glaring at Roy with an odd mixture of disgust and open suspicion on his face. Doireann, at Bernhard's side, raises one eyebrow in obvious question towards Serhe, while Connor notices that the hulking boy he spoke to in the airship is currently being held back by a tiny girl with giant fox ears and several tails, who gives him a cheeky smile.

Soon enough, Glory winds down his tale of the battle between his old Cell in the Outer Ring and an odd, draconic, octopus-like Trib that attacked a civilian airship several years ago. ...had quite the Death Throes, this beast; some sort of mental spike. It seemed designed to drive one mad, but the Cell didn't waver, and it fell beneath the mists with the airship still in good enough condition to fly us right back to--ladies and gentleman, it seems that your results are in!" he segues into introducing Mach and Doctor Proxy without breaking stride, gesturing over the heads of the crowd once more.

Doctor Proxy and Mach stand atop the building they had so recently ushered the four of you inside, looking over the crowd of examinees with neutral expressions. "Let me all say first; ye all did well even t'be invited here; though I'm sure yer all tired of hearin' us say that by now," Mach begins in a clear, carrying voice. "Th'other Academies have their entrance exams one week from this date, and participation in this exam gives any of ye an automatic right to enter into any other exam of yer choosin'. If yer not chosen here, this need not be th'end of yer Heroic career." He steps back slightly, making room for Doctor Proxy.

"For the sake of brevity, I will only read out the names and scores of those who qualified to enter into Hope Academy," Doctor Proxy states mechanically. "All other teams may request their scores to be sent to them after the exam. The scores are a sum of the drones that you destroyed as well as the remaining civilian dolls... along with one other factor. Each civilian doll that your team of two were personally responsible for rescuing will be worth double points to your team."

A ripple of murmuring follows Doctor Proxy's words, quickly silenced by her impassive but somehow still vaguely menacing gaze. "Each team will in turn be teamed by the team closest in score to them to form your Cell for the first year. When your names are called, proceed before this structure to meet your Cell, and when the Cell is gathered, proceed to the south side of the square.

"With no further ado: In tenth place, with a score of two hundred and eighty-six points... Nancy Kaeroack and Farhan Macdonald." There is some scattered applause as the crowd seems unsure of what to do; Nancy quickly hides a disgruntled expression behind a dazzling smile as she steps to the front of the square, Farhan walking unconcernedly beside her. "In ninth place, with two hundred and ninety-nine points, Marius Amato and Lucy Norwood." A tall boy with dark hair and eyes and a thin girl with wispy white hair walk forward to the front of the square, and then the new Cell moves over to the left of the square for the next group.

In eighth place with three hundred and twelve points..." And so it went, with Doctor Proxy calling out names and scores to an increasingly smaller, increasingly more tense crowd. Eight place goes to the hulking boy who Connor argued with on the airship and the fox girl, and seventh to a tall, lanky boy with a rune-covered staff in one hand and a nondescript shorter boy with oddly intense green eyes. Doireann and Bernhard are in fifth place; they are paired with the boy in a thick white robe and a black-haired, scarlet-eyed boy that Connor and Serhe guess must have been the strange statue that they saw before in the examination. At first, it seems like the team in fourth place only has one member--the golden-haired glowing girl--but a moment later there is a collective murmur of surprise as everyone notices the grey-haired girl next to her, her hair only barely glowing any longer and her face looking more like a distant cousin of the golden-haired girl. Third place is Elita and the speedster who tore off her mask, the boy grinning smugly at his placement. Finally, the tension is palpable as Doctor Proxy begins to read out the last two teams.

"In second place, with one thousand, five hundred and sixty points..." shocked exclamations come from both the crowd and the already-chosen Cells--this point total is over a thousand points higher than that of third place. Doctor Proxy continues speaking as though she had not been interrupted. "Connor Berg and Serhe Nihilo." There is total silence as Connor and Serhe walk to the front of the courtyard, everyone's gaze intently upon them.

"And in first place, with one thousand, five hundred and eighty-five points..." every eye snaps back to Doctr Proxy. "Erica Stonesmith and Roy Stonesmith."

"WHAT?!?" Nancy shrieks in furious shock, her face beet red. She opens her mouth to say more, but Doctor Proxy's sharp look seems to make her think better of it, though she is obviously still fuming as she shuts her mouth. Meanwhile, Glory leaps from his place behind the students, landing with an impressive BOOM in between Mach and Doctor Proxy.

"Well done, one and all!" Glory announces, beaming over the group of new students and failed examinees alike. "Those who did not gain enough points to enter into Hope Academy this year: I hope to see all of you at one of the other Academies in the following year! Those of you who are now Hope Academy students: Congratulations upon taking your first steps into becoming Heroes!

"Outside the gates are a number of shuttles. The largest shuttle is for those who did not succeed in the examination, to return you to Hope to prepare for your next attempt at heroism." He looks over the disgruntled, despairing, and downcast faces of the losing examinees, his smile turning kindly. "By facing the Hope Academy entrance exam, you have already challenged yourself far more than any other academy exam can, and not every Hero came from Hope. This need not be the end of your story.

"The other five smaller shuttles will take the five successful Cells to your new living quarters for the time being. These are where you will live for one week, after which you will be able to choose your new living arrangements depending upon your performance in the first week of classes. Acquaint yourselves with your new Cell-mates, but be sure to get plenty of rest; your first class starts bright and early tomorrow morning! Once again, congratulations!" With that, Glory leaps once again, cracking the granite beneath him with the force of his jump; he rockets into the air and out of sight.

As soon as Glory leaves, the crowd begins to make its way towards the gates. Nancy turns to face the four of you, her expression murderous; before she can take a step, a thorny vine snags her wrist and drags her towards the gate. Farhan looks at your group with no expression, and then turns towards the gate himself. Bernhard also needs... help heading towards the gate; he is making muffled sounds through a gag made out of clear water, which steams slightly as more streams begin pushing him away from you. Doireann gives Serhe another appraising look, and then nods as though acknowledging a point, her mouth twisted in a small half-smile.

---

A few hours later, the four of you arrive at your new lodging.

It's an absolute mess.

The walls are marked by slashes and gouged, the floor is aged, cracked wood with dirt filling the seams to the brim, and the mold in the kitchen seems to be going through some sort of civil war with itself, complete with battle flags and fungal marching songs. It seems to be structurally sound, and the ceiling has no leaks, but no one in their right mind would want to stay here for any longer than they have to.

In fact, a slightly closer look tells you that this place has been deliberately made to be unappealing; no student who has enough control over their powers to pass the test you just took should have caused this much damage, and one year's worth of neglect should not have made things this bad. You remember hearing something about Hope Academy's unique dormitory choosing process as well; Hope Academy fosters an atmosphere of friendly competition between its students, and the dorm selection process is apparently the first step in constructing this atmosphere after the entrance exam.

At some time between boarding the shuttle and leaving it, your bruises return. If you had to guess, you'd say they came back about one hour after the fight with Gauntlet and Greaves.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica followed the group out, giving a little smile to the crowd as they all looked in their direction, as if nothing had happened. She listened to Glory's story somewhat distractedly. It was probably a foregone conclusion, but her heart was still pounding with anxiousness, and somewhere along the line she had unconsciously grasped Roy's arm. Getting into Hope Academy was important. It was a stepping stone to everything else they wanted to accomplish.

The announcement that direct rescues counted as double did ease her nervousness some, though. Tinkering with the dolls should have netted them a nice bonus, then.

The names started getting called, and Erica let out a little sigh of relief when the tenth place was announced. Nancy got in, so, like, good for her, I guess. More importantly, it was just under three-hundred points - she and Roy had had well more than that even before counting the villains or any bonus points for the hacked dolls. The point totals rose, but at a steady rate. ~Wow, I think we'll be in the upper ranks even before counting bonuses,~ she sent to her brother at around when fifth place was announced.

Then Connor and Serhe got called - at over fifteen hundred points! Even though Erica had expected that they'd be getting a sizable boost...she was kinda gobsmacked by the sheer number.

And then their names were called. "WOO!" she cheered quietly, quite drowned out by Nancy's disbelieving shout, throwing a hug around Roy. It was sheerest coincidence that the gesture put her in a position to see the look on Nancy's face over Roy's shoulder. Utter, complete coincidence. Was her glasses-enhancement still on? Silly me, must have forgotten to turn it off.

Exact ranking hadn't really been Erica's main priority - getting into Hope was what mattered most - but being in the top Cell...she hadn't expect how much that would mean to her. After a lifetime of being the weakest, the runt, the one who would never be chosen for a team, who would always be talked down to and looked down on...for perhaps the first time in her life, she felt actually, legitimately proud.

And Mists take it, it felt good!

She walked up to the square with a huge smile lighting her face, raising up her hands to give a double-high-five to Connor and Serhe. "Go team go!" she said, a bit breathless with excitement. This would be fun! They had worked well together against the villains, and that was just having been kinda thrown together by happenstance. Who knew where they'd be with a bit of training!

--

Routining the Investigation check

Erica had been in high spirits for the entire ride to their new, albeit temporary, quarters.

...Seeing where they'd be living brought her a bit back down to earth.

"Seriously?" she asked flatly as they went through the place. At first, she thought that Nancy had somehow found out which place would be theirs and sabotaged it, but that was infeasible, and this wasn't the sort of damage she could have done. Given what she knew about how Hope ran things, though...

"Well. Then I suppose we shall just have to be the top Cell in the first week of classes too," she said, a bit imperiously.

...Was it just her, or did the mold just make a high-pitched trilling noise that sounded awfully like, "Hahahayou'llneverleave!"

...It was totally just her, right?

"So let's see, as I recall, mold thrives in warm, moist conditions..." she remarked off-hand. She had both a cold and a wind crystal in her sword.

"No!Saveus!Saveusss!"

She could only pray it was just hallucinogenic...

[herodofcows]

Connor's eyes dart to Serhe as they're called to second place . . . and then roars out laughing as he hears the first place winners.

"Stonesmith? Yer last name is STONEsmith?" he booms, spinning over to Roy and Erica, "I'd be second to NO one else, tell ye what!"

He accepts Erica's high five, even as stone forms around his other fist and collides with Roy's gauntlet for a truly cartoonish fist-bump.

He chooses not to actively look at or interact with the boy that had tried to antagonize him on the ship . . . but his eyes keep darting over to drink in the boy's glower.

Someone to watch out for, perhaps . . .

He claps Serhe on the back again with his stone-free fist, feeling slightly sheepish inside as he does so. The other boy had been so committed to first place . . .

"Och, cheer up! I was holding ye back, my apologies. Not to worry though, now ye've got the cream o' the crop at yer side! We'll stun them yet, mate, that we will!"

For his own part, he feels a burgeoning sense of excitement and elation. Places be damned, he had EXCELLED today. Visibly. Unquestionably. With help, certainly, but nobody could look at him and say that he didn't deserve to be here. It was a better start than any he could have asked for: instant notoriety AND two villains downed with his help.

Yes sir, he was feeling good about what came next . . .

- - - - - - -

The dorm room certainly brought him back down to earth as well. Luckily, "down to earth" is pretty much his milieu.

"Welllllll, it's not so bad as all that!" he remarks with slightly more cheer than he feels, looking around.

"Let me just say hello to the neighbors . . ."

<It's a pleasure to meet ye, sandy-silty friends! Name's Connor. Now, I wonder if ye could call some of yer friends and do me a few favors here . . . And I'd furthermore love to introduce ye to some friends of mine I brought from my homeland . . .>

The floor begins to ripple as the dirt and dust gives way to solid granite chunks pulling from the earth. His bag of Asphah clay, slumped against the wall, begins shedding its own micaceous load and swirling around the room itself.

<Perhaps ye might patch up some of those holes in the wall? And let's see . . .>

"Taking requests, lads and lass!" he booms cheerily, dirt and sediment swirling about, "Granite flooring sound good to ye? Perhaps compacted clay blocks? Bet ye I could talk the dirt into getting us some cobblestones for the floor if ye'd prefer . . . And maybe some fired sand ceramics for the wall? Yer wish, my command!"

Investigation: [roll0]

Also Connor will be using his Create abilities to start refitting the dorm into something stone/brick/ceramic-esque and semi-fancy.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Connor's enthusiasm got through to Erica. She started looking at the place from another angle. Sure, it was an absolute hole. But they had not only Connor's earth elementalism, but her artifice and Roy's object enhancements.

They could work with this.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" she agreed without commenting on the specifics because she didn't feel competent to speak intelligently on the subject. "I can fly by the market while you're on that, pick up some food that hasn't been...colonized. And some cleaning supplies. I'll whip up a few basic animation programs to handle the cleaning, and make us a proper celebratory meal, because we've earned one!" she said cheerily.

Now, knowing her brother, Roy would come up with dozens of ideas for things to improve. Helping him think of stuff was far from necessary. But, there was one particular use of his powers that she wanted to make absolutely certain didn't get lost in the shuffle. "Oh, hey, and Roy? I'm thinking, enhanced comfiness on all the beds. Because I can only assume they'll need it,
considering the rest of this place." It was all about priorities.

Erica gave a little nod to herself. This could actually work out great. They could probably even earn some brownie points by placing first in the week's classes, getting their pick of lodging, and intentionally keeping this place!

"Yay!Wegettolive!"

First things first though. Gotta clear out all that mold.

"Noooooo!!!!"

[Arcran]

Serhe's face blanched when he heard that the civilian dolls would count for double points. He'd been so focused on taking out drones that he hadn't even thought of protecting the wooden dolls. A few moments later, that sinking fear is confirmed when he hears his place.

Second. Allmind-damned second. He'd stopped an Echnida Moth from crushing himself and three other students, apparently gotten the attention of an incredibly powerful Elementalist and probably taken out more drones than anybody else here, only to end up in second. Sure, tying with his brother would probably make him mad, but there was still somebody better than him. When the Stonesmiths are announced as first place, Serhe claps with the rest, although he isn't quite able to hide the raw jealously in his face.

Still, a slight grin formed on his face when Connor claps him on the back, that grows slightly when he spots Doireann. Maybe all his efforts hadn't been completely for nothing: for the first time ever, Serhe had people that he'd almost be able to call friends and, even though he'd lost to the Stonesmiths, they seemed to be good sports about it. Serhe quickly returns Erica's double high five, before looking around at the others.

Twenty-five points, huh? Serhe says, shaking his head slightly. Next time, Stonesmiths, Serhe says, an honest grin slowly reaching his eyes. Next time, Connor and I are taking first. Right? he says, glancing over at his new friend.



As Serhe enters the dorm, his face sinks slightly. He'd grown up relatively wealth, and this new living situation was far from ideal, to say the least. His vision enhanced and zoomed a half dozen times as Serhe tries to get a better look at the walls, until he hears Connor's remarks.

None here, unless there's stone comfy enough for a new mattress, Serhe says, thinking it wise to not inspect his current one too closely, before nodding along with Erica's remarks. I'm afraid I can't help too much, unless... Serhe says, before cycling through his different visions at the mold on the wall, hoping that one of them would work. If not, Serhe picks up a broom and resorts to manual labor.

[Thokk_Smash]

Now, it's been a fair while since the battle and exam had ended. Plenty of time for adrenaline to run its course, plenty of time for Roy to calm down. But as the scores are called, he feels the tension rise once more. This is just the first step. They can't afford to falter here, and even a stumble might spell a severe setback. Despite his intellect and ability to rationalize at great speeds, his mind is a steady static of anxiety, and he grips his sister's arm perhaps a tad too tightly in response.

Granted, the lower-ranked scores ease his tensions immensely. Like, hell, if Nancy can get in then they've got this on lock! He grins in response to Erica's comment but doesn't respond. He doesn't care about first place in and of itself. Like, it'd be deliriously awesome. Beyond words. But he isn't pinning his reputation to coming in first.

Then Serhe and Connor are called as second. And there was no way he and Erica had scored less than the other two that had taken down two Villains. He manages to keep his excitement inside in the seconds before their names are called. After that, though...

"YYYEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Unconsciously he Enhanced his vocal chords and lets out a cry that is colored with almost as much relief as triumph. Eyes closed tight and head to the sky, his tension dissolves in a full-bodied release of energy. Like I said, just getting admitted would've been enough for him. But getting first place, of all things, after uncountable sleepless nights, endless days spent being taunted, and bullied, with practically no end in sight...

Vindication, of a sort. Gods, does it feel good. He slips his gauntlet on as he approaches Connor, instantly guessing the other boy's intent. His gauntlet's pistons ready, and he smashes his fist into the other boy's rocky fist with all his might. The resounding shockwave is far from trivial but very satisfying. "This is just the start, mates!" he says with glee, pulling in Serhe and Connor with an arm around their shoulders.

He listens to Glory's following speech with half an ear as he scans the other teams. He spots his target quickly: Bernhard. His heart seizes up at the sight of the other boy, but he keeps his gaze steady. He's earned this. There's nowhere to go but up from here!


--------------------

Well...there's always a plateau after a peak, right? Right.

He has to fight a sense of despair. Were they being punished for something? He relaxes when Erica lets him know it's par for the course for Hope Academy, but it's still left him a tad shaken. Connor's energetic response likewise serves to buoy his spirits.

"Between Connor and myself, we can have this place looking inhabitable in no time!" Roy says, taking out various Flux crystals and instruments meant to amplify his Enhancing power. Then he hesitates, remembering Connor's relationship with living stone. "On second thought, I can simply buy us new mattresses," he says, hastily putting away his crystals and whatnot before the Elemental powers can notice them. "Even mediocre beds would feel like heaven once I'm done with them. If anyone has requests for amenities before Erica and I hit the market, speak now, or get it yourself."

Mentally, he thinks to Erica, ~"On our way back we should stop by home and let mom know we made it. She's gonna be so happy!"~

After the long afternoon/day of cleaning and sprucing up, Roy hits his new mattress with a grin that he hasn't been able to shake. He'll sleep like a log tonight!

After the second time waking up from a nightmare in a cold sweat, Roy shakes his head and gets out of bed. Why? He made it into Hope! He'd placed first, mists take it! So why are the nightmares plaguing him now?!

He sighs in frustration and goes to the worktable he'd set up for himself. Enhancing a Flux crystal to diminish sounds around him, he starts on something to soothe his mind: sculpting. He'd asked Connor to get him some clay, and he is very happy to have done so. His hands fly over the clay, molding it, practically bringing it to life...

When the others wake up, Roy is already setting the kitchen table with food. "Good morning, everyone!" he says with a bright grin. He'd prepared a breakfast of sausage links, eggs three ways, toasted bread, freshly squeezed orange juice and sliced apples. "I got a late start on breakfast, so apologies if it's a bit subpar."

I rejiggered things so Roy has Cooking +16, so perhaps his sense of "subpar" is skewed. To be fair, he and Erica usually work together on a meal, so perhaps he's using the wrong benchmark.

If one were to look at Roy's worktable, they'd see four small figurines. They're a bit bigger than Roy's hand from wrist to middle fingertip, and there's one that's a bit odd-one-out. Three of them are Roy's teammates in various heroic poses, unpainted and a bit rough around the edges. Erica's Flux Prism is held high above her head; Connor's fist is wrapped in stylized stone; and Serhe is in a fighting pose, but it's his eyes that seem to glow even without color.

Put to the side is a figure that is totally and entirely completed: a tall, lanky figure dressed in a pitch-black longcoat, with a formless hat and a mask like a beak protruding from its face. It looks frighteningly realistic. "That's the guy who healed GG, by the way," he says to the room at large if anyone points it out. "Caught him on video on my visor, just for a split second. The Crow, apparently, has terrible taste in fashion."

The Crow figurine is pristine, and obviously had the most time spent on it, but the quality of the other three figurines actually isn't terrible. Like, they're pretty darned good for self-proclaimed "rough drafts" as he called them. But at this level of quality, he would've absolutely had time to make a figurine of himself. In fact, the absolute absence of even the start of a fifth figurine, one for himself, is notably conspicuous.

It was a clear decision on Roy's part to not begin a model of himself. Perhaps he intends to start his own later? But why not start a rough draft with the others'? It'd just be simpler to do all of them at once, right?

[Zelphas]

When Serhe switches to his Elemental-nullifying sight, the mold on the wall shrinks measurably; there are still some patches clinging to the faded, discolored wallpaper, but they are nowhere near as large nor as luridly colored.

The ministrations of the four of your quickly bear fruit, and while the apartment is still smaller than you'd like, the walls are still ancient, crumbling wood, and the furniture is still second-rate, by the end of the day the place looks almost livable, and Roy's calls promise to improve the furniture at the very least. You all are able to retire content that you have done well, both in the entrance exam and afterwards, and you fall quickly asleep.

You do not sleep soundly.

There are dreams before; there are dreams after. This dream remains in your memory.

It feels like it should be a nightmare, but you aren't afraid. You stand over a map of Teocawki, the mists and islands sprawled out before you, lit by a moon many times too large. Despite the darkness of night, you can see the islands; they are lit up by hundreds and thousands of tiny pinpricks, small lights that shimmer and shift. The lights are people, you know it, but they're also something else. The lights are people, and also oblong circles, and also runes of dizzying complexity. The lights, or circles, or runes, are connected by minuscule threads of light, some thicker, some thinner. Thicker lights stretch, connecting each Outer Island to each other and to the Inner Ring, the Magellans to the Outer Ring and Inner Ring, and the Inner Ring to itself and to Bol.

A light, slightly brighter than the others, flares up in the Outer Ring, jumping from island to island with dizzying speed. Wherever it touches, the bonds between itself and the lights grow thicker, as well as the lines connecting island to island. Finally, the light jumps to the Inner Ring. You hear, vaguely, an enormous, subsonic creak, light steel threads stretched just past their breaking point...

As dreams do, the dream shifts away. You have in your hands your masterpiece: a Flux Crystal enchanted to output the texture and taste of chocolate cake...

There are dreams before; there are dreams after. This dream remains in your memory.

You are flying over the darkened mists, far away from any island. The moment you realize that you are unsupported, you drop. The mist closes over your head, but you don't feel the tell-tale chill of your power seeping away. The mist steals all sense of direction, swirling and roiling around you in indecipherable eddies and currents. The giant spire of ice comes as a surprise; you cannot tell if you hurtled past it or if it simply grew up around you.

Soon, more spires appear, cutting through the mist in jagged peaks. The spires grow ever closer together, ever larger--and then something picks you up bodily and throws you roughly away. When you land, the dream has changed.

You stand in the mine shaft seconds after a terrible cave-in...

There are dreams before; there are dreams after. This dream remains in your memory.

You are standing on your platform of stone in the Entrance exam again, staring down at the sprawled form of Gauntlet and Greaves. Everything is frozen; Erica and Roy are looking in different directions around the square, Connor is double-checking the stone covering Gauntlet, the two other examinees are still out cold. Between one moment and the next, the scene changes.

A shape stands in the center of the square, a black, formless shape only approximately the size of a human being. The shape roils and shifts, the only moving thing in the frozen scene. The impression of a face--or a beak--seems to sniff at the air before turning towards you.

The creature is before you in an instant, all rolling shadow and swelling plumage, the dull gloss of raven's wings glinting under liquid darkness. The voice that issues from it is a dead thing, lifeless and rotting.

"You look ill."

Abruptly, you are in a different dream, a less memorable dream. Annihulus laughs as he holds up a trireme-class airship, which you know you need to get from him...

The nightmare plays out as it always does--the screams, the fires, the rampaging Tribs tearing apart everything you knew as home while you are barely able to save anyone with your devices. Time passes in fits and starts, as it does in dreams, and then your father is before you, half of his body gone, telling you not to blame yourself. He turns to face the Tribs--

But he is facing only one form, and this part of the dream is wrong, although you don't realize that it's wrong until you awaken. The one form is huge, shrouded in shadow despite the fires all around, a massive blank shape that is impossible to identify. As your father turns towards it, it bends, and it reaches out--and the appendage it reaches with is a giant and terribly powerful and horribly, awfully human hand.

You wake up for the first time. The nightmare reverts to its "normal" progression when you dream it again a bit later that night.

---

After your breakfast, the four of you leave your apartment to find a small sign posted just outside, giving you directions to your classroom for this first week. The room is in a building not too far from your dorm, and it looks like class is supposed to start in about fifteen minutes.

Heading to the building, you aren't terribly surprised to see that it is one of the smaller and shabbier buildings on Hope Academy's campus, removed slightly from the main buildings and grouped together with the dorm complex and a squat building that might be a cafeteria of some sort. At least the class building seems well-maintained despite its age; the stone walls are clean, the courtyard outside is free of garbage or debris, and the wooden floor as you enter is scrubbed to a polished shine, though the scuffs of generations of feet still mar the surface.

A voice echoes through the halls as you head towards the classroom, seemingly in the midst of a long rant. "...assaulted in the middle of the exam and given nothing but a pat on the head and empty assurances that 'everything's fine', and then that utter sham of the point totals, and then we get to the much-vaunted Hope Academy and our dorms are in execrable cond--"

The door to the classroom opens up, and Farhan MacDonald exits, the boy's face thunderous as the plant around his neck growls and snaps at the air. He sees the four of you and stops for a moment, before walking past you. "Do me a favor?" Farhan growls as he passes. "Call me back in there when she shuts up."

In the classroom, you can see that you are the third group to arrive. Nancy Keroack is obviously inside, along with her two other Cell-mates. The dark haired boy is sitting patiently at a desk, his eyes glazed over as Nancy continues to rant near him; the girl sits to his left, idly doodling on a piece of paper and making no attempt to pretend as though she was listening. On the other side of the room is the boy with scarlet eyes, who is determinedly talking to the other boy in the white robe; near them, Bernhard paces back and forth, his fingers jammed in his ears. Doireann is leaning against the back wall, watching Nancy rant with a half-amused, half-exasperated look.

Sitting behind the large desk in the front of the room is the recipient of Nancy's tirade, and presumably your homeroom teacher. The man is entirely hairless, and his dimensions are... odd. His head is slightly too large for his body, round and swollen like a balloon; his ears are so small as to be almost nonexistent, as is his nose; his eyes are perfectly round, a little too small, and placed far apart on his head; and his mouth is lip-less, currently stretched across his face in a thin smile that still seems too wide and reveals white, blocky teeth. His hands, which look more like flesh-colored gloves than human digits, are folded in front of him on the desk, and he watches Nancy with an unblinking gaze that seems somewhat mocking, though there isn't any clear indication of that.

The distinctive look of this homeroom teacher tells you that this is Renatus Weiss (Hero name Watchman), a psionic-style Supernaturalist known for his incredible perception skills and ability to manipulate mental energy to deflect, evade, or outright ignore any damage directed at him. A rather young and fairly obscure Hero, it is surprising to see him teaching at Hope Academy so soon.

While Watchman is relatively obscure, he does enjoy some limited notoriety in certain circles due to his mysterious past. Renatus began his Hero Work in the Magellans seven years ago; before that time, any information on him is nearly impossible to find. Some conspiracy theorists believe that there is no information to find; Watchman, they think, is an experiment created by the World Council as a support or replacement for Heroes, or a creature from the wilds beyond the Magellans that took on human form, or something even stranger. Their claims are generally ignored.

"--And I'll have several things to say to him when I see-- YOU!" Nancy breaks off her rant when the four of you enter the door, wheeling around and marching right up to Erica. In the moment of silence that follows, at least six sighs of relief/exasperation echo around the room. "I know you cheated to get the points you did; it's painfully obvious. Just admit it and leave, already!" she bursts out, her voice ringing with sudden command.

Nancy uses Overwhelming Charisma: Will DC 18 vs. Entranced/Compelled/Controlled (Instant Recovery, Limited (Must be able to speak and be heard by the target).

Take a Hero Point for your Nancy Keroack Complication.

The moment Nancy turns away, the teacher suddenly has a newspaper in his hands; he turns the pages leisurely, seemingly ignoring the altercation in front of him.

While he is not looking at you or visibly paying attention in any way, the amount of focus that you feel pouring from the teacher is frankly terrifying.

[Thokk_Smash]

Disconcerted as he was by his nightmare--and more specifically the strange turn it had taken--Roy can still appreciate the views of Hope Academy. Granted, the view is barely better than their dorm had been yesterday. But it's Hope Academy! Generations of Heroes have walked these very halls on their journeys to greatness.

Although, he hopes that they hadn't had someone like Nancy Keroack filling the air with drivel. Roy gives Farhan a sympathetic look as he passes them. He couldn't have gotten a partner more different from him if he'd tried.

Taking in the scene in the room at a glance, Roy blinks in curiosity at their apparent homeroom teacher. Roy's seen some odd customers in his life. Some weird Transformers and whatnot. But a man who looks like an egg with human features is an oddity to him. Fascinating--was that a byproduct of his power or some quirk of genetics? He activates his visor to detect any Enhancements or Transformative powers on him.

He is distracted, naturally, by none other than Nancy Keroack. He glares at her steadily while she stomps toward their group as though a child with a temper tantrum. It's nothing new to the twins. The number of Nancy Keroack tantrums thrown could fill a library with their volume and quantity. Roy resolves to just let Erica deal with it, despite his knee-jerk desire to put himself between his sister and her tormentor. Erica's a strong girl, a Hero-in-training. She can fight her own battles.

Then Nancy attacks his sister.

It's only with words, of course. Nancy Keroack would never lay a hand on a fellow classmate, never. Words can never hurt someone, and all that, right? Except Nancy's tone spikes with imperiousness at her final words. Except she probably just used a hostile power on his twin sister. Except she's belittling his entire team by implying they all cheated.

~"Sorry to butt in, sis,"~ he mentally mutters before pushing forward to stand a half-step away from Nancy. He puts on his best crazed glare, scowling down at Nancy with all the enmity he can muster. With a sudden movement he shoves his hand into a pocket and slams the object down onto the nearest desk. Taking his hand back, it's revealed that there's a small, circular Flux crystal on the table.

Roy gives out a small spark of Enhancement energy, and the Flux crystal suddenly projects a light into the air--light that merges and forms into a video. Specifically, a video of the GG fight, from start to finish. And yes, that includes Nancy lying unconscious, helpless on the ground, needing someone to pick her up and move her to safety. That includes Connor fighting through being impaled by several large chunks of stone. That includes Serhe's impressive feat of stopping the Echidna Moth from falling. And with a finger on the crystal, Roy zooms in and focuses on Erica's finishing blows on Greaves. His withering glare never leaves Nancy's face.

"That's our team in action, Nan-Nan," he says with his accent in full form, a mocking tone, a prodding tone. "So piss right the hell off."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica nodded in eager agreement with Roy's suggestion, and after getting any requests, flew off with her brother first for the market, then for home for an excited report to Mom, and then back to the dorm with fresh food and cleaning supplies. She placed some simple enchantments on the later to set them working on their own, and then joined Roy for preparing an epic and well-earned victory feast.

--

The next morning, she gave her brother a smile seeing breakfast already on the table, and her eyes lit up at the little figurines. "Ooh! Cute!" she said, more-or-less immediately picking up the miniature her and fake-slashing its Prism Edge at Crow a few times, before tilting her head curiously to the side and looking up at Roy. "Where's you?"

She did bring up her dream over breakfast, mainly to Roy, but not telepathically. Not with any indication of meaning or anything. Just in the idle way one sometimes mentions to one's family when they have a particularly memorable dream.

--

Erica was a little disappointed in the classroom. The dorms were one thing, but she had had higher hopes for the actual classes. Ah well. She gave Farhan a sympathetic smile. Knowing Nancy, he had probably been putting up with this sustained rant since yesterday.

Erica kept a smile on her face when Nancy turned her vitriol on her. Inside her heart was beating a bit fast. She never would have admitted to fear in the face of Nancy Keroack, and certainly not in front of her new Cell-mates, but the fact was that even eight years later, the other girl's anger provoked an instinctive stress response from her. It was just conditioned into her at that point. Her smile turned brittle when Nancy accused them of cheating for their points. Cheating! Of all the nerve!

But she had planned to be cordial with Nancy. It had been nearly a decade since their last meaningful interaction. And while Nancy didn't appear to have grown up much, she had. They were classmates and for all her faults, Nancy was training to be a Hero just like her. She had decided to swallow the bad memories and meet hostility with compassion.

And then Nancy used her power on her.

Oh, how Erica recognized that. How many times when they were kids had Nancy used that very same power upon her. It was just like she remembered, the rest of the world seeming to fade into a blur, everything focused on Nancy's face, her words. The insistent belief that she was right, the driving urge to do what she wanted. Nancy had never physically struck her when they were growing up, but she had used that power to coerce Erica into doing all manner of painful, humiliating, and embarrassing things.

But times had changed. Erica might not have been able to fend off the power on her own, but the wards on her armor - currently in the form of a light, flowing periwinkle dress, but with all its enchantments still fully active - offered protection to her mind, and allowed her to struggle back from the power's hold.

And that's when Erica realized that Nancy was the same vindictive bully she had always been, and no amount of compassion would change that.

New plan.

Erica stared at Nancy in stony silence while Roy played out the display of their battle for her. And once it was finished, just to make sure Nancy was fully aware of who had been in that armor, Erica willed her attire to change. A swift rising shimmer of light later, the gleaming armored figure with the rainbow sword that had struck down Greaves stood before Nancy Keroack, the cold crystal visor staring her down.

"I know your power, Nancy," she followed up when Roy had spoken. "You will not use it on me again," she told her in a voice of imperious command. "We did not cheat. We've just grown."

Swapping to Armor Mode, and then dropping an Intimidation: [roll0].

[Arcran]

Serhe awoke in a cold sweat, frantically looking around the room as he came to, the image of The Crow burned into his memory. He half expected to see the same figure in the corner of his room, just waiting for him to awake.

You look ill.

Serhe shudders as he recalls the creature's voice. What the hell did all of this mean? Did The Crow have some sort of vendetta against Anihilus? Or was this all his own doing? Whatever it was, Serhe needed to figure out exactly who (or what) The Crow was. Some stranger stalking him in his dreams wasn't something he looked forward to.



After his dream, Serhe didn't sleep well, causing him to show up to the first day of class with slight bags under his eyes. He lets out a small sigh as he sees their building, not surprised in the least that it was in that kind of condition. It seemed to be the trend thus far with Hope Academy, after all. Serhe gives Doireann a small wave as he enters, before glaring at Nancy. After the Stonesmiths lecture the girl, Serhe can't help but grin slightly. He didn't know much about Nancy, but judging from the fact that Serhe hadn't noticed her do anything and Erica had felt something, it somewhat limited the options. Serhe's vision turns a sickly green as he stares at Nancy, focusing as much as possible without giving away his intent. He wasn't all that worried about their strange teacher noticing; after all, it just looked like he was staring at her, right?

Next time, maybe we'll just leave you for the villains, Serhe says as he walks past Nancy, making sure to bump into her ever-so-slightly, before making his way to the back of the room and standing next to Doireann.

How long has she been going on like that?

Serhe is going to use Freak's End!
AoA and PA at max, of course.
AC: [roll0]
Nullify: [roll1]

[herodofcows]

Connor spends the rest of the evening in a kind of tranced, consumed by the work of making their quarters habitable and, indeed, agreeable places to live. For the rest of the night he is both manic and spacey, often responding to any comments or queries in a semi-distracted fashion as he continues a running conversation with the sediment surrounding him . . .

<Och, delightful! Now, if ye could arrange yerself into square forms across the floor? Aye, ye look lovely, lovely . . . Oh! Octogons? Ye mean to say ye'd prefer EIGHT sides apiece? Well, I don't see why not . . . Och, isn't that divine . . .>

". . . Oh, aye! Mattresses! Sure, whatever ye'd . . . Aye . . ."

<. . . Now about these walls, have ye . . . Let me see all of the sand among ye? Could I get the sand to . . . Yes, hello my dears, hello. Let me ask ye something: have ye ever tried being fired and glazed? Would ye like to? Och, well isn't that adventurous of ye! How many of ye would . . . I seeeeeee . . . Aye, no reason ye couldn't do it in golds and browns, I suppose. And what's this? YE'D like to do octogons as well? Is this the fashion around these parts? Well, I never knew!>

"Nobody minds octogons, do they? Only the sands AND the silt AND the granite seem to think it's the thing to do, ye know? I don't know anything about what's hip or trendy around these parts . . ."

<None of ye have been sculpted before, have ye? Would ye like to be? Maybe? Mostly geometric, aye, but perhaps not so much with the octogons, I don't think . . . Well, sure, sure, fashion is fashion, but . . . Well, what about something less rigid and more flowing? Could ye . . . Well, fine, we'll put a pin in that . . .>

By the time bedtime comes around, Connor has furnished the surfaces with octagonal granite tiles on the floor, octagonal gold-and-brown ceramic tiling along the walls, and has elevated the bed in his room onto a stony slab with fine-grained sand as a mattress pad.

He sleeps the sleep of the dead that night . . . minus a sudden gasping awakening as a dream of falling through mists propels him from his rest.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Any appetite that Roy's breakfast might have roused in him is abruptly crushed as he stares at the figure of the Crow.

"So ye . . . ye saw him, then," he nearly stammers, picking at a sausage he suddenly has no desire to eat, "Ye saw the Crow. None of that "minor league villain syndicate" ****e, ye saw he exists for the whole and the true of it . . ."

His hand shakes as he nearly knocks over his glass of orange juice.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Connor's face slides into a practiced and ready disdain as his team enters the classroom to find the Inner-Ringer spouting off an endless cacophony of whinging and complaint. Of course: he'd expect no less from some spoiled brat of a Hope City aristocrat, or WHEREVER this one was from. Feigning deafness and clacking his cane a bit louder than necessary, he limps his way over to an available seat and slumps into it . . .

. . . JUST in time to see the Inner-Ringer try to lay something on Erica, and then to hear Erica call her out on it.

<. . . Stone that forms this building, I know we've not yet properly made introductions, but if I could ask ye a favor . . .>

The rock from the walls forms and swirls around him, creating a gargantuan set of slate-stone armor around him as he laboriously rises to his feet. In this guise, he looks a little like some kind of unrelenting golem, and his voice carries an odd echo from within the hollowed rock.

"Aye, perhaps we should have left ye at that," he agrees with Serhe, drawing himself up to his full height, "It's one thing, to my mind, if ye have harsh words for us, but to try to use yer power on one of us, all for yer own flailing ego? Well, might be I've some idea of how such behavior ought to be answered, just as we did when Greaves and Gauntlet had ye laid out on the ground . . ."

Stone thickens around his fist as he speaks, and he takes a single step forward.

Insight from Roy's post! [roll0]

Intimidation vs. Nancy! [roll1]

[Zelphas]

Nancy falls silent as the video plays, watching it with a bored, impatient expression. The other students stop what they are doing and turn to watch as well with varying expressions of skepticism and interest (and with near-universal relief at Nancy's continued silence). The teacher continues to read his newspaper.

The recording is interrupted once, as another Cell of students arrives at the classroom. The giant of a man who threatened Connor in the airship brushes brusquely by without glancing at the screen, stomping over and taking a seat. The nondescript boy with green eyes glances at the images for a second or two before nodding to himself and moving to a desk near his Cell-mate. The taller boy leans on his staff and watches the battle play out impassively, while the girl with fox ears and several tails bounces excitedly in place, looking from the screen to the standoff between the four of you and Nancy with bright golden eyes. After the viewing ends, the two quickly take their seats, the fox girl accidentally bumping into Connor as she goes.

After the fox girl bumps into you, your rucksack feels suspiciously light.

"What year is this?" Doireann replies sardonically to Serhe, one side of her mouth quirking up in a smile. Near her, the boy in the white robe lets out a noise that sounds like sand falling into a glass bowl; a laugh, maybe?

Nancy, who had stumbled slightly, seems to shrink as first Roy, then Erica, and finally Connor threaten her with varying degrees of indirectness. She goes pale, her eyes very wide, and her hands tremble ever so slightly as she hunches a bit lower. Then her face reddens, and she straightens herself up; her lips tremble as she opens her mouth--

"Greetings, fellow students, on this wonderful morning!" bursts out a voice like a spotlight to the face right behind you, at the entrance to the classroom. It seems that the final Cell has arrived. "Apologies on our lateness; it took a few moments to... gather ourselves... this fine day."

Artfully framed by the doorway is the girl with glowing golden hair, her shimmery silver dress and hairband accentuating her pale skin and brilliant blue eyes. She smiles brightly, stepping to one side to reveal the rest of her Cell standing uncomfortably behind her. "I know that we all heard each others' names yesterday, but I feel that introductions are still in order! I am Grace Daniels, though I plan to use the pseudonym 'Dawnlight' in my Hero work. And my Cell includes Donald Morgan and Elita Coste!" The speedster boy from the ship and Elita walk into the room, Donald attempting to look cocky but mostly seeming uncomfortable, Elita seeming almost painfully nervous.

There is a slightly awkward pause for a moment, and then Grace blinks, shaking her head. "Oh! And of course, there's also... Jane Doe!" No one walks through the door, but Grace's head moves as though she is watching someone walk in. A few people murmur at this in confusion.

You... get the impression that the blank space in the doorway... waved at you before walking inside... despite how that sounds like utter nonsense.

Grace Daniels draws in a deep breath as though to continue her oration, but at that moment an ancient-sounding bell rings somewhere in the building. Farhan MacDonald stumps into the room moments after the last toll, looking much calmer.

"Take your seats, please, class; we will now begin." The classroom teacher has risen to his feet, his newspaper stashed away somewhere within his desk. Everyone moves to find seats; it seems that in the distraction caused by Grace and her Cell's arrival, Nancy had fled to the farthest seat from the door, ensuring that there were at least two other desks between her and any empty seat.

Everything--from the stumble at Serhe's push, to her trembling hands, shaking lips, and reddened face--had been an act. Nancy hadn't been intimidated in the slightest by either Erica or Connor, but it seems that instead of continuing to rant, she had chosen to take a more oblique approach.

This is bad news, and you know it. Nancy generally just bulls through with raw charisma to get what she wants, but she is a literal genius at social situations, and she can be incredibly clever when she has to be. When she ran into a teacher who couldn't simply be forced into giving her what she wanted, or when you, fed up with her constant manipulations, had chosen to simply avoid her as much as possible, Nancy got quiet for a little while, and then began systematically destroying their--destroying your--social life, in a way that never found its way back to her. Her backing off now means that you've scored a point, but for her, the war is just beginning.

Once everyone has taken their seats, the teacher speaks again, his too-wide mouth grinning ever wider. "Have any of you wondered why Hope Academy has its entrance exam one week before any of the other schools, and yet their classes officially start at the same time as the rest? The answer is this class. In this class, I will be both testing your aptitude in non-combat scenarios as well as seeing how well you are able to function together as a four-person Cell. In the mornings, we will go over the more mundane aspects of schooling--science, mathematics, history, et cetera." Throughout this spiel, the teacher speaks faster and faster, his tone of voice impossible to pin down. "There will be a test at the end of the week, which will serve as your baseline for the rest of your year here at Hope Academy. In the afternoons, we will move to the extensive woods on the Hope Academy grounds, and I will test your teamwork, survival skills, and practical use of your powers." For some reason, you find it difficult to tell whether he is taking this seriously or not; it feels almost as though he is setting up some sort of prank. "There will be another test at the end of the week over this work as well, serving the same purpose. The cumulative total of these two tests, combined with the totals of the test of your other Cell-mates, will constitute your Cell's total score, which will determine which Cell will choose their permanent lodgings first."

Without noticeably changing posture or expression, the teacher's face suddenly seems both condescending and somehow menacing. His voice loses its indefinable quality, and he delivers his next words in absolute seriousness. At any time within the next week, you are all highly encouraged to attack me. Any Cell that successfully wounds me will immediately gain the right to first choice of permanent apartments, regardless of their total aptitude scores. In the highly unlikely event that more than one Cell manages to harm me, we will default to the scores between them, but they will still choose first and second."

Abruptly, the grin is just a grin once more, though the voice remains serious. "Even after this first year, three mornings of your week will be spent in this classroom, continuing the non-Heroic aspects of your education... provided you pass your aptitude tests. Although you have passed the Entrance Exam into Hope Academy, I have the right to expel any of you who do not meet Hope Academy's standards. There are those who have failed in the first week before; should you be expelled now, you would not be the first. Are there any questions?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Hey now, all that means is that the spooky ol' Crow guy who nobody's entirely sure isn't a myth couldn't even keep himself hidden from my brother's tech for like twelve seconds or whatever it was," Erica told Connor confidently. Okay, sure, realistically, having a stealthy, obviously-powerful villain like that taking an interest in them was...a matter for concern. And having knowledge - indeed, proof - of his existence probably only made the threat that much more significant. But Mists take her if she was gonna show it!

--

Erica's visor tracked Nancy as she withdrew. She knew Nancy well enough to know the fear was feigned. ...Being able to look at her aura didn't hurt either. The feelings that Nancy showed were less about what she actually felt than what she believed would earn her advantage. She knew that any sort of direct challenge would have just made her look silly, after the events of the entrance exam. But that only meant she'd find ways to strike at them indirectly.

Erica remembered how that had gone last time. That stress response was still gnawing at her gut.

But she squashed it down. Times had changed, and if Nancy thought Erica was the same defenseless girl she used to be, she'd learn better soon enough.

"Thanks, you guys," she told Serhe and Connor quietly. She...honestly was not used to having others come to her defense in situations like that, her brother of course aside. That they had just leaped in without question like that...she was kinda touched, honestly.

Erica reverted her armor to clothing as the last Cell arrived. "Heya," she responded to Dawnlight's introduction. And...weirdly, she gave a friendly smile and a little wave to the empty doorway. She found a seat at the professor's request and-

~Sea and sky our teacher is a cartoon character!~ she sent to Roy delightedly as, with Nancy no longer holding her attention, she finally noticed. She tried to keep her amusement of the matter confined to telepathy, but she couldn't keep a bright grin from her face.

His cartooniness in no way caused her to underestimate the difficulty they would face in wounding him.

The certain difficulty in no way kept her from casting her brother a sidelong glance and slender smirk. The simple studs in her ears began glowing with a faint clear light, resonating with the nearest enchanted object - her glasses - as she scanned their teacher for signs of magical or elemental powers.

Not that she didn't plan for their Cell to win this competition the normal way too, of course. Tests had never been something the Stonesmith siblings had ever had a problem with. And while they may have lived in Hope for the past eight years...well, best of luck to a bunch of probably-mostly-Inner-Ringers keeping up with a couple of Magellan-raised children in a challenge of wilderness survival!

In addition to scanning him for magical (acute analytical) and elemental (basic Detect) powers, Assessment on the homeroom teacher at [roll0]. DATAAAAAA!!!!

Also, thinking about it, I think I'mma go ahead and figure Erica to default to her Arcane Resonance slot, since it's probably the most sensible one for day-to-day. And since if I had thought of that before I'd have saved myself a Luck reroll :smallamused:.

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy stuffs a slice of toast in his mouth when Erica asks him where his figurine is. "Oh, thought I was forgetting something," he mumbles through the food in his mouth. And though he's gotten very good at hiding his thoughts over the years, Erica can tell that's not entirely what he was thinking.

"Oh, fer sher," Roy says through a bite of apple after Erica's comment on the Crow. "I only caught 'im for a split second, but th' main takeaway is that there was someone there, and they couldn't keep hidden forevah'. Whoever or whatever this guy is, he isn't infallible. Not even close. And I have faith that the teachers are more than a match for him on their home turf."

He nods with confidence that he feels a respectable margin of himself. Oh, he's worried about it, sure: he'd spent well-on ten minutes staring at the video once he'd found the frame, practically memorizing the figure. But no way would he compromise the others' morale over some spook. "'Sides, it's like you said, Connah--we're no measly morsels, no wilting bluebonnets ourselves. If it comes, we'll send it packing with its beak in its arse."

"Now eat something, man, or I'll assume you live off of dirt and not make portions for you next time," he says with jest in his voice.

-----------------

Roy glares at Nancy with suspicion after she declines to force the issue. That's not what bullies do, much as one might wish it. They don't just give up after being confronted once. Erica's mental buzz only serves to reinforce that. Still, he ignores her in favor of the arrival of the last Cell--the one that had his frienquaintance, Elita. And the douche who stole her mask. He elects to not make a point of that as he hurries over to her.

"A day late, but congratulations!" he whisper-cheers to Elita with a wide grin. He takes a seat next to her, pointedly ignoring Donald except to note his reaction to Roy's presence.

~"He's practically a caricature, I could hardly believe it,"~ he responds to Erica with equal amusement, though his face doesn't show anything different from before. Still, the Stonesmiths know that looks can be deceiving far more intimately than anyone else, and so when the teacher makes his challenge Roy meets it with a crazed smirk and confidence.

"Is there a limit to the number of attempts we get, prof?" he asks without raising his hand. As he watches the teacher answer, he takes in Erica's intel from her specs. As far as he's concerned, scratching the prof is the only thing worth worrying about in the coming week. Between him, his sister, Connor, and Serhe, they've practically got the aptitude tests on lock.

Redone Expertise (Superheroes) check, with +5 from Erica's Scan: [roll0] Boom!

[Arcran]

Serhe frowns for a moment when he sees that his powers didn't effect Nancy at all. Since he had no idea what exactly her power was, it meant she could be any of the others except perhaps Elementalist. He made a mental note to ask Erica and Roy what her powers were, since it would be very, very useful in the future, although their quick confrontation seems to have deflated her a bit. Serhe grins at his team, before focusing on the new students coming in.

He does his best to guess what everybody was but, without seeing their powers, that was a difficult task at best. Serhe gives a quick chuckle at Doireann's comment, before grinning at the boy in white. When the others arrive, Serhe glances at Dawnlight, a bit surprised that somebody would have already picked their hero name. Still, as far as names go, it wasn't exactly a bad one. It does cause Serhe to wonder for a bit; what the hell would his hero name be? Eyeman?

When the bell rings, Serhe quickly takes his seat, taking one close to Doireann if at all possible as he looks at the strange, almost-featureless, teacher in the front. As he speaks, Serhe's face blanches. Actual coursework? For some reason he'd assumed that wouldn't come into play here. The combat testing wasn't too worrying, but actual books could be an issue.

However, that panic vanishes an instant later. If his Cell managed to hurt the teacher, they won. All he had to do was stare at the teacher all day and eventually his powers would be shut off. It wasn't an exact science, but eventually he'd have to be able to pull it off, right?

With a slight smirk on his face Serhe leans back, staring intently at the professor as his eyes flash a sickly green, starting with the broadest powerset possible, listening to Roy's question as he tries to get Connor's attention.

Going to Nullify Odd!

AoA, PA
AC: [roll0]
Nullify: [roll1]

[Zelphas]

"As many times as you like, Mr. Sonesmith," the teacher answers, his smile once more somehow ominous. "Keep in mind that your test scores will be used to determine where your teaching will begin here at Hope Academy, and so disrupting them entirely may not be in your best interests. I will not be your only teacher, and the others will look at your test scores as well as your performance during the entrance exam to see what they should teach you first. If you manage to wound me, that will impress them; however, no Hero should rely on only one plan to succeed."

He stops abruptly, turning his head slightly to look at what seems like an empty desk. "That method would indeed work on most human beings, Miss Doe," the teacher says kindly, his tone gentle ad he addresses the empty air in the desk. "I am able to both see and hear you, however, so it will not work as well on me. Your powers are both a blessing and a curse; you should not rely too much on them any more than you should attempt to refuse them."

Serhe's vision strikes the teacher, and he feels the odd slippery sensation that comes when he attempts to nullify a power that the target doesn't possess. The green flash fades--and the teacher is gone from the front of the room.

"Points for immediate action, Mr. Nihilo," the teacher's voice comes from directly behind him. To his right, Doireann jumps, then attempts to cover the reaction with a cough. "However, I have seen Ms. Proxy's video of the Entrance Exam yesterday, and while they may not have the same power behind them, my eyes are sharper than yours." Serhe feels an odd sensation on his head, and Doireann suddenly looks like she is trying very hard not to laugh. "I would rather not teleport behind you every time that you glance my way, and you will no doubt prefer to keep your chosen hairstyle, so why don't we declare a truce?" A glance at his reflection in the window on the north side of the room tells Serhe what the sensation is on his head: somehow, between the teacher disappearing at the front of the room and appearing at the back, Serhe's hair has been slicked back, curled into loose waves, and tied into pigtails. "You are free to continue testing your power on me in the future; however, each time you do, I will re-style your hair, and perhaps aim for a full makeover."

The teacher appears in the front of the room between one blink and the next, with neither a sign nor a sound marking his sudden shift in location. Serhe feels his hair fall back into place, and a quick look at the window again shows that it is back to how it was when he walked into the room. "That will be the standard punishment for failing to wound me," the teacher says, grinning even more broadly. Around the room, there are various expressions of amusement mingled with embarrassed nervousness as his statement sinks in. "Mr. Nihilo was only temporarily inconvenienced since he did not yet know the rules, but any future punishments will remain in place unless you take steps to fix them."

[herodofcows]

Connor laughs at Roy's raillery, and responds by helping himself with almost unseemly gusto to the meal at hand. He briefly considers telling his teammate that he actually doesn't need to eat or drink . . . but then checks himself, because the breakfast really IS fantastic.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As the tension left the situation with Nancy, Connor had sat himself back down with a final punctuating glower.

<Thank ye kindly, stone of the building. My name's Connor Berg, pleasure to meet ye. I surely hope I was not presumptuous there, and if I could help ye with . . . Well, that's right kind of ye, thank ye indeed . . .>

"Grace"'s entrance had left him sitting slack-jawed for a moment. A part of him wanted to laugh or scoff at the wild self-important theatricality of this Inner-Ringer. Another part realized he hadn't thought too much about a codename and had begun running through some painfully inadequate possibilities. Yet a third part had found himself more than a little attentive to the fall of Grace's hair and the sway of her walk . . . and a fourth and fifth part had subsequently declared a truce to gang up on that third part and beat it like an Alchemist Isolationist at an AUF bar.

His teacher's arrival had done little to ameliorate his slack-jawedness (albeit for vastly different reasons) . . . and it was around then that he noticed that the fox girl had apparently been messing with his rucksack.

"Oi . . ." he hisses to her, as an appropriate gap in their instructor's speech presents itself, "Whatever ye took . . . put it back . . . or I'll fekkin' . . . raze yer life . . . an' salt the ground behind me . . .""

Roll to Intimidate! Sans bonus.

[roll0]

As the teacher lays out the challenge, Connor finds himself trying to tick through ways that he could try and harm this man . . . or ways that he and Serhe could harm this man . . . no, ways that he and Serhe and Roy and Erica could harm this man . . .

. . . and then the trick with Serhe's hair makes him immediately reassess all of these. On instinct, he pats his own head to check that his own shortish wiry hair remains in place. Surely there's nothing that could be done there, right? No, of course not . . . which of course means that it would probably be something equally embarrassing in some OTHER regard . . .

"Oof, rough luck, mate. But sure, ye pulled it off better than most!" he giggles, saluting Serhe, "Sir, are there limits on when we're advised to attack ye? Like, if ye were at home, or off Academy grounds, or in the middle of a situation, or any such thing?"

[Zelphas]

The girl with fox ears looks over at Connor, her eyes wide with shock and fear... before transitioning immediately into a cheeky grin. She reaches up and pulls Connor's jar of Ashpah clay out of one fox-like ear... which shouldn't be possible; sure, her ears are large, but they aren't that large! One mysterious hand motion later, and the jar is gone from her hands... and Connor's rucksack is slightly heavier than moments before. "Are you the husband of the Sea, then?" she asks in a light, high voice that seems perpetually about to transition into a giggle.

Elita looks over at Roy and nods in acknowledgement, her eyes crinkling in what might be a smile. Donald glances over at Roy as well and apparently decide to emulate his example, looking pointedly away as well.

"If you are in a 'situation', Mr. Berg, you may not wish to add another enemy to the mix," the teacher responds in a jovial tone, his grin still widening impossibly. "Other then that, I would prefer that you not follow me to my home, but outside of class is fair game! If you wish to spend your free time to hunt after me, who am I to dissuade you?"

He breaks off and glances to one side, seeming to look through the west wall. "Time is moving without us, and I'm afraid that we have several tests to go through before lunch time." Several papers float up from the desk at the front of the room and separate into thinner sheets, setting down on each desk. "We will begin with a basic history of Teocawki, starting shortly before the Threefold Day and moving--"

"Um..." Elita interrupts hesitantly, her hand raised. "What--what do we call you? You have not given us a name..."

The teacher's smile remains unchanged. "'Sir' or 'teacher' will work for now; after all, I am your target. the more you know about your target, the better you can plan your attack," he says, turning his gaze to look directly at Roy, "And names can tell you quite a bit about someone.

"Now, if you are all ready to begin..."

All right, now here's how I'm thinking that the next five days IC will work!

Every day, you'll have three rolls: one for morning classes, one for afternoon classes, and one for either. For morning classes, you can roll raw Intelligence to score well on the tests, or Stealth to sneak answers from others, or anything else you can justify to me in order to get better grades. For afternoon classes, you can roll Acrobatics and Athletics, Expertise: Geography, a certain power, or anything else that you can justify to me in order to do better in survival/wilderness training. For either morning or afternoon, you can choose to forgo trying to do better on the tests in order to roll Perception or Insight; doing so will give you information on your teacher, such as his habits, routine, and possibly weaknesses to exploit. For the sake of brevity, I will probably give you guys two chances to strike at the teacher, but I will let you choose the days that you do so; if you all are fine with it, I would be fine with you attempting one attack every day as well. Your final score at the end of the week will depend upon what you rolled to improve your grades in the morning and afternoon... if you don't manage to harm the teacher first. I will also give roleplay bonuses on any and all of your rolls, if I can, so that you can still scrape up some points on a low roll so long as you come up with a clever idea and describe it well.

For day one, I'm going to have you play through the morning and afternoon, and then we can abstract the other four days. Remember, unless you have telepathy, you can't share knowledge until you meet together again at lunch... unless you can think of some other way to communicate without disrupting your test-taking!

So, what I need from all of you now is one roll each, either to improve your test scores or to learn something new about your teacher.

[Zelphas]

Erica

You flip over the test and scan the first question.

1. Name the three largest governments prior to the Threefold Day, the primary religion of each, and the primary export of each.

That's... most people would find themselves unable to name one of the BTD governments! You are able to name the three largest, and sketch out the religions of each for the most part, but the export of the third largest government (Vunderland) escapes you. Luckily, the questions seem to be sequenced in order of chronology rather than difficulty, but many of them seem to be absurdly detailed. You finish the test feeling like you've answered everything that you could realistically be expected to, but some of the questions were simply ridiculous. How were you supposed to know the name of the dictatorship that ruled on the mainland that became the Savior Sea between 273 ATD and 274 ATD?

Roy

Comparing notes with Erica during the tests lets the two of you have more or less the same answers, and frees you up to enact your plan to videotape your teacher. You aren't able to know for sure until the test ends and you can check the footage, but you think you've pulled it off; at least, every time you look up from the test, the teacher is still standing at the front of the room and doesn't react to you any more than he does to anyone else.

After the test ends and you are all released for lunch, you take a quick look at the footage... and in the first few seconds, the teacher turns directly to face the camera and winks. Well, that's it then.

Glancing through the rest of the footage reveals something interesting, however: the teacher makes no move to leave the area being recorded. In fact, at one point the camera was knocked slightly askew as you bent down towards the paper again, and the teacher actually adjusted his position so that he ended up framed at the center of the screen again. Um... maybe he just really likes being on camera?

You learned one of the teacher's Quirks: Shutter Bug! As long as he knows that he's being recorded and isn't actively being attacked, the teacher will move to be "on camera" at all times.

Connor

There's a section on Ashpah in the test that you are able to breeze through, but otherwise... You decide that watching the teacher and seeing what you can learn is a better use of your time. While the teacher doesn't seem to be looking at anything in particular, after a little bit of focusing you pick up on that strange feeling that someone is watching you, and you trace the feeling back to the teacher. It looks like the teacher doesn't really use his eyes to watch you.

After over an hour of "taking your test", you notice a sharp dip in the teacher's attention. Looking up, you can see him looking out the window on the west side of the room, staring down at something in the grass outside. A closer look lets you make out a tiny, furry creature, digging in the ground just outside. You didn't know that rabbits still lived in the Inner Ring; they're rather rare in True Ashpah, only seen in flashes in grassy valleys.

A tiny stream of sand jets across the room, curving around the teacher's head at the last second and scattering on the blackboard. The teacher turns, his attention once more on the room, and the boy in white robes is suddenly not wearing white robes--instead, he is in bright orange robes that look almost like curtain drapes, embroidered with lurid pink and lime green flowers. The boy makes a sound like two rocks scraping together--grumbling, maybe?--and pushes the overlong sleeves out of his way to get back to the test.

You learned one of the teacher's Quirks: Adorable! If he is presented with something overly cute or charming, the teacher will focus on it; he is Entranced until he is in immediate danger.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Once the test was over and the group had gathered for lunch, Erica said, "So, my glasses are enchanted to view auras. Among other things, they let me scan for supernatural and elemental powers." She started speaking a bit more quietly at that point, not wanting other students who might be nearby to overhear. "Our teacher back there is a supernaturalist, which is helpful, since the enchantments are much more sensitive to those and I can get a lot more information out of what they're telling me."

"From what I was seeing, his powers are psionic in nature. He has an extremely powerful psionic sensory power. Figure if you're within a thousand feet of him, he knows you're there. If you're further away...he still might know you're there. Ambushing him is going to be more-or-less impossible. He can mentally deflect pretty much any physical or energy attack, and even those that he can't deflect, he can ignore if they're weak enough. He also has stupid levels of control over his physical body, which includes but is nowhere near limited to a powerful regenerative ability. He's able to psychoport out to several hundred feet, and can attack with direct mental blasts. His psionic powers also gift him with highly enhanced intelligence."

"That all being said, his strength seems to be more about deflecting than resisting harm. I don't get the sense that his psionic defenses could stand up to quite as much punishment as the wards on my armor, based on the energy readings, but I wouldn't be surprised if the threshold required to actually damage them is higher."

"So obviously, Serhe, if you can shut down his powers, that's the fastest route to victory. However, that's probably going to be a tall order considering how powerful he is. He's a supernaturalist, so he might be somewhat weaker to your powers, Connor. We won't be catching him off-guard, but if we can curtail his ability to deflect attacks, we might be able to punch through his defenses if we throw enough power at him."

Erica's Routining Insight and scanning emotions; if any students appear to be showing interest in their discussion, she'll talk more quietly or possibly suggest moving elsewhere.

So, my critted Assessment didn't actually get any specific stats, so we know he has a high enough Deception that he was able to come within one degree of an effective 40.

As one might expect, his stats mostly came back as higher than Erica's - except Toughness. So his Toughness can't be higher than 11. My gut instinct here, based on the description of his powers, is PL 14 with a four-point Defense shift, but that's pure speculation. It did appear based on description that Serhe had hit with his original Nullify though at a roll of 24; I can't rule out that he "let" it hit due to somehow knowing he was immune, although that seems somewhat unlikely given the limited information Serhe's power provides opponents and the fact that my scan didn't detect any power-analyzing effects. So if we take that as evidence, it's more likely that he's PL 12 with a two-point Defense shift.

My best guesses as to his mechanical powers are:

Senses (Ranged Radius Acute Accurate Extended Counters All Concealment Mental Sense). My scan said his senses work within "at least 1,000 feet", so Extended 1 would give him 1,000' range of detecting a base DC 0 within 1,000' from Routine Perception +0 alone. But I can't say for sure he doesn't have Extended 2 (which would be 1,000' per -1 to his Perception checks). The description makes me fairly confident it Counters All Concealment, but I'm not quite as certain that it also Penetrates Concealment. I would not be surprised though.

High levels of Enhanced Dodge and Parry. He may or may not also have a Deflect power. I don't expect he has some sort of extremely broad immunity, but I wouldn't put it entirely past him.

Mental Blast.

Impervious Toughness and Regeneration. Working on the assumption that his Toughness is +10, I would expect he has Impervious 20. That makes him immune to rank 10 and lower Toughness-resisted attacks, which puts him out of range of any normal Damage from a PL 8 student, and means we can't reliably use Area and Perception attacks to just circumvent his high Defense stats. We also don't really know just what mechanically qualifies as "wounding" him. It may mean inflicting a single Bruise, it may mean inflicting damage he can't just regenerate in one round. But it's also not impossible that Bruises get fluffed as merely taking him more energy to deflect, so a Daze or even a Stagger could be required to qualify.

Zelphas' description of the next one was, and I quote, "Completely control his body's form, to a level you've never even heard about". To me, that suggests a Variable power for physical traits. I have precisely zero idea what rank it might be. But assume if we get unlucky he'll be able to reconfigure to deal with whatever our trick was.

Teleport 4 or 5.

Enhanced Intellect 16+.

So it's pretty beefy. Seems doable though depending on the exact threshold for wounding and his actual PL. Between Inspire (which I'm down to spend a Hero Point on for this), All Out Attack, Extra Effort, and some Aids and Team Checks, I think we can stack enough bonuses up to get it done.

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy scans the crowd for signs that anyone's trying to listen in on their conversation as well. "It was tricky at first, but Erica's scan of his powers gave me enough clues to figure out who our teacher is," Roy says after Erica has finished. His voice is low as well. "His name's Renatus Weiss, Hero name Watchman. He's relatively young, so it's weird that he's been given a teaching position so soon. There's all sorts of rumors surrounding his past, mostly 'cause it's impossible to figure it out. There's almost no proof of his existence before seven years ago, when he appeared in the Magellans and started fighting Tribs. The especially paranoid insist that he's a product of the World Government's, created to supplement or replace Heroes in the Magellans, or else that he's some creature from beyond the Magellans taken human shape. Typical ramblings of the clinically paranoid, naturally."

~"There's gotta be some info on him in the Hero Registrar, though,"~ he thinks to Erica, in the tone of one who is implying their course of action without outright stating it.

"Anyway, I managed to get a recording of him through the morning, to try and review later for tics or weaknesses. Right away, I saw that...well, he apparently likes being on camera. He never once tried to leave my recording's field of view, and even once purposefully put himself back in the spotlight when I looked away. Maybe we could use that to corral him where we want him to be? That probably wouldn't last while under attack, but if we want him somewhere specific, then maybe that's a possible ploy."

"Erica and I are tinkerers, like we said yesterday," he continues. "If there's something you can think of to give yourselves a little extra oomph, let us know and we can try to make something for ya."

[Arcran]

Serhe frantically tries to find a mirror as the professor explains exactly how all of this would work, his mouth hanging open slackjawed. Thus far, nobody had ever detected that he was using his powers. Hell, barely anybody had managed to piece together that he was actively shutting them off! That meant that somehow the professor was able to both notice what he was doing, as well as effortlessly resist it.

Still, despite the fact that he had been humiliated in front of the class, Serhe was already thinking of a plan. Whatever the professor was, he wasn't Odd, which cut down the real options to Paragon and Supernaturalist, although the latter seemed more likely at the moment. Even more, if the professor was going to give him a makeover each time, he just had to keep pushing until he did something that Serhe could actually see and attempt to shut off or, if he didn't want to risk it, just turn off whatever occurred to other students. He gives a good-natured laugh as the others around the room giggle, before running his hands through his hair in an attempt to minimize his humiliation. As the laughter dies down, Serhe gives Connor a pointed look, trying to look as confident as a man currently in pigtails can, at least until the professor puts his hair back to normal.

As they moved forward into actual classes, however, Serhe quickly realized that while he might be able to deal with the powered type of the challenges, he couldn't hope to pass this exam to save his life. It took exactly one question before Serhe started pouring enhancement into his eyes and they began to dart between the professor and other students' exams, zoomed in far enough that he had no difficulties reading the writing, and hoping against hope that he wouldn't be caught, but hoping that if he was, the professor would try to change something other than his hair. When the exam was finished Serhe let out a sigh, hoping that he'd diversified his cheating enough to not be caught.

Going to routine a 22 on Stealth to CHEAT

When they arrived at lunch, Serhe wasn't expecting the others to have accomplished much. After all, they'd likely been just as busy with the exam as he had, right? When Roy and Erica instantly go over what they learned, Serhe's eyes bug out slightly. When Erica reveals that she already knows how the professor's powers work and Roy goes over all the details about who the professor is, Serhe lets out a low whistle. As they finish, Serhe thinks for a moment, before coming up with some semblance of a plan.

Uh, Erica, Roy, Serhe asks, thinking carefully. People usually don't know when I try to mess with their powers until it's too late. That's probably the biggest perk, Serhe says, whispering as quietly as possible. If you could build something that lets me still do that, this test will just be a matter of time. I can hopefully just keep hitting him over and over again until something happens. If his powers allow him that much control over his body, something has to happen when we shut it off, right? Serhe muses, looking at the others. At that point if the three of you hit him with everything we have we might be able to put a scratch on him, however small.

Is that even possible though? Something to block him noticing my powers?

[Zelphas]

Serhe

As you surreptitiously begin scanning the tests of those around you for answers, you soon come to the conclusion that nearly everyone is as clueless as you are on the test questions; only a few of the students are still actively writing, two of your Cell-mates among them. You are able to gather together a fair number of the answers by combining the scraps of information that each student was able to pull together, answering a majority of the questions this way. One particularly useful student is the bland-looking boy with intense green eyes; since the test began, he has not stopped writing, and at a prodigious pace.

After taking a third glance at the green-eyed boy's paper and writing down his answer, words appear unbidden in your mind, spoken by a moderate baritone in a clipped voice: The first three were free samples, to show you what I can offer. You want more, we can talk price. Glancing up a few minutes later, you accidentally meet the teacher's eye; he very deliberately winks at you before returning to his examination of the middle distance. You notice nothing change about your hair or clothing; it looks like the only actions worthy of punishment are those that attempt to harm the teacher.

Everyone

After lunch, the teacher leads the class out into the woods on Hope Academy; the buildings are soon lost to sight as the trees tower around you, some so huge that it seems like they could have stood since before the Threefold Day. The early afternoon sun casts green-shaded light down through winding pathways covered in underbrush and shines brightly in the few open clearings that you cross, and small flashes of movement show where animals, sensing your presence, flee deeper into the forest.

"On the first day, you have a simple task," the teacher announces, coming to a stop in the middle of a clearing and turning to face the group. "Find a suitable campsite, construct a camp for your Cell, and build and light a proper fire. Assume that you are in unconfirmed but likely Trib-infested territory, your supplies are limited, and any reinforcements are unlikely; you will be graded on your ability to conserve resources as well as your campsite's viability and comfort." He grins widely, looking over the class. "I will move from Cell to Cell, offering advice and instruction if asked. You have one hour, beginning now." At the word "now", he vanishes.

[Quellian-dyrae]

At Lunch

~I'll add it to my list,~ Erica sent back with a flicker of amused confidence, a sort of telepathic equivalent of a grin.

Erica considered Serhe's idea, but she didn't look confident. "Not likely," she had to admit. "I could enchant something to conceal all of the sensory displays of a power, and to mute most of the sensations that it would cause, but not perfectly. Given the scope of his perceptual abilities and his level of control over his own self, I expect he'd have little trouble seeing through it."

At Survival Training

Erica managed to keep from giggling after their teacher vanished, but only just. You might think, the Stonesmith twins had left the Magellans when they were eight years old. Maybe they didn't have the full breadth of survival experience that the average Magellan might? Hah, no. First off, these are Magellans we're talking about. By eight years old? Yes they did! But even discounting that, they went camping all the time. It was fun.

That wasn't the hilarious part though. The hilarious part was that they had Connor in their Cell.

"Come on, best place to set up a camp in a potentially Trib-occupied area is about {Expertise (Survival)} upwind of an animal lair." That was far enough not to disturb most animals, but any Tribs were more likely to catch the animal scents and ignore the scent trail entirely, or come across the animals first if they did investigate and move on to something else, since Tribs didn't bother with non-human fauna. "Judging by the terrain, we can probably find some {+16 bonus} if we head {mad skillz yo}. We can gather wood and forage for food on the way. Should be plenty of {Erica knows stuff}, just stay away from {nature is bad sometimes}."

Expertise (Survival): [roll0] Also 33 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?536652-Teocawki-(M-amp-M-3e)-OOC-Welcome-to-Hope-Academy!&p=22523517#post22523517).

...Expertise (Cooking): [roll1]. :smallamused:

[Arcran]

In the Exam

Serhe blinks rapidly as he hears the voice in his head, glancing back at the boy with green eyes. For a moment, Serhe's eyes narrowed, more out of annoyance than being caught than anything. Still, the boy apparently knew all the answers, which meant that, depending on his price, it might just be worth it. He does, however, hang his head in defeat when the teacher winks at him. Was there anything that he didn't notice? It almost wasn't fair at this point.

It didn't stop Serhe from cheating though. After all, he was better off with flowers growing out of his head than trying to answer these himself.



Survival Training

As the goal of the task is explained, Serhe's shoulders slumped slightly. The Stonesmiths were from the Magellans, and Connor could almost literally make a mansion of a campsite in his sleep. Serhe, on the other hand, was raised in a wealthy family, and had never really had to bother with actual survival skills. Even more, unless the woods were boobytrapped by teachers (which isn't impossible), there was pretty much no way that he was going to be able to help here.

I, uh, can carry the firewood, Serhe says cautiously, giving way to Erica's guidance as he pushes a bit of power into his muscles.

[herodofcows]

At Lunch

Connor sits uneating, drumming his fingers against his cane as the group speaks. He's running on a little mix of frustration (Allmind be kind, that test was a bloody calamity . . .) and excitement (I've got something, I've got something, oh aye I've got something!), which together make the prospect of eating ENTIRELY unappealing.

"Well, I don't know about his not being off-guard," he ventures, turning to face the group with a sparkle in his eyes, "I was watching him as we sat that exam, and it looks to me that he's got a wee fascination for the cute and cuddly. Seems he can't keep himself from distraction in the face of rabbits, puppies, and the like. Good diversion fuel, wouldn't ye say? Gets us a surprise hit in if we play it right . . ."

Survival Training

Connor cracks his knuckles against his cane as he follows Erica into a likely area. He surveys the area with relish . . . and then gets to work.

<Dirt and rock below! If I might have a wee moment of yer time . . .>

Within moments, the ground has bowled inwards to create an indented "basement" within the ground. Walls arise within this lower level, creating sectioned-off "cabin" areas within the earthworks to be used as individual quarters. These quarters (each walled and windowed and containing about as much room as a decent-sized bedroom) are united by a central unroofed courtyard area, perfect for a communal bonfire or meeting space. On impulse, he gives the exterior wall of each "cabin" a granite frieze depicting each member of their cell in a semi-heroic pose.

"Well, here's my rough draft!" he eventually exclaims, after putting the finishing touches in, "Figure we keep things low to the ground, decrease visibility. And of course it would be child's play to roof over the whole thing with stone, if we should need to hide further . . . Thoughts? Changes? Plenty to work with here, and the ground is plenty friendly!"

[Thokk_Smash]

Earlier, at lunch

"There we go!" Roy whisper-exclaims with a grin. "Between keeping on camera and gettin' the warm fuzzies, we might just be able to get a sneak attack in."

Survival Training

"Excellent, excellent, excellent," Roy mutters with glee as he watches the campsite spring into existence. He kept a close pace to Erica, helping where she needs it, but for the most part he prepares his spare Empowered Flux Crystals, channeling his Enhancement energy through them in a way that almost makes him forget they're there.

"Connor, I'm about to start working around the perimeter of the campsite," he calls out to Connor. "Might wanna give your buddies a heads up to avoid me for awhile, since I'm gonna be channeling my energy quite a bit."

He begins by placing his crystals strategically around the campsite's exterior, in a roughly square formation. He works quickly and efficiently, running his fingers on the ground as he moves. The contact provides a barebones conduit for his energy to follow, and he repeats the act with four trees that he places several crystals within as well. His index and middle fingers glow faintly with his energy as he flies to the center of the area.

Closing his eyes, he concentrates hard on the energies around him. And in an instant the energies almost seem to vanish. In fact, the entire area seems to have a bit of fuzz to it. The eye seems to slide over details of the surface, sounds seem dimmed, even smells seem muted within that area. He flies into the campsite proper and grins. "That ought to hide our trail even more," he says with pride.

Technology to help hide the campsite from notice: [roll0]

[Zelphas]

Using Erica's suggestions of a good place, Serhe is able to spot an excellent campsite, and the group is able to claim the sight before any of the other Cells come near. The place is a small depression in the ground near a cave that Erica identifies as a fox den, surrounded by some of the older trees in the forest. Cole is able to use the intertwining roots of the trees as a natural floor as he digs out their new campsite, giving the eventual camp an oblong, homey appearance. Roy places his flux crystals strategically over the camp, fuzzing it from view until it is difficult to tell that the camp is even there.

"Clever," says a voice at Roy's ear, and the teacher is suddenly beside him. He looks over the campsite, nodding. "A sunken, covered campsite will obfuscate your presence from most visual and scent-oriented Tribs. I would suggest directing some of your flux concealment energy towards the ground below you; burrowing Tribs are highly sensitive to changes in the landscape, and such a large excavation would undoubtedly grab their attention. Mr. Berg, I would suggest asking the earth to subdue its movements; it will slow the creation of your camp, but will greatly decrease the tremors in the earth." A moment later, he is gone.

In the process of gathering wood, Serhe is able to observe the various campsites that the other Cells are making, as well as the teacher's reaction to each. Most of the groups focused on stealth, similar to your own Cell's campsite; for example, Farhan McDonald has persuaded an entire large tree to open and become a living space for his Cell, sealing the tree again with a few gestures. Other Cells have gone a slightly different route; the Cell with Dawnlight in it seems to have made several small campsites dotted throughout the forest, each one well away from the others and surrounded by well-concealed traps filled with Elita's corrosive acid. All in all, the Cells are making a better showing of this test than the morning.

The teacher shows up to each Cell in turn, and some of them several times, seemingly dispensing advice to each. Even when he is being actively attacked by the Cell the moment he arrives, he still remains for several seconds in danger of attack from the Cells, though those that do attack him suffer from his "punishments". At one point, he somehow turns a Phoenix transformer's flames hot pink--you're not really sure how he did that...

You learned one of the teacher's Quirks: The Teacher! It seems that teaching is a compulsion for your instructor; he cannot help but dispense advice to his students, often leaving himself in danger for several seconds in order to do so.

When the hour is almost up, you realize that you have lost sight of the teacher. Glancing around, you finally spot him; he is sitting atop a giant coniferous tree in the forest, his face in profile to you. He is looking down at something in his hands, and although his ever-present smile is still in place, he looks... sad, as though he was looking down at a loved one's corpse. In his hands is a drawing, immaculately detailed, of a woman's face: long black hair, slanted hazel eyes, a small upturned nose, and a somewhat wide mouth caught in the midst of a laugh. A moment later, a bell tolls over the forest, and the drawing is gone, as is the teacher. He doesn't seem to have noticed you seeing him.

You learned part of one of the teacher's Secrets: The Drawing of a Woman. Whoever she is, she seems extremely important to the teacher, and her drawing seems to make him sad.

A bell tolls across the grounds, and the teacher appears in front of each Cell in turn, telling them to meet at the clearing where they began their afternoon class. The other Cells seem more-or-less confident as the class gathers together. "I have looked over each of your campsites, and have graded them accordingly," the teacher says once everyone has arrived. "All of you have done excellent jobs; tomorrow morning before the morning test, I will give each of you a note of what I consider to be the strong points of your designs, as well as any improvements that you could make on them.

"This evening, I will stay the night in the campsite which I consider to have best fulfilled the requirements I set for you," he continues, once more showing his superior grin. "I will also restrict my awareness to the interior of the camp. I will remain there until the first attack, and then I will leave to my own lodgings. Class is dismissed for the day; we will meet again at the same time in the same classroom as this morning. Have a good night." With that, the teacher vanishes.

[Zelphas]

Roy

The genial-looking older woman who is in charge of the Hero Registry is more than happy to allow Roy access into the archives after talking with him for a few minutes; she's a font of information on the habits of the Heroes in the Inner Ring, though she doesn't have any more information about your teacher than you've already found by observing him.

The archives are organized by the current assigned locations of active Heroes, with the Heroes in each location organized by Cell and in alphabetical order. It takes you a few moments to find where the school is located in the section for Hope; the teachers there are given their own folder set slightly aside from the main Hero teams in Hope. You finally find the folder labeled Weiss, Renatus and pull it out. The folder is surprisingly thin, and when you open it you only see a single sheet of paper.

To the Student who found this note:

I commend you for your curiosity, but my past is not so easy to unlock. I will give you part of the key, as a reward for your out-of-school work:

'Theus'

Pass my tests to find the rest.

The paper is signed by a familiar-looking smiley face.

On the inside of the folder, you see an official-looking seal, inscribed with words:

Contents Sealed by Order of Knight-Commander Akakios Kalb

Everyone

After dinner, you are able to make your way quickly through the forest and back to your campsite. After you pass the projection blockers that Roy had put in place, the depression in the ground becomes clear to you. As far as you can see, nothing has changed...

...Well, except for the large signpost placed in the middle of the camp, just to the left of the now-extinguished fire. The sign is a rectangular section of unpainted wood, with small block letters stenciled onto the front. Moving closer allows you to make out the writing:

Miss Stonesmith, excellent directions, and Mr. Nihilo, excellent eye, to find this campsite. The fox den will hide your scent effectively, and the natural depression serves as a useful way to mask your later excavations. Miss Stonesmith, the meal was delectable.

Mr. Berg, your excavation progressed well, and the addition of an earthen cover is a good touch. Some Tribs are able to recognize man-made constructions, so unless you are willing and able to spend the time in the morning to demolish your lovely additions to the walls of your camp, you may cause any Tribs nearby to go into heightened alert. Otherwise your construction was durable and well-built.

Mr. Stonesmith, the addition of the perception filter around the camp added a further layer of protection against discovery, and you can never have too many of those! I will note that many would consider the flux crystals you used an exorbitant cost for the protection, especially if the camp needed to be left in haste.

For all of you, one note:

Always create an escape route. Tribs have found Heroes who were completely concealed before, and the larger the concentration of humans, the better Tribs are at sniffing them out. Any camp created in possible Trib-controlled territory should be a temporary structure, able to be evacuated from at a moment's notice.

In summary: An excellent temporary encampment, especially for a first attempt. Be aware of all of the abilities of Tribs, and be prepared to escape if necessary.

This campsite placed Second in this afternoon's competition.

At the bottom of the sign is another familiar smiley face.

Yuo can see a few fox ears poking out of the fox den nearby, twitching in your direction. On a second look, the ears seem far too large for a normal fox...

[Thokk_Smash]

After School...

Roy's mouth twists in frustration-tinged curiosity at the sight of their teacher's signature mark. What the heck is "theus" supposed to be a clue for? Something related to divinity? It sounds like an ancient, BTD language's word for "god". Maybe Prof Weiss has connections with one of the religions? He puts the paper back in its file and places it back in the rack. Well, he's got other things to worry about.

That Night...

Roy fiddles with the impromptu night vision scopes on his visor as he stares at the sign. Second place, huh? It stings, he'll admit--more than it maybe should have. The teacher's comment on his anti-skinflint actions kinda rankles, true, since he was fully aware of the price of those crystals when he placed them. Their protection warranted sparing no expense, and he could snatch them all up in the same movement as fleeing. Not to mention--between Connor's power and Erica and his flight, they could be out of the plot at the drop of a dime. Hardly difficult to evacuate from.

Well, all the more reason to find him tonight, then.

"I can only think of one campsite that would be better than ours," he says, turning to his team. "Bernhard's team's site. They have Water and Earth Elementalists, and there's a Savior Sea stream in the forest. Tribs do their best to steer clear of Savior Sea water, and between the two Elementalists they could get their team out of an underwater base in a moment's notice. Serhe, did you notice where Bernhard and his team were setting up camp earlier today?"

Roy took a little less than an hour after school to make Darkvision night-vision lenses for everyone but Serhe, so we don't need to sacrifice stealth for light.

[Arcran]

While Spying...

Serhe looks at the professor's picture as best he can, not quite sure what to make of it. While the person was obviously important to him, Serhe had absolutely no way of telling in what capacity the two were related. It could be anywhere from a good friend to his daughter, and damn near anything in between.

Still, a physical object that the professor cared about was a rather large advantage; at the very least, it could give them some potential bait to use later on.

In The Campsite

When they arrive at the campsite and Serhe spots the campsite, he can't help but scowl. He'd expected the professor to be standing there waiting for them, and instead they had a signpost. His scowl only grows when he spots the writing at the bottom.

Bloody second place again, Serhe says angrily, kicking a small rock with as much of his Enhanced strength as possible, sending it whistling into the trees. It'd be nice to actually win something, he adds, muttering a string of curses under his breath and he lies down for a moment.

When Roy asks about the other campsite, Serhe's scowl slowly turns into an excited grin. Oh, I know exactly where they are, Serhe says, hopping to his feet. What's the plan, take out the professor while he's there? Serhe says, trying to think of some way they could take them down.

Before he does, however, Serhe notices a flicker of movement on the outskirts of the camp, thanks to a disturbance in Roy's generators. As he spots the fox ears, he almost ignores them until he realizes that one pair was, well, a bit too big.

Hey, Connor, Serhe asks, trying to keep his voice somewhat low. You can tell where stuff is underground, right?

[Quellian-dyrae]

As much as getting first was a thrill, Erica wasn't disappointed in second place. After a childhood spent jump-roping the line between "last" and "dead last", placing second among Hope's newest students was still an amazing achievement. It did make her realize that she had been kinda riding high on confidence after the entry exam. The other teams had their powers too, after all, and even if they weren't all Magellans, they knew that at least Bernhard and Nancy were, so it wasn't like that particular advantage was unique. These exams wouldn't be a cakewalk, but that was fine. That was good. The challenge would force them to push themselves to do better.

She did admittedly have some of her own questions about some of the stated reasoning. Erica hadn't overlooked the importance of an escape route, she had just figured there weren't many that they could build into the camp itself that would outdo their own mobility powers. In retrospect, she supposed it wouldn't have hurt to ask Connor to dig a maze of escape tunnels and conceal the fastest path for getting through them in a riddle carved into the walls of the buildings, but she felt she had a fair argument that it wasn't really a necessary precaution. But then, that was a good thing in itself, really. Having some intelligent questions to ask him while they were trying to hit him might actually help make sure he'd stick around long enough for them to hit him.

Overall, though, she was happy with the result of their campsite. And doubly happy when Roy and Serhe narrowed down where the professor was likely to be!

"Yeah I think so. Hopefully getting into the camp despite the water won't be too big a problem. I mean, I'm sure you could dam it up, right Connor? But your elemental powers are probably going to be the hardest for him to deflect. I have some questions I want to ask him about our grades anyway, so hopefully he'll stick around long enough to answer those and we can just more-or-less hammer away full force." The real trick would be if Bernhard's Cell made a play, but hopefully those hot-pink phoenix fires would make them think more cautiously before making their next attempt.

[Zelphas]

A few seconds after Serhe asks Connor his question, the over-large ears in the fox hut twitch, and then... fade. There is no other word to describe it; the ears darken into shadows and then simply vanish, all in the space of a few seconds.

"Teacher's not here? Aw, now I owe Patro a cookie." The high, giggly voice comes out of Connor's wavering shadow from the light of the flux crystals, and a moment later the girl with three fox tails and giant ears simply steps out of the shadow to his side. Up close, the girl really is tiny; all four of you tower over her.

"In the old legends, the Sea took a human husband," she comments in her bubbly voice, sounding as though she was continuing a conversation that had started moments before. "She didn't want her husband to die, so she cut out his heart and kept it. The Sea is fickle, though, so she eventually got tired of her husband and started playing cruel tricks on him with his heart. The husband, tired of the abuse, stole back his heart and kept it in a jar full of earth, so that the Sea couldn't touch it anymore." Her bright golden eyes, nearly glowing in the evening twilight, flick over to Connor's pack before focusing on his face. "Is your heart in your jar, Mister Berrrrg?" she says, rolling the 'r' in 'Berg' theatrically.

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy blinks and tenses slightly when the fox-girl--Tsubaki, he believes her name is--literally emerges from Connor's shadow. A fascinating ability, to be sure! And quite useful in a dimly lit forest at night, to boot. He'd be happy to grill her all about her powers, after tonight.

"And does that make you the Sea in this scenario, little flower bud?" he replies with amusement, recalling vaguely what her name meant in an old BTD language. "Connor, I dunno, man, you could do worse than the Sea."

He grins and slaps Connor's shoulder, then takes to the sky. He doesn't go far, and will wait for the others to follow, but his meaning is pretty clear. He shoots Tsubaki a smile that's at least suitably apologetic.

[herodofcows]

Connor lets out a minor "bah" upon reading his teacher's comments. To be sure, the walls had been a bit of a frivolity, but he'd been proud of them. And obviously he'd take the time to bring them down in the mornings after breaking camp . . .

Och, shut up, Berg. Teacher knows better than ye do. Take the lesson and leave it be . . .

Feck off, Berg. My walls're a work of bloody art and I'll mope as I damn well please.

"I mean," he begins, turning to Serhe, "I can sense when rock is about, sure. Anything within the rock is-"

And then the fox girl makes an appearance.

"WHAT in the Allminded feck!" he half-yelps, starting so hard that he nearly falls over.

He whirls around and glares at the newcomer like a drunken vulture. Her story takes him a moment to place relative to their earlier exchange, but he can feel himself getting wrong-footed already. All of this talk of husbands and the sea and hearts . . . it's so far out of his wheelhouse that he might as well be falling through the Mists without a trace of rock to be found.

"Ye ribbin' me, Stonesmith?" he growls, doing his best to will his blush away as Roy takes to the sky, "I'm no' here fer no foxy harridan!"

He harrumphs and turns back to the fox girl, flushed with anger and embarrassment.

"Did I no' make meself clear?" he snarls again, accent intensifying with his discomfort, "Leave me an' me jar of dirt alone or I'll feckin' murrain ye!"

He whirls around and begins to walk off . . . before sheepishly returning as he remembers that they have some planning to do.

". . . I'll go in from below, then?" he hisses into Erica's ear, trusting Serhe to be able to keep up (or maybe read his lips, who could tell?), "Figure they'd have to touch the streambank SOMEwhere . . ."

As he speaks, he throws the fox girl another look of pure loathing.

"What the feck d'ye want anyway?" he snaps at her, trying to override discomfort with anger.

Throwing my hat into the Evaluate ring!

[roll0] Insight!

[Zelphas]

Tsubaki stands in front of the group, looking crushed, her large golden eyes filled with tears. "I-I was just--" she stammers, before abruptly turning on her heel and rushing into a patch of shadow on the side of a building. She vanishes, a glitter of water droplets hanging in the air level to where her eyes were for a moment before falling into the gloom.

At the River

The offshoot of the Savior Sea floats slowly by in its riverbed, the crystalline waters shadowed, looking impossibly deep in the low light. The area where Serhe saw Bernhard's Cell last in the afternoon is a ford in the river, a natural spot of shallower water where the river is only a foot or so deep. The sandy shores of the river and the trees around it seem untouched, the land quiet and still in the swiftly fading light.

Although not impossible, it's rather unlikely for a forest stream to have sandy shores. There's also an inch-wide strip of land that stretches for about a hundred feet on the edge of the river near the center of the ford that seems to be newly flooded, almost as though the water was recently displaced, though only slightly.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica did have her suspicions that the fox-girl was stalling them. She couldn't tell for sure, but this was a zero-sum game where their team had established a dominating advantage in a combat-oriented trial. Curtailing their efforts to gain the advantage through battle made sense. She agreed with Roy's stratagem, a quick but polite escape.

Connor's response...could have been more tactful, though. She wasn't sure what their background was, but that might have been a bit much. However, she had scampered off before Erica was able to try to smooth things over.

(Although, since Erica was looking at her aura at the time, that would probably help determine whether the fox-girl was actually shedding crocodile tears).

As they made their way to the river, Erica said gently, "So, it occurs to me that we miiiiight want to start relating to our fellow students a bit better, before this friendly competition turns unfriendly." She included herself in the assessment; her initial response to Nancy had been every bit as confrontational and aggressive as anything any of the boys had done then or since, and while she didn't regret putting Nancy in her place (even if her reaction had been entirely feigned), she did regret the message it had likely sent to her Cell and the rest of her class.

She couldn't undo that, but she could do better going forward.

As they approached the river, well, there may have been no sign of the camp to the naked eye (aside from some signs of flooding that suggested a displacement in the water), but the Stonesmith siblings didn't do naked eyes.

Acute Analytical Detect Emotions to see if the fox girl's reaction is real. Insight if needed: [roll0]. Yeah see, Erica can actually see your feelings so...

Routines the Survival check.

Routine Perception for 10 at the river. That won't do much in itself, but the Detect Transformer Powers (neither Accurate, Acute, nor Analytical, so it won't be precise, but should reveal a rough location if any active transformative powers are in use), Acute Analytical Detect Supernatural Powers (should pick up the teacher's sensory powers if they're being "confined to the camp", suggesting some sort of actual manipulable field), and Extended Vision Counters All Concealment should help more. If she does see a sort of "bubble" of his Senses power, she'll alert the team so they can stop before they reach it.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"What if we called him out? Said we want to get a picture with him at the winning campsite?" Erica suggested. "I mean, he'd know we're planning to attack him too, but considering how confident he is and how much he likes to be on camera, I think he might go for it anyway."

Her clothing was changing as she spoke, going from her usual dignified, flowing garments to a pink and white dress with...a frankly unnecessary amount of frill and ribbon. She brushed her hair forward a bit to make her bangs more prominent, and then took the two elastic hair bands that her helmet had become and tied the rest of her hair up into pig tails. Her sword had taken on the appearance of her favorite stuffed animal from back when she was a kid (a foofy white bunny rabbit that had gone by the name of Ears. Ears had been a stalwart companion, but had sadly been eaten by Tribs during the fall of their town.) As a finishing touch, she plucked a conveniently-located flower and slipped it into her hair, before looking back to the others and giving her best wide-eyed-idealist smile. "What do you think? Cute?" she asked with a laugh. Hey, if it could provide any distraction or hesitation, it'd be worth it.

...But then remembering who she was talking to, she also added in a dangerously sweet voice, "And before any of you offer any comment on this outfit that does not relate entirely to the tactical ramifications of its ability to assist in creating a momentary distraction, do keep in mind that no matter how little it may look like it right now, this is still a sword!" She held up Ears 2.0 in a manner that absolutely would have been threatening if it weren't a stuffed bunny rabbit being dangled by its kinda ludicrously long ears.

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy inspects the ford's surroundings with a critical eye. There, and there--two signs of where the camp might be, and where its entrance might be. Whoever the Earth Elementalist had been, they'd done an incredible job, both in hiding the signs and in crafting that fake log. He's beginning to see why Professor Weiss had chosen them over his team. They'd probably made their own kind of traps or things to slow down Tribs, something Teach had said their campsite had lacked. If he considers the "attack" to begin when they enter the campsite, he might be able to bug out before they can even reach him.

As he considers his information, he can feel a buzz of thought from Erica. Before he can ask what's up, she proposes her plan and starts to tailor her appearance. He has to fight down a laugh. Trust Erica to just cut the knot!

At her final command, though, he does put on an exaggerated pose of thought. He stares at her with a critical eye. "Not bad, sis," he says. He does pull out a Flux crystal, however, that Erica knows he uses for miscellaneous appearance-related situations. "I've got a few improvements, though."

His Enhancing powers make her glasses notably larger; some carefully-applied foundation and the glasses give the illusion that her eyes are also larger, but not necessarily abnormally so. More foundation and manipulation of hair falling down to frame her face, and her cheeks appear ever-so-slightly rounder. With a quick trip round the clearing, he gathers enough flowers to make an acceptable flower crown to adorn her, well, crown. "Now, hold Ears The Second like this...no, no, closer to your chest, and tilt your head to the side like..."

Finished, Roy takes out a palm-sized mirror and holds it for Erica to see. "If he doesn't give a damn 'squee' at the sight of you, well, the man's got a heart of stone," he says with a chuckle.

Using Roy's Expertise (Theater) and the implied costuming skills and acting chops to enhance (hehe) the effect of Erica's outfit swap. Routining for a 26, if a number is necessary.

[Arcran]

At Camp
Serhe's eyes widen as Connor lets out his tirade. While he understood being annoyed with somebody, that was a bit much for somebody that they had just met, right? Or was there actually something more to Connor's dirt than it just being a jar of, well, dirt?

Either way, Serhe shakes his head then leads the way towards Bernard's camp.

The River
As Erica's costume shifts from practical to ridiculous, Serhe snorts, before catching himself as a stuffed bunny is brandished towards him. While he certainly questioned the legitimacy of this plan, he didn't see how it could hurt their chances.

So what, you distract him, I whammy him, and we see how things go from there? Serhe asks, obviously unsure of the actual plan. If we don't time things perfectly only one of us will get anything off before he just teleports away and gives us new hairdos, Serhe adds, frowning quite a bit as he does so. And that's not to mention the other students there. If they see us doing well against him, there's a very good chance they'll either steal our glory or try to get the kill themselves, Serhe adds. Serhe continues to stare at the bunny, until an idea crosses his mind.

Hey, uh, Roy, you make guns, right? Can you do bombs? And maybe disguise it as Ears the Second? It would at least work for us getting close to him, although I suppose there's no way for you to not be caught in the blast radius... Serhe says, musing to himself aloud.

Look around I guess?
Perception: [roll0]

[Thokk_Smash]

Unseen by Serhe (or seen, if he happens to glance to the side), Roy gives the other boy a death glare. It only lasts a fraction of a second, but then again so did the boy's smothered snort, and Roy had noticed it. The glare is gone before anyone can really register it, and he moves on to helping with the outfit.

"Well, yeah, I could whip up an explosive," Roy says with a nod. "But it'd take some time. I'm fast, but I can't just pull a bomb out of thin air in a second, and I'd say time is still of the essence here. The longer we wait, the more time the others have to get here and muck everything up. For what it's worth, I think you may be underestimating how much we'll be able to get done in a split second. You've already seen Erica in all her leadership glory; she'll give the signal, then we'll bum rush him together. All we have to do is lay a scratch on him; much easier than actually killing him, in my humble opinion."

[Arcran]

I suppose it will have to do, Serhe says, sounding rather annoyed. There was a certain charm to blowing up their teacher with a bunny rabbit. As long as I can shut down his powers, he can't teleport away. Hopefully he's a Supernaturalist, Serhe says, desperately hoping that he wasn't using things from every category.

As he talks to the others, Serhe notices something out of place in the river: a slight rise in the middle of the ford which is too regular to be natural. Serhe signals the others, then points at it silently.

There's a noise coming from it. Almost definitely their camp, might be trapped, Serhe says, trying to keep his voice low.

[herodofcows]

At Camp

Connor feels his anger turn into something far more green and sickly within him as the fox girl flees. Some kind of double-team of guilt and shame begins to eat at him as he turns away from where the girl had been standing, and Erica's words hit him like an explosion to a weak support beam.

"Aye, ye . . . Aye, I suppose . . ." he half-coherently mutters, glowering further as the optics of the situations start to sink in.

Must've looked fekkin' mad, just there . . . Damnations . . .

At The River

The shame wasn't going away. If anything, it was getting worse. He was having internal monologues with himself, mixes of contrite fantasies and proud lambasting tirades all directed at that strange vulpine girl. He'd stalked behind the rest of the group, half-muttering to himself before realizing that Serhe would probably be able to hear him. He'd spent the rest of the hike with pursed lips and a perpetually-blackening heart.

As such, coming to his senses to find Erica transforming herself into a strange frilly . . . thing . . . was a bit of a shock.

"Er . . ." he finally interjects, wresting his mind back to tactics, "If it's traps we're worried about, shall I go in loud first? Set them off, make it loud, cause our teacher to assume it's a straight fight . . . and THEN ye all blitz him with yer, eh . . . yer . . ."

He gestures at Erica mutely, and then decides to throw dignity to the wind.

"Yer . . . what-the-fekkery ye've got right here?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica followed Roy's instructions with an impish grin. "He's definitely Supernatural, and I would have detected if he also had Elemental powers. Roy would have detected if he had Enhancer or Transformative. It's not impossible that he also has Paragon or Odd powers, but I'd call it unlikely, based on everything I saw." She knew - or more precisely, was fairly certain based on context - that Serhe had tried to counter him back in class, but she didn't know what power set he had targeted or what information he had gained from the attempt. "Timing shouldn't be as big an issue. Roy and I do actually have some legitimate questions we want to ask him about our campsite grade, and we saw that he will hang around to give advice, so I don't think he'll just vanish on us immediately."

"Other students getting in on it might be somewhat more of a concern, but if we only need to put a scratch on him, safe to say there's not much of a window between 'doing good' and 'mission objective completed'. But Bernhard's team took a shot at him earlier and it didn't go so well for them, so hopefully they'll be trying to prep more before taking another shot. I'm not sure if Tsubaki overheard us discussing which camp we were checking though, so her team might be on the way."

"And no," she answered Connor. "Hopefully, he'll be coming out to us, in which case their traps are pointless. Even if they aren't, you're an Elementalist. Of all of us, you have the best shot at actually hurting him, because his defenses are so heavily based around his powers, which are cardinally Inferior to yours. After that is Serhe, since he can possibly strip his powers outright. Roy and I will play support, but realistically, actually tagging him is going to fall to the two of you. So if we can't lure him out, the best play is for us to go in first and risk the traps." ...Never before had the word "us" sounded so much like the word "me", but now wasn't really the time for the Patented Stonesmith More Protective Than Thou ArgumentTM.

...

"And this is just a costume to hopefully distract him with cuteness," she added with a grin.

"So, that all sound good to everyone? You guys ready?"

Didn't want to jump in without making sure, but unless anyone has any further ideas, I think I'm good to go. Thokk, you want to try to call him out or should I? Not sure if Persuasion or Deception would be more practical given that it's, though perhaps not entirely false, certainly complex pretenses. But that being said he almost certainly knows that either way and the real goal is to get him to come out anyway.

[Zelphas]

As soon as the fake log is shifted away, the teacher's calm, confident voice issues from the newly-revealed hole. His voice is faint, but his diction is clear enough that his words come across clearly. "..trace amounts of lithium chloride. I placed it under your feathers so that it would transform and vanish along with your alternate form, and the form itself burns hot and fast enough to dissipate the substance before it would cause any averse effects.

"But it seems we have more guests. This is interesting; I said I would wait until the first attack, but I at least expected to be attacked by an entire Cell... While I decide, would you prefer turquoise flame, or pale green?" The only response is the shriek of an angry bird and a whoosh of flame.

The tunnel is surprisingly rough, made out of crumbling sand with chunks of cloudy glass in the walls. The glass catches the flickering light of flames from deep beneath and reflects it throughout the tunnel, giving you enough illumination to see by should you decide to enter the camp.


Against one wall and behind a small pile of collapsed sand, you spot a familiar pair of overlarge fox ears.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1omBdNUTckg-o41TYs3GRp7uUT81WpC3FXrLVL3gl8DA/edit?usp=sharing)

Initiative

Connor: [roll0]
Erica: [roll1]
Roy: [roll2]
Serhe: [roll3]

Teacher: [roll4]
Bernhard: [roll5]
???: [roll6]

It is still possible to talk the teacher out of the campsite; the Initiative just lets you know whether or not the NPCs move before you do. If you want to place yourselves, you will be emerging from the tunnel at the bottom of the map.

Erica and Roy act first!

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy, being closest to Renatus' voice and Bernhard's screeches, tilts his head in surprise. Bernhard went after the professor by himself, alone? Was it confidence, arrogance, or frustration at the afternoon's embarrassment?

Well, something to consider later. For now, though, Bernhard's presence may end up surprisingly useful. "Professor Weiss," he calls out, loudly and clearly, using the man's actual name to make a point and as a callback to the teacher's knowing look earlier that day. "We saw your message at our campsite, and I figured that Bernhard's team was the team most likely to have done better than us. Erica and I have some questions about our grade we were hoping to get on tape for posterity. Oh, and since he's here, we could get a picture of you and Bernhard by the secret entrance! That'd be awesome for Bernhard's team, right?"

Deception: [roll0] Re-rolled in the OOC for 36 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=22600685&postcount=275)

[Zelphas]

At Roy's voice, you hear a screech of annoyance from an avian throat. The teacher doesn't answer for a moment. "I am always happy to answer any questions, and a photo-shoot is always a treat," he responds finally, his jovial voice pitched to carry easily out of the tunnel. "Very well then; I shall await you... at the secret entrance!"

Something about the way he said "secret entrance" is a bit suspect...

A few moments later, you can see the teacher walking slowly up the tunnel mouth, the flickering pinkish light growing slightly brighter behind him. He stops a few steps shy of the forest floor, looking up at the group. "Now, you said you have some questions?" the teacher says, smoothing out his robes and looking at you attentively.

The "teacher" in front of you flickers and turns transparent for a split second before solidifying again, and he's left no footprints on the sandy floor. It's likely that this is not the teacher but some sort of illusion, although creating illusions is not a power that Erica sensed on the teacher...

Just before the teacher appeared walking up the tunnel, a pair of familiar overlarge fox ears peeked out from one side of the wall before whipping out of sight.

[Thokk_Smash]

One look at the "teacher" in the tunnel below and Roy palms his forehead. Damn him and his mouth and its words. "Hey, Tsubaki, good to see you again," he calls out to the tunnel at large, past the image of the teacher below. His tone isn't angry, more amusedly tired than anything. "Your whole 'shadow walk' thing's pretty cool, and fast, if you beat us here. Say 'hi' to Bernhard for me when he gets to you."

With a polite wave, he promptly pulls the log above the entrance to seal it. "Okay, that's one hidden entrance down," he says, brushing his hands. "Time to find another one." He takes to the sky, moving quickly to inspect a wider area around the bump in the riverbed that is the campsite.

Expertise (Survival) to check for other possible hidden entrances: [roll0]

Perception to possibly aid: [roll1] (no special senses because Roy's flying).

As a note, Roy does have Quickness 3, so can do this at 8x speed while able to Routine checks.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica gave a little wave in the general direction Roy was talking to, before looking at Connor. "It's an underground tunnel, can you just...see it or ask the earth where it is or whatever?" she asked, figuring that would probably be easier than searching.

[herodofcows]

Connor nods as Erica lays out the plan. With some effort, he manages to stuff his own baggage into the back of his head.

"Aye, lead on," he growls pleasantly, making his way forward with them, "Be a damned pleasure t' hit something right now, tell you true . . ."

As they get to the river and Erica asks her question, he sends his senses outwards to find the tunnel . . .

<Howyeh, beg yer pardon friend alluvial silt, but . . . now, perhaps this is a bit of an odd one, but d'ye have any places where ye're . . . not? Like, a place where ye usually are but are not now? Someplace ye got shifted from, by me or another?>

I'll edit the rest in once I get the update from Zelphas.

[Zelphas]

Using Roy's flight pattern and Connor's terravoyance, the team is quickly able to locate a tunnel placed about ten feet deep underground, inside of a ring of trees marked by the apparent scratching of some large animal. The earth near the tunnel is difficult for Connor to communicate with; rather than speaking with the single, measured cadence of a large mass of earth, it instead responds in a multitude of voices, each individual particle attempting to speak at once. This multitude of disparate voices is indicative of sand, and the main reason why an Elementalist needs to have mastery of both Earth and Air in order to get sand to obey his commands. Luckily, the layer of sand is relaitvely thin, and after removing the dirt from the area it collapses in on itself, revealing the large, round tunnel to the night air.

A moment later, the teacher blinks into place at the tunnel mouth, smoothing his robes and flicking away an imaginary speck of sand. "I will admit, you found that much more quickly than I expected, especially with Miss Aggio's attempt to distract you. Now, you said you had..."

His eye falls on Erica, and he seems taken aback for a moment. Then he clears his throat. "Miss Stonesmith... As your teacher, I know that I have no right to comment upon your choice of clothing, but... perhaps something more... age appropriate may suit you better." Even as he says this, his eyes keep flicking to the stuffed rabbit in Erica's hands.

At the false log entrance, a dark pink comet bursts from the ground with an avian screech. His flames already darkening to their usual scarlet hue, Bernhard swivels to face your group, his glowing eyes narrowed at Roy.

Due to the last initiative round not really working out, I'm going to say that all PCs are on turn!

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Yeah, I guess that's fair," Erica said with a little smile. As she said so, flickering sparkles rose up from her feet to her shoulders, and where they passed, the cutesy costume vanished, replaced by the gleaming steel of her armor. The stuffed rabbit in her hands extended as she raised it, becoming the gleaming cruciform longsword with a rainbow-colored edge as she brought it up in a high guard. Her helmet remained off, and her gaze was not locked on their teacher, but looking past him, her narrowed eyes fixated on the approaching Bernhard.

The crystal on her belt, a deep blue flecked with white, began to shine with brilliant light, casting a glow like the twilit sky out over the tunnel as she channeled her power into the supernatural Flux gemstone. That light, pure Supernatural power, could resonate with her brother's crystal, but that was not its only function. Bathing her in pure magical energies, it could play havoc with the powers of any Transformer who dared to challenge her.

Growing up, Bernhard had never much bothered her. No more than any of the other children had, anyway. He hadn't messed with her like Nancy had. No, Bernhard Siladi's choice victim to inflict his nasty impulses on had been her brother. And she had been powerless to stop it.

That was worse.

"HOW'S THIS!?" she yelled out in challenge as her power flared around her, a clear cue.

Move: Activate Quick Change, regaining the appearance of armor. Leaving helmet off though; Armor Mode not activated.

Free: Activate Arcane Augmentation, gaining Half Immunity to Transformative effects and allowing Prism Edge to be wielded to its full effect against Transformers. This is on top of any Complications they may have of their own. Erica will Interpose against any targeted or Perception range attack Bernhard makes, either on any of them or on Renatus (or an Area attack if against Roy).

Standard: Spend a Hero Point to fuel Inspire 5! Roy, Serhe, and Connor get +5 to all checks this round.

Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: Use Natural Leader to Aid Connor at [roll0] after Teamwork. Connor receives a further +5 bonus on his next attack roll, as long as he is in Close range of his target when he makes it.

Current Status: Fatigued as of next turn.

[Thokk_Smash]

"We've got some tricks of our own up our sleeves," Roy says with a grin to their teacher's statement. His gauntlets, slim and unassuming, begin to creep up his forearms and extrude their signature pylons and pistons. He notices Bernhard's entrance to the sky, naturally, but ignores it with an effort. Gotta focus on what's in front of them.

"I've got a question, Professor Weiss," he says, patting Serhe on the arm and jerking his head down. Roy goes down to the floor in front of the teacher, still grinning innocuously even as his body tenses ever so slightly. "What's 'theus' mean, in relation to you?"

With that, he lashes out with his gauntlet-covered fists, hopefully providing Serhe an opportunity to really see Renatus. Then, Roy grits his teeth in exertion and channels even more energy into his gauntlets. His fists crash on Renatus once more, this time with full intention to at least leave a scratch.

Free action: Swap to Iridium Introduction.

Move action: Move to Close range of Renatus.

Free action: Swap to Enhanced Hardness.

Standard action: Aid Serhe's attack (assuming he gets into Close range of Renatus), AoA -5/+5 for [roll0] after Teamwork. Serhe gets +5 to his next attack against Renatus made in Close Range

Extra Effort: Attack Renatus directly with Iridium Introduction, AoA/PA -5/+5 for [roll1] vs DC 28 Toughness vs Damage, DC 23 Move Object vs being knocked Prone, and DC 23 Will vs Vulnerable/Defenseless/Incapacitated.

Status: Fine, Fatigued next round, Defenses at 17
HP: 2
Luck: 1/4

[Arcran]

Unlike the others, Serhe didn't particularly feel the need to get any sort of quip in. As soon as Erica gave the signal, Serhe locked his gaze on the professor. While it felt a bit silly to simply stare violently at somebody, that's exactly what Serhe did. He felt the familiar rush as he called on his powers, and was momentarily lost when his vision was replaced with a field of solid, opaque purple, a result of him pushing his powers to their absolute limits.

Game over teach, Serhe mutters, fighting off the splitting headache that was rapidly approaching and hoping that the others are able to succeed.

Everything is AoA and PA at max!

If my math is right, after all the other buffs that gives me a net +10 to accuracy and +10 to effect.

Magic's End!
AC: [roll0] 30
Nullify: [roll1] 21 30 after luck.

Extra Effort: Magic's End again!
AC: [roll2] 29 (Also loses the +5 here)
Nullify: [roll3] 43, after crit.

I'm dumb and bad at math, should have been +18. All fixed above.

[herodofcows]

The sand gives Connor a headache with its squalling (Ugh, may I never go tae the fekkin' beach, Allmind preserve me . . .), but ultimately their intel bears fruit.

"Going down," he comments, before the ground opens up and he vanishes into the earth.

After a moment of tunneling, he pops out into the shaft of the tunnel. Looking up, he sees the back of the teacher . . . just as Roy and Erica begin to light things up.

Allmind, let them do their thing . . . I dinnae want him to braid my hair . . .

He feels a motive surge from Erica's signal and aims as carefully as he can. In the adrenaline of the moment, he leaves himself open in the name of focusing on pure power.

<Please> he implores the cluster of rocks and stones that fly upwards and coalesce into several projectiles at his request <Fly true and strike hard, stones of the river. I'm relying on ye. My TEAM is relying on ye . . .>

And with that, he lets loose a massive shotgun-like blast of river rocks at the back of their teacher.

<GO!>

OKAY! So, using Launch Earth for this. Taking the +10 total to attack, All-Out Attacking for -2/+2, and then Power Attacking for the full -5/+5.

[roll0], DC 28+Multiattack Toughness, Connor is at -2 Active Defenses

Will most definitely HP as needed.

[Zelphas]

The teacher grins even more widely at Roy's question, dodging his blows with supernatural speed. "Well, Mr. Stonesmith, 'theus' is a word from a language that was old even before the Threefold Day, and it has come to mean many things--a form of religion, a powerful spirit or creature, even a system of thought or of government." While quick, his movement pattern quickly becomes predictable. By punching where he knows he is going to be, Roy is able to slowly get closer and closer to the teacher with each strike. "But of course, you didn't ask about the various meanings of the word--you asked what 'theus' meant to me. To me, it means..."

The teacher stops, directly in front of Roy's fist. He follows through... and strikes nothing but air.

"Step one."

The teacher steps back, revealing an alarming change in his face. Directly where Roy's fist was is a fist-shaped hole in his head, smooth skin covering the outer edge of the hole as though his face was formed that way naturally. A few other dents and odd warps on his head show where some of Roy's other strikes came close, giving the teacher's form an eerily warped appearance. "'Mind over matter' is an often-used phrase when discussing psionic powers; for me, it is quite literal." The hole begins to shrink and the dents to fill out as the teacher's face slowly returns to normal. "My entire body is fully malleable to my will, as quick as my considerably fast--"

The teacher's face suddenly freezes in a still warped position as Serhe's power takes full effect. He pauses a moment, mouth agape, before turning to Serhe. "Well done, Mr. Nihilo, but could you perhaps wait until I am back in my normal shape before trying again? I am in no danger from the rearrangement of my organs, but this is not exactly comfortable."

The stones respond to Connor's call with surprising eagerness, practically leaping from the ground to fling themselves at the teacher. He starts and begins to move with incredible speed again, his personally malleable body made superhuman by the control of his mind and kept in that state even when his powers are suppressed. The stones patter to the ground behind him in a cascade of disappointed stone. "Very good teamwork, all of you, and nicely done, Mr. Berg," the teacher pants, leaning against one of the tunnel walls. "I did not expect to be pressed so hard on the first--"

Thunk.

One stone, a little later to wake than the others, rose belatedly and sailed across the twilight forest, striking the teacher directly on the forehead with a sound more akin to stone hitting wood than flesh. The teacher reaches out, lightning-fast, and catches the stone as it bounces away. He stares down at the smooth river rock in his hand for a long moment, his still-smiling face oddly remote and unreadable.

The long moment is pierced by an angry shriek. Across the river, Bernhard jets a plume of white-hot flame into the darkening sky, venting his frustration before turning and winging away.

"Well done. Well done indeed!" the teacher says finally, his smile wide and bright in the gathering gloom. "I expected one Cell or another to scratch me by the first week, but by the first evening, but by the first night... I suppose that staying in one of the campsites was simply too tempting of a lure to resist." he shakes his head in mock-disappointment of himself, his huge grin belying his tone and gesture.

In a smooth motion, the teacher tosses the stone back to Connor, the rock arcing lightly through the air towards him. "Keep it as a memento of your first strike against me, he suggests jovially, looking over the group. "Well, congratulations on your success; first pick of the dorms will be yours at the end of the week! Of course, I hope that you won't use this as an excuse to slack off on your tests; where you will live this year is important, but what you will learn is immeasurably more so." His face once again back to its normal bald, round, over-large form, he nods genially at the group. "I am certain that you wish to go and celebrate your victory, but I believe that you may have had more questions first?"

The stone that the teacher tosses you is not perfectly round; it has four oblong indentations on one of its sides and a single, slightly larger indentation on the opposite side. It also feels and sounds slightly denser than it did when you threw it at the teacher.

Congratulations! Everyone take a Hero Point for managing to hit the teacher on your first try!

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica broke into a huge grim when the final stone smacked Professor Weiss. She'd be honest...she was kinda surprised the plan had worked. Not that there was really any particular reason for it not to, it was just...well, she was kinda new to confidence.

Had to say she was enjoying it, though.

"Woo!" she cheered as she shifted back to her normal (neither armored nor cutesy, just light and flowing) attire, giving Roy a hug and Serhe and Connor high-fives. She managed to resist the urge to stick her tongue out at Bernhard, if only just. She might not have managed it had a professor not been present. "Awesome job, guys! That was epic!"

When Professor Weiss mentioned their questions, she nodded. Sure, she had been kinda thinking to use them as a ploy to keep him from immediately fleeing, but she did still want to know. "I did, actually. Your note said our main problem was a lack of escape routes in our camp. I did actually consider those, but our Cell has a wide variety of options for mobility. Roy and I can fly at high speeds, and Roy can carry Serhe and Connor if need be and still go pretty fast. Connor could burrow us through a tunnel or even just launch the camp out straight-up. And if absolutely necessary I could probably pump enough energy into my space-warping crystals to teleport all of us, although I suppose I should actually test that before I need to use it in an emergency."

"Even without teleporting though, we were in a fairly open area, giving us numerous routes to choose from as suited the situation, even allowing us to scatter if that's what was absolutely necessary. The only other direct escape route I can think of that we didn't add would be like a tunnel under each cabin leading to a single escape tunnel, but that would have required extending the tunnel outside of Roy's perception filter, increasing the chance of discovery; considering the concerns you had raised about burrowing tribs, and the fact that Connor could just return the buildings to their normal state with a word if we needed to get outside quickly, that didn't seem like a great idea."

"So, I guess my question is, what sort of escape route could we have used to improve the camp, that would provide sufficient advantage over our native mobility to be worth whatever additional risk of detection it might create?"

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy happily reciprocates Erica's hug, and even tries to pull in Serhe and Connor if they let him. Willing his gauntlets to retract into simple gauntlets, Roy stares at their teacher with surprise and accomplishment. The surprise is quickly covered up by the welling excitement of having injured their teacher. Nevertheless, he regards the teacher with a tilted, curious gaze as he praises them.

"Erica touched on the points I was curious about," he says. "In my opinion, the spare Flux Crystals I used for the perception filter were an acceptable cost, even if I were unable to recover them in a hurry."

"As for other types of questions, I've got dozens," he says with a shrug. "And I know you won't give me a straight answer to most, if any, of them. 'Who are you'? 'Where did you come from'? So, I guess the question you're most likely to answer is: Did the 'tests' in the note you left mean the school tests, or your personal tests?"

[Zelphas]

"Miss Stonesmith, I can assume that simply from growing up in our world and spending the early part of your life in the Magellans that you have been in a life-threatening situation," the teacher responds to Erica, his voice serious. "At such times, it is incredibly difficult to think; you either blindly run or blindly fight, unless you have something that you have trained in beforehand. Every Magellan island has evacuation procedures that are rigorously followed for just this reason; when the worst occurs, the citizens will follow what they've trained, rather than scattering and dying.

"Any place classified as 'unconfirmed but likely Trib-infested area' is going to be an uninhabited island in the Outer Ring or the Magellans, and is therefore almost certain to contain at least one strain of Trib which has not been documented by the World Council. Every living Explorer has a tale of encountering a monster that they had never seen or heard of before. In short, there is no way to plan an effective counter for everything; every structure created in such territory is by necessity a temporary one, and a plan of escape is essential--something that you acknowledged by creating your camp in an area with plenty of room to maneuver and relied upon Mr. Berg's abilities for its creation.

"However, while keeping your options open is good in theory, in practice not having a concrete escape plan usually leads to confusion and hesitation in moments of crisis. The particular type of escape route that you created is not as important as simply having one concrete plan, both for escaping and for regrouping if you are separated, as well as a few backups in case that plan falls apart." The teacher pauses for a moment. "It is quite possible that you detailed a plan amongst yourselves for escape and simply saw no reason to mark out a clear escape route; if that is the case, I must apologize for basing the results of this particular test largely upon the noticeable finished work of the campsite. The blame, in that case, is my own."

He turns back towards Roy, his smile once again enormous. "Is there a difference between the two?" The teacher answers slyly, then laughs. "You'll learn more as the year goes on, both about me if you wish and about far more important things. For now, you've gotten me, and you've gotten 'theus'; more will come in time."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Just to note, I'm working on the assumption that they probably did discuss escape plans off-screen just because, well, I can't come up with any convincing reason why they wouldn't have. It sounds like a fairly basic and obvious aspect of designing a camp in Teocawki, so I can't imagine it would be something Erica didn't know about with a rolled 33 on Expertise (Survival) and a +16 in both Expertise (Tactics) and (Military). If anyone has any objections to this assumption, let me know and I'll retcon.

Well, yeah, they had done that, but to be fair, of all the psionic powers Erica had picked up from Professor Weiss, mind reading hadn't been among them. "That's fair," she said, not bringing the point up (she had more been curious if there was some specific escape route they could have set up than anything; grades had already been assigned, so she wasn't going to try to argue for a better one). Nonetheless...there was a bit of disappointment in her voice, despite her best efforts. She was still so new to having actual power, still so used to being weak, that a part of her couldn't help but translate the professor's words to something more along the lines of, "I had no reason to assume your powers were sufficient to enact an effective escape without evidence of ample prior preparation." She knew that wasn't what he was saying, logically, but she couldn't help thinking it. It was a character flaw. She was working on it.

To be fair though, she probably should have expected that a clear indication of escape plans was something that the camp would have been judged on. She did know all too well just how important they were, and not just because of her studies and upbringing. If more people had followed proper escape protocols, Dad would probably still be alive, she reminded herself grimly.

That thought...it wasn't actively sent to her brother, quite, but it wasn't really kept from him either. The telepathic equivalent of talking to herself, pretty much. After all, it wasn't like there was any particular reason to keep that thought confined to her own head. (Incomplete information leads to inaccurate conclusions).

[Arcran]

As the viscous assault goes forward, Serhe pushes as much energy into his eyes as possible, trying to take in every moment. He panics momentarily when Roy's attack goes forward, only for that panic to turn to relief when their professor was frozen in the strange, distorted form. When he still managed to dodge away from all the stones Serhe almost let out an anguished cry, until he say the last stone sailing forward in the very corner of his vision. A slow grin began to play across his face, and he lets out a whoop, throwing his arm in the air.

First! We got first! Serhe says, running towards Connor and trying to pick the other boy up in a hug, and spinning him around if Connor allows it. No more moldy dorms! No more study-I mean, less stressful studying! Serhe adds, sparing a frantic look at the professor.

When they start talking about how to improve the campsite, Serhe is slightly out of it, still beaming at their victory. The fact that they had come in second for their base was completely eclipsed by the fact that they had, somehow, managed to land a hit on their professor. It takes Serhe a moment to remember to disable his powers, and he does so with a series of hurried apologies as he allows the professor's form to return to its normal shape.

[Zelphas]

The teacher--Renatus--surveys your group for a moment longer, his grin stretching impossibly wide. "Well then, the hour is growing late, and I did promise to take my leave once the first Cell attacked me," he exclaims finally. "So congratulations again, and I will see you tomorrow! Believe me, this is just the beginning of your school year; things will only grow more exciting from here on out!" A moment later, Renatus vanishes, leaving nothing but the reflected moonlight gleaming off of his unnatural smile.

If anyone has more reactions/questions, we can still play those out; this will be at the end of all of your questions.

---

The winning streak begun by striking Renatus on your first try continued through the next two days.

Day Two

Roy breezed through the Mathematics test in the morning with only a few hiccups, while Erica struggled slightly more than in her History exam. Serhe's method of cribbing answers from everyone he could continued to allow him to have a fairly even score, while a night of studying with Roy and Erica improved Roy's own scores immensely. Most of the class also did somewhat better than the day before, and assassination attempts were kept to a minimum; the fact that the four of you had already won the contest the night before had spread throughout the class fairly quickly, and while the other Cells had by no means given up, they had decided that more meticulous planning was in order.

In the afternoon, the first Cell tried their hand at striking the teacher. Nancy Keroack, who had been very quiet for most of the day, suddenly spoke up just as the race began. You... can't quite remember what she said afterwards; it was as though everything else fell away and only Nancy remained. To be fair to her, all of her attention was focused on Renatus; it didn't seem like she was actively using her power on anyone else, so much as her power was passively bleeding over onto everyone. As soon as she stopped speaking, you found yourselves in a suddenly much more-overgrown forest. A large marble statue and a wraith of frost and wind appeared behind Renatus, each jumping forward to strike as vines twined around his limbs and attempted to pin him in place. Renatus disappeared at the last moment, and suddenly the statue had a mustache drawn in marker on it, the wraith was being blown away by a small rotary fan, Nancy was wearing a baggy sweatshirt and clashing sweatpants, and Farhan suddenly had a top hat. The race resumed.

The hulking Elementalist who had argued with Connor on the airship (You believe his name was Manus Brock) followed Connor down into the earth as soon as the race began; for a little while, Connor was unsure if Manus was trying to pass him or attack him underground. Manus has less of a rapport with the earth than Connor does, however; before long, Connor leaves him in the dust--and dirt. Aboveground, Patroclus Belluomo suddenly tore through the sky on a platform of glowing runes, quickly outstripping the rest of the competitors until a pulse of power from Serhe sent him careening from the sky to crash into the river about halfway to the goal. Roy's quick forethought caused him to do the high-tech equivalent of tying Donald Morgan's shoelaces together with a tiny flux crystal, knocking the speedster out of the race until it was too late to make it back. Erica had the singular pleasure of body-checking a phoenix-form Bernhard out of the sky just before the finish line, meaning that when Connor emerged from the ground across the finish line, he was the first to cross it. Tsubaki emerged from a thin shadow moments later, looking over at Connor and quickly looking away--before flashing him an impish grin.

Day Three

Teocawki was significantly easier for everyone, as the rules of the language you all had been speaking was ingrained in your memory since childhood. Erica in particular did well, confident in all of her answers except for the last one: a particularly obscure bit of PTD poetry that she's fairly sure was deliberately misspelled in several places. There was an odd air in the room; many of the other Cells seemed to be distracted from their tests, spending most of their time focused on the teacher. Renatus smiled from his place at the front of the room, same as usual.

Trap-making is generally a calm--or at least a quiet--process, as the trap-makers search for animal trails and set up their snares while making as little of a commotion as possible. The fiasco of the third afternoon bore little resemblance to calmness or quiet. Two Cells--Bernhard's group and Tsubaki's team--attempted to attack Renatus at the same time, and the resulting chaos made it quite clear that neither side had consulted the other before enacting their plan. Between Bernhard's phoenix fire and a barrage of fireballs from Patroclus, the two Cells ended up spending more time preventing a forest fire rather than building traps; Renatus's robe was not so much as singed.

Of the three Cells that actually participated in the contest, Nancy's Cell created plant-based snares using paralytic poisons, while Elita's Cell used an extremely diluted form of her natural toxin and her own skill at creating contraptions. About halfway through the contest, Nancy's group came near Elita's group, and Nancy wandered over to the group to talk. Elita and her Cell seemed somewhat cold at first, but Nancy remained talking with them for some time. At the end of the time allotted, Serhe's ability to spot good animal trails and memorize the way they looked untouched, Connor's skill at manipulating the earth so that it returned to its original form while hiding the trap made, and Erica's clever use of a rune of binding gave the cell their second first place win in the afternoon, with Nancy's cell coming in just behind them.

Day Four

The Stonesmiths know science. They know it backwards, forwards, and even sideways. There wasn't even extra credit on the science exam, and yet the Stonesmiths knew, they somehow knew, that they had gotten extra credit anyways! Bolstered by their success, both Serhe and Connor found their own Science knowledge greater than they had thought. As for the rest of the Cells... there was an air of quiet desperation among the groups; only two days remained.

Hide and seek was something of a mixed bag. Connor found the ground somewhat uncooperative that afternoon, forcing him to make his way on foot with the rest of his Cell. Erica similarly found the other groups closemouthed and stoic, meaning that there was little information for her to gather. The group was assigned to find and tag Elita's Cell, and set loose at a random point in the forest. Serhe soon took the lead, his Enhanced eyes discovering all four Cells in turn and guiding the group towards their target. It seemed that Bernhard's Cell was the one attempting to track them down; using his flux crystals and a bit of fancy maneuvering, Roy helped his team to leave them in the dust.

Finding Elita's Cell proved to be a simple matter, since they had apparently decided to mount their attack on the teacher that very afternoon. By the time the group made it to them, Donald was struggling to take off a multicolored scarf that whipped in the wind behind and around him, dressed in several overlarge coats; Grace Daniels was staring forlornly at a lock of her once-golden hair, now suddenly puce-colored; Elita was wearing a pair of red-tinted goggles that seemed stuck to her face; and there was a bright red balloon with a smiley face drawn on it floating impossibly in midair, held by an invisible hand. Tagging the team was easy, but Serhe reported bad news moments later; Tsubaki's Cell had tagged their targets (Nancy's Cell) and were headed out to the edge of the forest.

The Cell rushed to the edge of the forest, only to arrive mere seconds too late; Tsubaki's Cell had stolen first place from them on the fourth day. Tsubaki gave the group a cheery smile and a wave, and while Manus' face remained in its impassive scowl, Connor could have sworn that he saw the ghost of a smirk on his lips before he turned away.

Day Five

With the last day dawning and every Cell having tried their best to hit Renatus, the mood was much more relaxed for the morning Art exam. The students were given free rein to create whatever they liked so long as they could justify it as art, and paint, plaster, and occasionally acid flew as the group got to work. Roy's sculpture garnered an appreciative comment from Renatus, as did Connor's abstract rock carving and Erica's eclectic blend of several styles and genres of art.

"And that concludes your exams for the beginning of the semester!" Renatus declares at the end of the morning. "All of you have done well in terms of physical aptitude, so for this afternoon I have chosen to forgo the final test in favor of a team building exercise. Prospective Heroes, this afternoon you are all going to play Save the Cell! Now, let me just divide you into teams..." Renatus pulls a long list out of nowhere and begins to peruse its contents.

Afternoon

The four of you stand before a building made out of stone blocks, the rock unwilling to speak with Connor about what is inside it but otherwise amenable to his power. The building stands inside the massive gymnasium of the main Hope Academy Campus, a shining room filled with polished stone, sparkling steel, and strange contraptions of many shapes and sizes. The Hero Rampart (name Laxman Ulfson), the second-year Elementalist instructor, had built the building a few minutes before. Seconds after that, Tsubaki's Cell, Elita's Cell, and Bernhard's Cell had gone inside. In a few moments, your Cell would be allowed to enter, to find and "save" Bernhard's Cell and defeat the "villains" inside.

A short sniff to your right reminds you that you were not alone on this mission. To balance the teams, Renatus had split Nancy's Cell and distributed them evenly among the two. Lucy and Marius, the wraith and statue respectively , were placed on the villain team, Farhan was imprisoned with Bernhard's team... and Nancy was supposed to join your Cell as the team tasked with saving their imprisoned brethren. Nancy stood a little apart from the group, looking none too happy about the situation.

The bell rings, signaling the game to begin.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QO4OacMkKm8Si6F-134C4vPH4nA8aF49ikcV55rusck/edit?usp=sharing)

The rules of Save the Cell are as follows:

Two equal teams, one the "heroes" and one the "villains", face off in a warehouse or similar large building. Half of the "heroes" are captured and placed in a neutrality field (a small area with a Costumier's Normal Rock embedded or placed in the center, cutting off their powers) at the start of play. The other half remain outside of the buildign as the villains get into place. Then the free Heroes enter the building, find their captured Heroes, and free them.

To keep the "villains" from simply ganging up on the Heroes all at once, they are restricted as to where and how they can move. With ten players on each team, the "villains" can only have two people starting in one room at a time, and they are allowed two "floaters", team members who can pass freely from room to room. Once a "villain" sees a Hero, they can open up a door into an adjacent room; this causes that room (and any "villains" in said room) to enter the battlefield. "Villains" in the adjactent room cannot open up doors into another room until at least two of their team members are defeated. "Floaters" can enter the battlefield at any time, but they do not increase the size of the battlefield by opening more doors.

Once the Heroes find and free their team members, they can either flee or fight. Save the Cell is used as part of a sporting competition between the different schools; fleeing still counts as a win, but fighting and defeating the "villains" nets you more points. For this particular game, we can count a win as simply freeing Bernhard's Cell and Farhan, though we can play out a fight against everyone if you like.

We aren't in initiative yet; feel free to choose what to do!

[Quellian-dyrae]

Do not let it go to your head. Do not let it go to your head. Erica was repeating the mantra to herself regularly over the past few days.

But it was so haarrd thooouuugh!

First or second place for the team in all physical contests. 85+% on the tests against a grading curve designed to measure people with intellect-boosting superpowers. (And she couldn't believe the science test. Science had never really been her thing, but she could cram with the best of them and her brother knew it front and back). She didn't laugh, smirk, or even smile when the other Cells tried their hands against their teacher and got their appearances comedically altered as a result. But there was definitely a part of her that wanted to as Cell after Cell failed to accomplish with additional days of preparation what they had on the first night. Again, Erica had never come to the Academy with any intention to be "the best" or anything like that. Just making it into (and through) Hope Academy was the victory she had been looking for. But the world of good it was doing for her long-suffering self-esteem absolutely cannot be overstated.

And the final challenge was a tactical/combat challenge. The sort of thing her Cell had been well and repeatedly proven to excel at. Should make a strong end to a great first week. So, what were they looking at. Against them, they had Marius and Lucy which Erica absolutely had no particular concerns about or any reason to believe would be particularly troublesome because after all they were both Transformers and that meant they were weak to her and there was nothing at all to worry about ((and oh gods but seriously guys we might be doomed :smalleek: :smalltongue:)). And then also they had Grace's and Tsubaki's Cells; earth elementalist, illusionist, battle-mage, psychic, light controller, corrosive breath, speedster, and...was she forgetting someone? She'd swear she was forgetting someone.

On their side, they had the august powers and devices at their command, and also once they could free them, the full power of Farhan's plant control, Doireann's water control, Bernhard's (bleh) phoenix form, Wyn's air control (hah! All four elements for the win!), and Caleb's statue form.

And Nancy. Sigh. Nancy was honestly a wildcard here. Erica wondered if she was assigned to their team intentionally, and though she didn't want to, she couldn't help but wonder if it had been meant as a deliberate handicap. Not that Nancy couldn't hold her own or anything, but Erica couldn't outright deny the possibility that she might decide sabotaging them was worth reducing her Cell's standing if it meant hinder theirs.

Erica shook the doubts away though. Surely, betraying your own team in a game of Save the Cell would cost more than points. They were training to be Heroes, and Heroes needed above all to be able to trust each other.

And Mists take it if there wasn't some part of her that actually felt kinda sympathetic for the social paragon, standing off alone. It wasn't that Nancy had done anything to deserve her sympathy, but...well, even if it wasn't quite the same thing, they were an established Cell and she had been assigned by their teacher, there were still shades of it, and that honestly might have made it worse. In the initiation, their Cell had claimed the top spot, a ranking they seemed to be more-or-less holding throughout this first week of classes. Nancy had just eked her way into the bottom spot, and her Cell was one of only two who hadn't earned a first-place win yet. So however much it might not technically be the case, Erica couldn't help but see the connotations of being picked last for the team.

And you know, she knew how that felt.

So while the rest of the groups were heading in and getting ready, Erica swallowed her pride and her worries that she would somehow be playing right into Nancy's trap or something here (it was Nancy, you never know), and approached her with a...hint of a smile of her face. It wasn't really a friendly smile. She couldn't manage those for Nancy. But neither was there any contempt to it. "Come on," she said with a kinda inviting side-nod towards the others. "We need to get a plan together." There wasn't pity or sympathy in her voice, nor particular warmth or welcome. It was professionally neutral but not dismissive. Not saying she was happy Nancy was here, but acknowledging her as the teammate that she, for this exercise at least, was.

"Although..." she then said, more to the group at large, "Is there any particular reason we can't, say, just let Connor burrow us straight into the room they're being held, free them, and proceed to lay waste in glorious fashion?" It seemed too simple, but it wasn't like the other team had had much time to prepare the battleground. It'd make it a straight ten-on-ten rather than letting them potentially whittle the enemy down first, but it might give them a chance to quickly overwhelm any forces holding the room before the rest could arrive and claim a quick numerical advantage that way.

Expertise (Tactics) at [roll0]. What I'm trying to determine here, is if you're guarding a room from an opponent you know is capable of burrowing, what is the established strategy for guarding against it? Basically I'm trying to figure out if they're more likely to expect, say, us to burrow in from the back or the floor, so maybe if we fly up to the roof and then he burrows us in from the top they would be less likely to expect that and maybe earn us a surprise round that way, or something along those lines.

Also, what do we have to do to free them? Like do we tag them and then they're in, or are they in a cage that we have to breach or something? If there are physical obstructions, do we know how the Neutrality Field will interact with our efforts to breach it? Like, would the cage be immune to powered attacks or something?

--

From a "putting a plan together" standpoint, I'm honestly leaning towards burrowing straight in, using the first round (and surprise round if we can finagle one; that'll be difficult because one way or another they know we're coming and will be expecting attack, but if we can get at them from a particularly unexpected angle we might be able to pull it, maybe) to free our allies and then focus-fire down the guards in the room, and then once the enemies swarm us (I'm assuming all doors become "unlocked" once our allies are free, since otherwise this sort of move would be an instant-win button for the fight option) I'll hit Inspire, and they can suck on ten to eight odds with most of the enemy getting +5 on all rolls for a round. Focus-fire a few down, Inspire means we'll (well, everyone but me, but whatever) be able to mostly ignore their response, and from there just dominate the action economy until supreme victory.

I absolutely don't have any overconfidence issues at all. So, what do you guys think about Plan: Guaranteed Success No Matter What? :smalltongue:

[Thokk_Smash]

Monday...

"Dad would probably be alive, alive alivealive..."

Being the subject of Roy's gaze, Renatus would be able to see Roy's eyes--his entire body, really--lock up as if frozen. He doesn't seem to even breathe for several seconds after Erica's mental musing. It's only his eyes that move, flicking past Renatus' shoulder to gaze at a supposedly empty space with a look of supreme fear.

He wrenches his gaze from the spot, and from Renatus' general area, with a burst of energy that takes his entire soul. He looks at the ground, face unreadable and stony. "Not good enough," he whispers to no one in particular. He is quiet all the way back to the dorms.

Friday...

Roy's demeanor had remained positive through the remainder of the week, and with little surprise. They are doing tremendously! He doesn't even pretend to act humble the majority of the time, unlike his sister. To his merit (at least he hopes), he's spent a nontrivial amount of time mingling with the other teams, getting to know them and chatting them up about him and his team.

There are times, though, that his effervescent and almost manic personality fades into a more subdued mood. It is these times that he seems to stare into space, as if looking at something that's not there. These times don't last long, though they do get somewhat more numerous as the week goes on. That last part would really only be noticeable to people around him for lengths of time--his team, for instance.

Regardless. He stands outside the newly-built building, gazing in through his newly-Enhanced gaze. "There are two rooms that only have one person in them," he mentions. "The two missing are Jane Doe and Tsubaki, so it's possible that they're in those rooms with the others. Jane Doe and Grace seemed to have synergistic abilities in the entrance exam, so if the two unknowns are stationary, then Jane would be with Grace and Tsubaki with Patroclus. Assuming Tsubaki and Grace aren't roaming the halls unseen as the floaters, at least."

He looks back to the group at large. He gives Nancy a polite nod as well; no need to antagonize her, after all. "Their Earth Elementalist is guarding the cage, so odds are any underground approach will be found out in seconds. An attack from above, on the other hand, just might take the big guy for a loop."

Deception to Evaluate Nancy's current attitude towards us: [roll0]

[Zelphas]

The Night Before...

It has taken three night and a Supernatural tracking device, but Roy has finally tracked down the home of their reclusive teacher, hidden away in a small stand of trees approximately halfway between the city-citadel of Hope and the Inner Ring Wall. The house itself is unremarkable enough, a squat one-story building made of shaped earth and studded with small circular windows. The house is roughly egg-shaped, evoking the quick-build houses that are practically emblematic of new Magellan settlements as well as any more rural area in Teocawki. It might stand out slightly in one of the city-citadels as an oddly retro choice for an eccentric store owner or something similar, but here in the woods it seems to fit in well with the small farm houses dotted around the Inner Ring's massive stretches of farmland. The biggest difference is one of thickness--as the first push outwards for humanity, Inner Ring buildings had been constructed to be exceptionally thick, and the choice had passed into architectural style for the region even as the danger faded away.

The dome of glass around the small building is somewhat more conspicuous.

Rising to a height of approximately two stories, the glass dome encompasses the entirety of the teacher's home structure, looking like an unbroken sheet of pure glass at first glance. A closer look reveals several small holes spaced evenly throughout the structure, allowing air to flow freely in and out of the dome. The ground around the house is pierced by the dome as well, suggesting that "dome" may not be the correct term; "sphere" may be more appropriate. The glass is not terribly thick; a solid blow would be enough to shatter it, but it would be nearly impossible to avoid making quite a bit of noise.

[herodofcows]

Monday Night

Connor was quite literally dumbstruck that the plan had actually worked.

Oh, surely, he'd been hopeful. His Cell-mates had seen to that: between their three power sets and his own humble skills, they'd made for a plethora of possibilities. But still, to find success so quickly . . .

Well, it was only by the time that their teacher had vanished into the night that he'd regain the presence of mind to whoop properly. He'd been jostled mindlessly into the group high-five-turned-hug, but only NOW does he give proper voice to it.

I can do this . . . I can actually DO this . . . I can learn. I can get better. I can EXCEL . . .

He clutches at the strange new rock as he raises his fist in triumph, not yet trying to speak with it or observe any of the changes wrought. He just holds, and exults . . .

I can become what Ashpah needs me to be . . .

In The Days After

The next few days had put paid to any beliefs that he and his Cell could be utterly unstoppable juggernauts through the curriculum of Hope Academy.

To be fair, there had been a share of successes both major and minor. School had been a bit of a trial, but he was slowly starting to catch hold of some of the academic elements of this whole endeavor. Each class and subject matter was a slog of rote memorization and brain-flagellation, but he was gradually making some kind of slow and steady progress.

Beating that Brock wanker had been a singular pleasure, even as the fox-girl's (Tsu-something?) reactions to him continued to . . . confuse. He'd thought about trying to talk to her again, or giving her some of (guh) his clay, or . . . SOMEthing to assuage the feelings of guilt that the first night had seemingly infected him with. Other times, he'd dismissed her as a troublemaker trying to psych him out. The diagnosis changed hourly, with minimal consistency or conclusion.

Trap-making had been an unexpected pleasure as well: freed from the need to attempt to hit their teacher, he'd been free to jaw like crazy with the local rock and earth as Nancy and Serhe had (to be honest) done most of the heavy lifting. His own contributions may have been modest to the overall success of the project, but he was starting to get a sense of how the earth around Hope Academy did things. His classmates might have occasionally mystified him, but learning the earth's social beats was coming along nicely . . .

And then hide-and-seek had come along. Whatever faux-pas he'd made with that muddy-silt deposit, it had been BAD. He'd been stuck legging it clumsily with the rest of the group, having to get well away from that area of the grounds before being able to use his powers again. The defeat had been humbling, and he'd spent most of the evening clumsily patching things up with the local mud.

Art had been . . . fun. Really fun. The stone hadn't put on the same airs that the rock and sand around their old dorm had made, and there was some friendly marl that had made its way among the deposit that had ultimately allowed him to do what he wanted for nothing more than a wink and a nod. Working with that material, he'd felt as though he could see long planes and graceful dips and swirls, spiraling together and yet stretching out like the arms of a lover longing. There had been slices of seconds where he could believe that he was finding the shape of something that had been lurking within his mind, something that would help him understand himself and the world if he could only glimpse the entirety of its shape . . .

And so, it was this mindset that he was trying to banish as they got down to the serious business of trying to rescue their "hostages". An artistic impulse was a lovely thing, but not in the midst of a tactical operation . . .

"I can get a group up above, easy as anything," he speaks up, in response to his teammates, "D'ye think a pincer sort of thing might be of use? One group in through the front, the other bursts in through the roof? Somethin' of that sort?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Rules of the game being as they are, a full-fledged pincer attack would probably give them somewhat more advantage than us, since that essentially means they get multiple rooms open for free. And if we can shoot straight for the goal, that's probably ideal. We win just by freeing the rest of the team, after all. Everything else is just points." Though to be fair, Erica was beginning to develop a certain fondness for points...

"Although, there is one pincer-like option that might be helpful." She looked to Nancy. "They've got Ediz in a central location, likely as a defensive position. His telepathic powers are almost certainly keeping them all in contact, so we can't rely on taking targets out before a general alarm can be raised. However, if you were to enter through the east door, and draw attention, Patroclus might not immediately notice you're alone. If he reports that we're coming through him, and then we move straight to the main room from above, that might catch them off-guard. Patroclus is Supernatural like me, so you shouldn't have much trouble affecting him with your power." She managed to keep her voice impressively neutral when she said it. "It's not entirely without risk though. You'd be isolated, and like Roy said, he could have Tsubaki with him as far as we know. But you wouldn't have to stand and fight either. In fact, it'd be most efficient if you could regroup with the rest of us as quickly as possible. I don't know if you want to try that, but it's an option." She didn't push for it. She didn't want to bias Nancy against it by thinking she had an agenda, and frankly she didn't know for sure if it would work or just be exposing her to additional risk. But it was a valid option, so she presented it neutrally and would let Nancy make up her own mind.

Looking back to Connor, she said, "One thing though, Manus is in the main room, and he's had time to use his power on the building some. Attune his senses to it and such." Erica still wasn't sufficiently comfortable with the whole "elements are sentient" thing to call it "getting to know" or "making friends with" the building. That just wasn't the direction her mind went when it came to powers. "So we can't actually land on the roof or he'll be alerted for sure. But if we can hover above the roof, you open it up, and we move in hard, we can probably get some good shots off before they can react. Maybe even surprise them."

[Arcran]

The Days After...
To say that Serhe was amused by the other teams trying to hit Renatus would be an understatement. Each time somebody tried (and inevitably failed) to make contact it only reaffirmed how much better than the other Cells they were, a fact that went to Serhe's head perhaps a little too much. In the coming days, there was a new spring to Serhe's step, and that drive to be the best was slowly eroding as they proved time and time again that they were a top-tier cell. That is, until they once again took second place in hide and seek. He mostly blamed himself, since a large amount of the seeking had been his own job. Fortunately, that gave Serhe just the drive he needed going into Save the Cell.

Today
While not as big as the chip on his shoulder when he first arrived at the Academy, Serhe certainly had a rather prominent one there. Honestly, he couldn't have asked for a better activity. After losing to Tsubaki's cell, he needed a way to prove that they were on top once again. As the others argue strategy, Serhe looks at the building, a strange look on his face.

Why do we need to do anything fancy? he asks, looking at the area. If we pick our rooms right, we can limit how many people can attack us. No matter how prepared they are, I don't like their odds in a fight where we have two more people than them, Serhe states, clearly believing this is the most obvious plan. If we stick together, they'll be hard-pressed to outnumber us. If we split up, well, depending on how they're arranged, things could go poorly for us, Serhe says. We can even use my powers to almost cheat a little. Unless people instantly surrender when I whammy them, they're taking up a space in that room and can't do much to contribute.

We should just blast into the main room, thrash whoever is defending the other cell, free them, and take out everyone else. If Connor can seal the doors on the way in and I can give somebody performance issues our worst-case scenario is an even fight, which we will always win.

[Zelphas]

As a social Paragon, Nancy has always had enormous control over her emotions. Reading her, even with an aura-reading device, is incredibly difficult; for the most part, all you get is the aura of calm, self-assured confidence just shy of arrogance that she projects around herself as a matter of course. You are able to sense some things about her under the surface though; mostly, vague rumblings of dislike--a common enough occurrence from her whenever she and Erica are in the same room, except that now it seems focused on your entire Cell. There is one more impression you get from her, though it is difficult to put into words; it is a kind of... diffused tension, as though she is waiting for something to happen, but even she doesn't know what it is.

Her response to Erica's suggestion is much clearer: calculation and assessment, with a rolling undercurrent of suspicion.

"...If Patroclus opened up his door, and one of the two in the cell room opened up their door, wouldn't we all just get sucked into one big fight anyways?" Nancy asks finally, speaking just slowly enough that it's difficult to tell if she's choosing her words carefully or being deliberately insulting. "I'm with Nihilo here; if we move as a unit, we can limit who we have to fight and where. If we jump in directly to the main room, they'll probably open the door to Marius and Lucy, and I know how to handle my own Cell," she says, with a familiar arrogant smirk. Nancy let's out a slightly theatrical sigh. "Of course, if you four want to keep hogging all the glory for the week and send me to fight all on my own, I suppose I'm outnumbered."

[Thokk_Smash]

The Night Before...

Roy grins in triumph despite the sheen of sweat on his body. The whole week of nights had been leading up to this: finding Renatus' home. Sure, it's something of a violation of privacy. It's probably more than a little impolite to put so much time and effort into finding out where someone lives. But, hey, he could've been way worse about it.

His Iridescent Medley morphs into its sword form, and he plucks a leaf from a nearby tree. Letting the leaf begin to fall, he swipes the sword lazily at it. It's less the blade that matters, than the deep-blue crystal inset into the sword's pommel. It flashes an indigo light, and in a split second Roy is on the inside of the glass dome.

The teenager reaches into his pouch as Iridescent Medley morphs into something different. He places onto the ground two loaves of bread. These are the traditional food of Roy and Erica's island, Thermal-Cooked Savory Bread. Well, it was just Thermal-Cooked Bread back before their island had been evacuated. The outer reaches of the Magellans aren't exactly great places to find tasty spices and whatnot. So the normal Thermal-Cooked Bread was simply hardy bread, dense yet easy to chew and swallow and packed with nutrition. Since coming to Hope, Erica and Roy have added their own little improvements with the overabundance of herbs and spices--hence, Thermal-Cooked Savory Bread.

Having placed the wrapped, fresh Thermal Bread down, he returns to Iridescent Medley. It had folded out, spread itself into a keyboard. Stretching his laced fingers, he begins to tickle the ivories. Roy had managed to pin down Prof Renatus' favorite genre--showtunes. The keys begin to play a melody familiar to those who know of it, and Roy begins to sing mezzo forte, just loud enough to be heard but hopefully not providing too rude an awakening.


~"...When the Maw bites"~
~"When the 'Clid stings"~
~"When I'm fee~ling sa~d..."~

Friday Afternoon

Roy shrugs. "I mean, the base plan's pretty simple: smash and grab, get in and take out the jailers quick before freeing the captured heroes. Having all of us present to help neutralize one of the two jailers would certainly be helpful, but if someone acting as a decoy buys the main group a few seconds, that might make a difference."

"I'm good with us all focus-firing the jail room. If we take out Manus, they won't have an easy way to deal with the barricades Connor could put up, and all of us together do have the best odds of taking both him and Elita out in the shortest amount of time."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Yeah the plan is for it to all become a big fight. Odds are the cage is not going to be able to withstand the sort of force we can hit it with for long. Once everyone's free, rooms and doors are irrelevant. To be clear, I'm not talking about divide and conquer. Like I said, divide and conquer gives them the advantage given the setup. I'm talking about making them think we're coming from one direction, when we actually come from another direction, hopefully buying us a few seconds of confusion before they're able to respond. Which we might not need, since they'll be expecting a terramantic warning that they won't be getting. But you could zip right over to join the rest of us two seconds later if you want. That would probably be preferable to you duking it out with Patroclus, actually."

"Either way though. It's an option, not critical, and full force from the word go has its own advantages. Any other details to- oh, wait! Wow, that was almost dumb. We actually probably shouldn't use Connor's disks for flight, because they're earth too and Manus could probably sense them. Roy, how about you fly Connor up, I'll fly up with you guys, he opens the roof, we fly in, you drop him off, pick up Serhe and Nancy, fly them in? That'll probably work better. Uh...actually, Connor, how do you feel about leaving your dirt pouch thing down here? Not sure Manus couldn't sense that too, come to think of it."

That was almost a stupid oversight :smallredface:.

So, the way I see it, it goes like this:

Erica and Roy, with Roy carrying Connor, fly above the roof over the main room.

Connor opens a hole we can pass through with Shape Earth.

We fly in immediately. Roy drops Connor off, flies back, free grabs Serhe and/or Nancy, flies them in, repeat. At Flight 5 with his Free Grab feature he can easily pull that off in the same move action he'd be using to enter.

We lay waste as suits our particular idioms.

If that sounds okay to everyone, I'm good to go, for the record.

[Zelphas]

It takes a matter of moments to carry Connor up to the back of the building, open up a gap in the ceiling, and fly inside. Collecting Nancy and Serhe takes only a few moments more.

The room that you enter is a large, bare oblong of stone reminiscent of a warehouse, with glowing strips of crystal on the ceiling shedding a weak light to illuminate the space. In the center of the room is a ten-foot-tall cage of heavy, black iron, within which sit or stand Doireann, Bernhard, Calvin, Wyn, and Farhan, looking various shades of bored, annoyed, and interested as you make your arrival. Every once in a while, the air around the cage shimmers slightly, wavering like hot desert air even though the room is slightly cool.

Elita, her green eyes wide over her breathing mask, barely glances towards your group before turning to hasten towards the door nearest to her. As she runs, she pulls out a flat metal disc ,which she throws in front of her. The disk floats a few inches off of the ground, and as soon as Elita jumps atop it, it begins to accelerate at a decent clip towards the side door.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QO4OacMkKm8Si6F-134C4vPH4nA8aF49ikcV55rusck/edit#gid=0)

Feel free to place yourselves elsewhere in the room on the map.

Surprise round--but Elita has Danger Sense and made her check! Erica and Roy go first, then Elita, then the whole party!

The Night Before

There is no warning, no sensation of movement or sudden presence at your back. Nothing until Renatus' voice sounds in your ear. "Mr. Stonesmith. You and your Cell have already defeated my first test, and I have yet to give you any assignments for you to question. It is dangerous for students to wander outside of Hope after nightfall, even in these peaceful times. What do you need?"

Renatus' inflection is... flat. His intonation is odd, nearly mechanical, out-of-sorts with his normal vocal characteristics. It's still enough like him that mind control is unlikely; he just seems... different, here at night and away from the Academy.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica swooped straight at the cage, Prism Edge shifting into the form of a huge claymore in her hands. A direct energy attack would be absorbed by the Normal Rock, which somewhat limited Prism Edge's options. But one was all she needed.

She held the blade in a reverse hold, the rainbow edge inward. It wasn't a double-edged sword, but it was virtually indestructible so with enough force behind it the blunt side could do its job just fine. She swung hard, and as she did, a thin line of steely silver in the rainbow edge glowed brightly.

That particular Flux Gemstone was enchanted to release kinetic energy when charged. Normally, that would just deepen the injury inflicted as she released it after impact. Here, though, she charged the gemstone as she swung, allowing the kinetic force to propel the swing itself. The enchanted sword would hit the cage as if it had been wielded by a paragon.

And if that didn't bring the cage down, well, she'd haul back and do it again!

Move: Into M9.

Standard: Attack the cage with Flux Berserker, Variable Descriptor to Kinetic Energy as fluff for just using its basic [Physical] [Slashing] descriptor. All Out Attack for 4, Power Attack for 5, at [roll0]. On a hit, Toughness DC 33/28 (after auto-crit for inanimate object) vs. Damage Linked Weaken Toughness. The Damage carries a Secondary Effect.

Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: If the cage is still up, do it again! [roll1].

Current Status: -4 Defense this turn, possibly Fatigued as of next turn.

[Thokk_Smash]

Already fully-armored, Roy leaps directly to stand uncomfortably close to Manus. Even if Elita opens the door, Connor could still raise walls flush against the existing walls, closing in the room and giving them time to set up. Manus would be the other team's easiest way to circumvent those walls.

Well, the fact that Roy's Iridium Medley crackles with even greater Enhanced power is a good reason to target Manus, too. White-yellow energy crackles from the crystals dotting his gauntlets, curling around the pistons and focusing on the knuckles. Without Erica's joint effort, Roy's Medley only produces this power in response to the opposing energies of an Elementalist.

Roy gives a brief, nearly imperceptible glance at Bernhard, as if wanting to know the other boy's reaction. Then he aims two vicious blows on Manus, full-bodied and coursing with lightning that spills over onto Manus. The force of the blow threatens to blast Manus back, and if he flies back he just might hit Elita as well.

Move action: Into Close range of Manus.

Free action: Switch to Enhanced Output, Iridium Introduction.

Standard action: Attack with Iridium Introduction, AoA/PA 5 at [roll0], Toughness vs DC 28 Damage, Strength vs DC 23 Move Object, Will vs DC 23 Vulnerable+Dazed/Defenseless+Stunned/Incapacitated+Paralyzed.
If he fails the Move Object, he's launched at Elita at [roll1] for the same resistances.

Status: Fine, Defenses at 17
HP: 3
Luck: 3/4

The Night Before...

Roy turns around with a jovial smile. Granted, with his bloodshot eyes, it might seem a bit manic as well. "Well, I probably need a solid eight hours of sleep for the first time in four days," he says with a small chuckle. "What I want, being here, is to give you these."

He picks up the two loaves of Thermally-Cooked Extra Savory Bread and offers them to the teacher. "I don't expect any extra credit for this, and sorry if my finding you offended you. I was hoping, though, maybe I could ask you a question about yourself?"

[Zelphas]

CLANG

Erica's first strike, although blunted by the power of the nullification field, still manages to leave a sizable dent in the heavy iron bars of the cage.

CRASH

Her second strike lands on the weakened bars and shears through, causing a cascade of crumpled iron until one wall of the cage is sheared away, leaving a massive hole.

Elita stops her headlong charge towards the door as the cage falls apart, her shoulders slumping slightly. "Oh. Okay then; Plan B, I guess." She reaches up with one hand and sharply twists a dial on the right side of her breathing mask, turning to face the group fully. With a mechanical shiver of sliding parts, the mark peels away from the bottom half of her face, revealing a small upturned nose and underneath... something that definitely was not a mouth.

A second later, Elita's face is obscured by a rolling cloud of greenish-grey smoke, filling the room with a choking, burning substance. The gas piles up against the outside of the cage, dispersing sharply upon contact with the shimmering neutrality field.

Elita

Move Action: Nah.

Standard Action: Use Breath of the Gorgon. Everyone, Dodge DC 8 for half, Fort DC 18/14 vs. Dazed & Impaired/Stunned & Disabled. The effect is Cumulative, and repeats next turn for anyone still within the cloud.

Nancy Dodge (DC 18): [roll0] Fail
Fortitude (DC 18/14): [roll1] Dazed and Impaired

Everyone is up!

The Night Before

When you turn around, you see only a flash of black robes and then empty air; Renatus has moved again. "Sleep is important," he comments from behind you again. "It keeps people... centered. Ask your question; I will answer it if I can."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Behind her helmet, Erica grinned as the cage went down. ~BOOM!~ she sent to her brother. That there was mission accomplished, but this was a combat game. Her Cell would not settle for less than ultimate victory.

She flew off, planting herself squarely before the south door, the gem on her belt shining bright. Marius and Lucy were both Transformers, and they'd have to get through her to get to her team and its Enhancers!

Elita's cloud avoided Erica almost as completely as it avoided the Neutrality Field, swirling a few inches away from her, the Transformative power disrupted by the numerous enchantments on her armor. And what little was leaking through was only pushed out harder as the dark blue, white-flecked Flux Gemstone at her belt began to shine.

"Rescue team, focus-fire down the hostiles in this room! Target team, head through that door," she pointed to the one on the eastern wall. "Go through the first door after it to engage Ediz and Donald. Expect them to be backed up by Patroclus and Tsubaki shortly." While there was more to any fight than matching powersets, that would likely wind up putting them five to four against two Supernaturalists while they had three Elementalists. Granted, their other two were Transformers, but as long as they hit hard and fast and their Elementalists defended them from the casters, they should have the edge.

Move: Into I12.

Free: Activate Arcane Augmentation for that tasty half Transformative immunity and Affects Insubstantial on my damage.

Standard: Spend a Hero Point and activate Inspire! All allies get +5 to all checks this round!

Current Status: Fatigued.

[Arcran]

Serhe is just barely too slow into the room, and is a half-step too slow to stop Elita from using her powers. Still, there wasn't any reason that he couldn't make up for that issue now! With his enhanced lungs the mist did little more than sting a little, before Serhe darts over towards Elita, getting right into her face and attempting to block her path to the door.

Why don't you just take a break? Serhe says, glaring at the girl before focusing his gaze on her and instant before realizing that she isn't a Transformer. With that choice taken away from him, Serhe's gaze darts over towards Manus, vision flashing red as he does so.

Move in front of Elita!

Use Nature's End on Manus!
AoA, Power Attack at maximum!
AC: [roll0]
Nullify: [roll1]

[herodofcows]

Connor leers as Elita's gas cloud washes over him to no effect.

"Sorry, lass!" he crows, striding crookedly through the mist, "I don't work like that!"

He takes a moment to consider his options. He could go for that Manus wanker, or . . . do something much less personally satisfying.

Hehehehehe . . .

"OI! BROCK!" he roars, leaning on his cane and extending one hand outwards . . .

<Stone, if ye'd be so kind . . .>

"Special fekkin' delivery!"

And with that, pieces of the floor fly up in a fan of sedimentary chunks, all but sandblasting the other Elementalist as he reels from the others' attacks.

Okay, using Launch Earth on Manus!

[roll0] vs. Dodge, DC 23+Multiattack Damage

[Thokk_Smash]

~"They got Stonesmith'd!"~ Roy sends back to his sister with a mental grin. His gauntlets shift as he brings his hands together, forming a long-barreled gun with blazing sapphire crystals inset across the body. Lining up a shot, he whispers an apology to Elita as he fires off two shots at the Transformer. The armor surrounding him begins to glow with a soft, indistinct light; it makes Roy seem as though he isn't really there.

Free action: Swap to Sapphire Solo, Enhanced Lightness and Hardness

Standard action: Attack Elita with Sapphire Solo, AoA/PA 5 for [roll0] vs DC 32 Damage.

Extra Effort: Do it again! [roll1] vs DC 32 Damage

Note, Enhanced Lightness and Hardness grants Roy Impervious Dodge 24, and he can substitute Impervious Dodge at half-rank for Area resistance checks.

Status: Fine, Fatigued next round, Defenses 17
HP: 3
Luck: 3/4

[Zelphas]

Enemy Round

Manus jerks around in surprise as Connor calls him out, holding up his hands in an instinctive effort to shield himself with stone as he sees the barrage coming his way. His eyes widen in shocked dismay as the ground refuses to obey him, his power shut down by Serhe an instant before he is hammered mercilessly to the ground. Elita is blindsided by Roy's gunshots, the first sending her staggering before the second knocks her out cold. As soon as she falls, the poison gas she released rolls in on itself, seeming to suck beck in to her mouth in mere moments. As it fades, it reveals her lying out on the ground, her mask still open... revealing a perfectly normal mouth, open slightly as if in surprise or sleep.

As the gas dissapates, everyone hears a series of whooshing noises, seeming to come from several places at once. Roy suddenly realizes that Marius Amato is standing next to him; even as he turns, the boy grows and shifts, his ruddy skin transforming into polished marble and his rather plain clothes transmogrifying into an impeccable black three-piece suit. Another whoosh, and a Lucy Norwood is in the room, though she fades into nothing as soon as she is perceived (or, for those who have Vision Counters Concealment, she grows skeletal, her color fading into muted silvery-white as she begins to float an inch above the ground). An odd, cackling laugh floats out from where she girl was a moment before, seeming to wind itself around Roy's mind. "Excuse me," the statue intones in a deep, oddly inflected baritone, nodding pleasantly to Roy. "Would you mind setting down that gun? I would prefer to have a civilized conversation, if I may."

Whoosh. Dawnlight appears, her hair glowing golden in the dimly-lit room. She sweeps her eyes over the battlefield, settling them finally upon Erica. "Tremble under the light of the sun!" She announces melodramatically, spoiling the effect with a too-wide grin of excitement before pointing at the female Stonesmith, a lance of pure golden light firing out towards her.

Whoosh. Serhe feels a rush of air, and Donald Morgan is suddenly standing before Connor, the speedster panting with effort and grinning. "Well, that was a neat trick for a guy who's main power is speed, huh?" he boasts, beginning to flicker as he repeatedly pounds at Connor with his fists. "How many Paragons do you know that could get four whole people plus himself into a room in under ten seconds? I'm not even out of breath!"

Beside him, Serhe hears a whisper, so quiet that it almost seems to come from within is own mind: "Sorry." A tiny, pale grey hand reaches from nowhere and lays itself on his arm... and a tiny, grey girl appears at his side for a moment before vanishing into fading memory.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QO4OacMkKm8Si6F-134C4vPH4nA8aF49ikcV55rusck/edit#gid=0)

Incapacitating Elita activates one of her Power Loss Complications, dissipating the Gorgon Cloud. No need for second round rolls!

Donald Morgan

Move Action: Transport Marius, Lucy, Dawnlight, and Jane Doe into the room (he has speed 12, so he can navigate through the building with ease), stopping at N10.

Standard Action: Attack Connor with Pressure Point Piano. [roll0] On a hit, Damage DC 23+Multiattack, Fortitude DC 18 vs. Weaken Dodge and Parry. Miss

Lucy Norwood

Move Action: Transform into Poltergeist Form.

Standard Action: Attack Roy with Haunt. Will DC 18 vs. Weaken all Defenses.

Marius Amato

Move Action: Transform into Caesar Form.

Standard: Attack Roy with Voice of the Imperator. Will DC 18 vs. Entranced/Compelled/Controlled. Percpetion DC 20 to notice that an attack's taking place.

Grace Daniels (Dawnlight)

Move Action: Nah, moved by Donald.

Standard Action: Attack Erica with Ray of Light. [roll1] on a hit, HAD DC 23 vs. Damage, Fortitude DC 18 vs. Weaken Toughness. Hit

Jane Doe

Standard Action: Attack Serhe with Steal Essence. [roll2] On a hit, Will DC 20 vs. Weaken all Abilities. Serhe is Vulnerable to this due to Jane's Concealment. Just barely hit thanks to Vulnerable. Forgot about Uncanny Dodge. Miss.

Free Action: Switch to Become Essence.

Move Action: Use Become Essence.

Ally Actions Coming soon!

[Zelphas]

Ally Round

"So... are we still going to the next room?" Calvin asks from within the cage, earning him a disgusted look from the rest of the captured classmates. He holds up a hand defensively. "Just asking."

Doireann is the first to exit the cage, giving out a relieved sigh as she leaves the nullification field. "I'm afraid there's cloudy skies ahead, Grace," she calls out, firing out a jet spray of foaming water at the Aether controller in intermittent bursts.

Frahan moves next to Caesar's side, his drooping necktie springing to snapping life again as he runs across the room. "Let me help you out with this old stone fella, Mister Stonesmith," he drawls laconically, as at his neck his snapping plant suddenly lashes out like a whip, it's viney fangs looking to gauge into stony hide.

Wyn Glazier looks around hesitantly for a moment as he exits the cage, his robe flapping lightly. Finally, he stretches out a hand, and a thin stream of sand appears from his robe sleeve, jetting towards Dawnlight to mix with the pouring water.

Bernhard and Calvin exit at almost the same time, both of them looking over the battlefield and trying to gauge where they can go. Calvin rushes to an empty corner of the room and suddenly convulses, his entire body shuddering and jerking oddly before disappearing under a storm of spikes that seem to push out from under his skin. He is revealed later as a tall, oddly elongated statue of a nameless monster with glowing red eyes,standing motionless and shrouded by a weaving curtain of spike-like quills. Bernhard stalks towards Roy, Marius, Lucy, and Farhan, his face a mask of annoyance before it is consumed by brilliant red flames, the cry of the phoenix welling up from within him.

For her part, Nancy walks over to Donald. "Oh, shut up," she groans, before slapping him.

I forgot the Inspire Bonus! That's why Donald got hit; I added +5 later. Sorry about that.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QO4OacMkKm8Si6F-134C4vPH4nA8aF49ikcV55rusck/edit#gid=0)

Doireann Keleman

Move Action: Shift to L9.

Standard Action: Attack Grace with Pressure Wash. [roll0] On a hit, [roll1] vs. DC 21 Damage, [roll2] vs. Fort DC 16 Dazed/Stunned (Secondary Effect, Cumulative, Quirk (Auto-fails if the Toughness check is resisted). Hit; both resisted.

Farhan Macdonald

Move Action: Shift to Q9.

Standard Action: Use My Little Friend on Marius. [roll3] On a hit, Immune to the Toughness, [roll4] vs. DC 20 Weaken Toughness. Miss.

Wyn Glazier

Move Action: Shift to L10.

Standard Action: Use Sandblast on Grace. [roll5] On a hit, [roll6] vs. DC 23 Damage, [roll7] vs. Fort DC 18 Dazed & Fatigued/Stunned & Exhausted. Miss.

Nancy Keroack

Move Action: Shift to M11.

Standard Action: Use Humiliating Slap on Donald. [roll8] On a hit, [roll9] vs. DC 23+Multiattack Damage, [roll10] vs. Fortitude DC 18 Dazed & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless. Hit (from Inspire), no Multiattack; Bruised & Staggered, Dazed & Vulnerable.

Calvin Squires

Move Action: Shift to P11.

Standard Action: Sacrifice for a move action to shift into Razorbeast Form.

Bernhard Siladi

Move Action: Shift to P9.

Standard Action: Sacrifice for a move action to shift into Phoenix Form.

PCs are up!

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica was a bit disappointed at being circumvented. Also that the group they had released hadn't had nearly as big an immediate impact as she had hoped for. But whatever, they'd deal. With the room tightly cluttered now, the optimal tactic was clear. Sending her brother a wordless feeling of gratitude for his defense, Erica hustled into a more central position, her sword shifting as she did, its blade and crossguard contracting down into the hilt, which elongated, until she was carrying not a blade, but a wizard's staff.

She slammed her newly-configured weapon hard against the ground, channeling her power through it. The cluster of Flux gemstones at the top (which had been the pommel of the weapon as a sword) flared with power, the brightest a white-blue gemstone. Bolts of lightning exploded from the staff in all direction, striking all foes in range. Transformers would be in even worse straights, as the magic would induce a disruptive arcane resonance into their forms, one that she or Roy could take advantage of.

Pouring more power into the staff, she slammed it down again immediately after, this time with a crimson gem shining brightest. Consuming flames poured from the staff. Her allies would feel only pleasant warmth as the fires passed over them, but her foes would feel the burn, and Transformers be even further disrupted!

Hero Point to negate Fatigue.

Move: Into M10.

Standard: Flux Wizard, Variable Descriptor: Electricity. All conscious enemies in 30' (should be everyone in the room) have to roll Dodge DC 18 for half, Toughness DC 23/19 vs. Damage. Transformers additionally have to roll Fortitude DC 18/14 or be Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless and Weakened Toughness, but only against herself and Roy (the latter isn't Selective, but since it only applies against Erica and Roy feel free to forego the rolls for allies for simplicity if desired). The Damage Affects Insubstantial and may carry a Secondary Effect if Erica spends a move action next round to trigger it. Erica will include the south wall as a target in hopes of blasting it open to catch Ediz as well.

Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: DO IT AGAIN! This time Variable Descriptor is Fire.

...Apologies for drowning you in dice, Zelphas. :smalltongue:

Current Status: Normal, Fatigued as of next turn.

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy smirks as he sees his sister's handiwork etch itself onto Marius' body. The other boy's words had almost taken hold of him, but the sight of his sister being attacked had snapped him out of it. No one attacks his sister if he can help it!

"Oh, sure, I'll put the gun away," he says, and indeed he does morph Iridescent Medley out of its sniper rifle form. Of course, the difference is that now his hands up to the forearm are clad in his quickly-becoming signature powered gauntlets. "You didn't say anything about a good ole one-two combo!"

And he does just that: gauntlets charged up with arcing plasma, he deals the stone statue a fierce blow. Not as fierce as his previous ones, though--he wants to try and aim it juuuuust right to hit miss Grace. And, hey, who knows--maybe she'll take a little trip of her own! And then he fades into concealment, the colorless crystals dotting his armor glowing softly before he does so.

Free action: Switch to Roy's Concealment array slot, switch to Iridium Introduction

Standard action: Attack Marius with Iridium Introduction, AoA 5, PA 2 for [roll0] vs DC 30 (rank 10 Damage plus Crit bonus from being Defenseless) Damage, DC 30 Contagious Move Object or be sent into Dawnlight, DC 30 25 Will vs Vulnerable/Defenseless/Incapacitated.

If he fails the Move Object, attack roll for Dawnlight: [roll1] vs DC 25 Damage, DC 20 Contagious Move Object vs being thrown at Ediz
If she fails the Move Object, attack roll for Ediz: [roll2] vs DC 25 Damage, DC 20 Contagious Move Object
And that's the end of the available targets, as Roy can't accurately perceive Jane Doe nor Lucy.

End of turn: Recover one Weakened Toughness

Status: Fatigued, Defenses at 17, Concealed from all senses save touch
HP: 3
Luck: 1/4

[Arcran]

Serhe's eyes widened as the wall simply vanished, a grudging respect forcing its way into his mind. They only outnumbered the other team when it was all stuck in one room. Combining all the rooms, well, made that a bit of a moot point. He was so distracted that he barely managed to catch Jane appearing out of the corner of his eye, rolling to the side at the last possible second to avoid the hit.

You picked the wrong person friend, Serhe says, before his eyes flash a sickly green, hopefully making it so Jane can't get away and take out a slightly more vulnerable team member.

AoA and PA at max! +5 to Effect, no change to accuracy, -5 to defenses.

Nullify Odd!
Accuracy: [roll0] Actually 26
Nullify: [roll1]

[Zelphas]

Round Two, Enemy Turn

Erica's waves of lightning and fire roll through the room, striking down Donald as he reels from Nancy's slap and drawing out a hair-raising shriek from the flickering ghost that is Lucy. Marius glances back at Lucy for one long moment before racing across the room, somehow beating the lightning bolt that was bearing down on Jane Doe and taking it himself. He staggers slightly under the electric shock, then stands, brushing off his jacket.

The lightning rakes the southern wall, weakening it enough so that the expanding fireball smashes it apart, peppering Ediz Sharma with chunks of burning debris. He yells and nearly falls over, not expecting the sudden attack, before regaining his composure and giving Erica an exasperated look. "...Really?"

Marius faces down Roy confidently... only to get sucker-punched in the gut and sent flying into Dawnlight, who manages to shrug off the marble statue with only a muffled grunt of pain. Marius slides to the floor, his features returning to that of a plain-looking boy in modest clothing as he loses consciousness. Connor jumps in, charging down Dawnlight with a hefty stone club, but while her flight wobbles slightly from the blow, she is able to stay upright.

Serhe turns his eyes upon Jane Doe, and he feels his powers take hold. The tiny, gray girl opens her mouth in an expression of surprise. "Um--"

Flicker

The girl disappears. A second later, appearing exactly in the girl's place, is a young woman with Connor's height and build, Dawnlight's hair (in silver instead of gold), and Serhe's scarlet eyes. "Um--"

Flicker

Now it is a ghostly image of a twisted, statue-like shape, with Erica's face and Farhan's eyes. Small spines flicker into place around the shape, then vanish. "--Ow--"

Flicker

Intense green eyes turn to Serhe, staring out of his own face, as the shape twists Roy's body covered in patches of brilliant phoenix feather. It opens Nancy's lips. "--Ow--"

Unaware of the scene to his left, Ediz forces a thin smile. "Fine, then. Just remember, you wanted me in this fight." Ediz's eyes suddenly flash a searing green, and all of the remaining opponents become surrounded by glowing greenish light that covers their body and mimics their movements. "Time to cut loose, everyone!"

Look, it's fairly obvious that there's no victory for us here, sighs a familiar voice in your head. You guys win, all right? Now, stop canceling Jane Doe's powers and let her touch you, and not only will I make sure we surrender and stop this from being a long, drawn-out bout, but I'll owe you a favor. Deal?

Lucy gives out a maddened shriek of pain and anger, and Erica feels a chill coming from behind her, as though icy claws are reaching to tear out her heart. Dawnlight, still wobbling from Connor's strike, punches at the earth elementalist, her fist glowing with the light of a miniature sun. Jane Doe... continues to flicker.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QO4OacMkKm8Si6F-134C4vPH4nA8aF49ikcV55rusck/edit#gid=0)

Ediz Sharma

Move Action: Staggered.

Free Action: Talk, switch to Active Overwatch.

Standard Action: Use Active Overwatch; all foes are deflected at 1d10+18 (secondary effect).

Lucy Norwood

Move Action: Staggered.

Free Action: Switch to Horrify.

Standard Action: Use Horrify on Erica, All-Out Power Attacking for 5. [roll0] on a hit, Will DC 28 vs. Damage/DC 23 vs. Vulnerable & Dazed/Defenseless & Stunned. Hit

Dawnlight

Move Action: Dazed.

Free Action: Switch to Bright Punch.

Standard Action: Use Bright Punch on Connor. [roll1] On a hit, HAD DC 23 vs. Damage (with Secondary Effect)/DC 18 vs. Dazed & Impaired / Stunned & Disabled. Hit

Jane Doe

Move Action: *Flicker*

Standard Action: *Flicker*

Ally rolls up soon!

[Arcran]

When Jane Doe flickers into appearance time and time again, each time a frightening combination of various people in the vicinity, Serhe is taken aback for a moment. Usually when he shut down somebody's powers they were the same as before, just, well, not using their powers. Jane's reaction was completely alien to him, and just the sheer strangeness of it all almost made him instantly back down.

However, there was one small, barely noticeable fact that he kept in mind before instantly releasing Jane. None of the 'villains' had attacked him, despite the fact that they knew how dangerous his powers were. Even more, they were keeping Jane Doe up at all costs, who apparently had at least the power to take on other people's appearance, if not more. If Jane Doe was able to acquire his powers, this fight would quickly become much more lopsided.

You first, Serhe says, staring at Ediz as his eyes remain a sickly green. Your half first, he says, breathing heavily as he focuses on keeping out of Jane's reach.

Hold my actions, I suppose?

[Zelphas]

The emaciated stone statue that is Calvin Squires does not move, but the spines swirling around it shift and stream towards Ediz, looking to simultaneously wound him and pin him in place. Ediz gives out another sardonic "...Really?" as the spines jet after him. Finding himself without an opponent as well, Farhan shrugs and saunters over to Ediz, his plant necktie strateching and snapping to take a bite out of the psionic Supernaturalist... though seeing the latter's sorry state after the spines work over him causes him to pull back his plant at the last moment.

Nancy steps dismissively over the unconscious form of Donald, walking over towards where she heard Lucy's scream. "Now, Lucy," she calls out soothingly, her voice laced with that note of command so familiar to the Stonesmiths, "I know you're angry, but I need you to calm down now and go back to normal, okay?" Bernhard, somehow conveying a disgusted look at Nancy despite his avian form, focuses on the ghost girl as well; opening his mouth, he fires a plume of white-hot fire that instantly heats up the air in the room by a few degrees and burns clean through the back wall of the building, into the gym beyond. A moment later, Lucy appears once more, her clothing smoldering as she falls to the ground.

Doireann, seeing Grace simply ignore her blast of water, grits her teeth and points again, peppering Dawnlight with blasts of water. Beside her, Wyn Glazier lets out a sound like a dune collapsing and redoubles his attempts with sand as well. The water blasts nearly knock Dawnlight out of the sky, the shimmering green light deflecting the sand the only thing keeping her from being dropped with the rest of her group. Still reeling, Dawnlight looks across the room until her eyes land on Serhe. "He says... the deal's still on," she pants to him, before putting up her hands in defeat.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QO4OacMkKm8Si6F-134C4vPH4nA8aF49ikcV55rusck/edit#gid=0)

Calvin Squires

Move Action: Too many people watching.

Standard Action: Use Pinion on Ediz. vs. [roll1] Deflect to hit; [roll2] vs. DC 23 Damage, [roll3] vs. DC 18 Hindered & Vulnerable/Immobile & Defenseless on a hit. Staggered x2 = INCAPACITATED!

Farhan MacDonald

Move Action: Shift to N14.

Standard Action: Use My Little Friend on Ediz. [roll4] vs. [roll]1d10+18 Deflect to hit, [roll5] vs. DC 25 Damage, [roll6] vs. DC 20 Weaken Toughness on a hit. Nevermind, he's out.

Nancy Keroack

Move Action: Shift to Q9.

Free Action: Switch to Overwhelming Charisma.

Standard Action: Overwhelming Charisma on Lucy. [roll7] vs. DC 18 Entranced/Compelled/Controlled (Instant Recovery) / Weaken Will. Compelled, but...

Bernhard Siladi

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Phoenix Flare to fill a line 60 ft north of him, capturing Lucy in the blast. [roll8] Vs. DC 18 half effect, [roll9] vs. DC 23/18 Damage (Secondary Effect). Staggered x2=INCAPACITATED!

Doireann Keleman

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Keep Trying with Pressure Wash. [roll10] vs. [roll11] Deflect to hit; [roll12] vs. DC 21 Damage, [roll13] vs. DC 16 Dazed/Stunned (cumulate, Secondary Effect) on a hit. 1 Bruise and Staggered.

Wyn Glazier

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Keep Trying with Sandblast. [roll14] vs. [roll15] Deflect to hit; [roll16] vs. DC 23 Damage, [roll17] vs. DC 18 Dazed & Fatigued/Stunned & Exhausted on a hit. Deflected.

PCs are up!

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy grins in triumph as he sees the various "villains" fall to the newly-freed "heroes". To be fair, he's restraining himself from giving a whoop of excitement. They're kicking a** here! Jane Doe's visibly uncomfortable form brings out a wince of sympathy, though, and he hopes they can finish this up quick for her sake.

He does, however, tense up when first Serhe, then Dawnlight talk about "your half", and some kind of "deal". He remains in a fighting stance even though Grace has seemingly begun to surrender. "What's the situation, Serhe?" he asks with a wary look at the remaining visible members of the "villains". "Talk to us, man."

Free action: Talk to Serhe. Holding actions until some clarity is reached, pls.

[Arcran]

I turn on Jane's powers and let her touch me, they surrender, Serhe says, keeping a wary eye on everything going on around him. I just don't see why I should do that before they surrender, Serhe adds, looking between Ediz and the others.

[Thokk_Smash]

"It would be interesting to see her power in action. Well, proper action," he says, looking with sympathy once more to her flickering form before his gaze hardens again. "However, that can be done once this is all over. In this specific instance, they're the villains here--it's their job to do anything in their power to beat us, including lie, cheat, and steal. If she touches you and gets your powers, all bets are off. We still don't know where Tsubaki or Patroclus are.

"And besides..." He grins a bit impishly with a wink to Serhe. "We don't negotiate with Villains."

[Quellian-dyrae]

As Lucy's claws slashed in, rather than passing into her and clawing at her spirit, the aura of Supernatural power emanating from her belt partially disrupted her transformation, resulting in her attack being with mundane human fingers. Which, predictably, did precisely nothing against her armor.

She could admit to just a flicker of petulant annoyance when Nancy and Bernhard stepped in to take down the wraith-transformer. Mainly because, you know, it was Nancy and Bernhard. But with great diplomacy, she managed to resist the urge to snap that she had it covered.

~Although, let's be clear, I totally had it covered,~ she grumbled telepathically to her brother.

She swept her gaze across the field. There wasn't much left in terms of active opposition. Jane Doe's random warping, though...was disconcerting. She knew from their conversation (such as it was) back aboard the airship that Jane couldn't turn her powers on and off. Evidently, having them forcibly turned off was having side effects.

She was picking up some kinda odd vibes from...well, more-or-less everyone, actually, as they regarded the situation. They seemed more watchful than concerned, to her, with the possible exception of Dawnlight. Erica wasn't entirely sure what the deal was. But taking the situation as a whole...

"No," Erica said, immediately after Roy had spoken. It wasn't super common that the twins outright disagreed with each other on serious matters, but it certainly happened. Roy's view wasn't necessarily wrong for the real-world environment that the game was simulating, but it was still a game. If Jane was suffering from serious power incontinence, that was more important than any points or plots. "They have four members still standing, one injured. We're still at basically full strength. This battle is over whether they elect to surrender or not, but Jane's health takes precedence. Serhe, I think you should renew Jane's powers but not let her touch you. If she needs to use some sort of active power on someone else to fully stabilize herself, she can do so upon one of her allies. If they wish to keep fighting after that, despite our overwhelming force advantage, well, that's on them." It was his choice, but she really didn't want to be the group that had let a fellow trainee Hero's powers run amok just to get tactical advantage in a game.

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy gives Erica the telepathic equivalent of a one-armed hug. ~"Damn straight you did, sis,"~ he thinks to her.

Roy nods at his sister's declaration. "We don't know if she'll take any permanent damage from your power," he adds to Serhe. He keeps an eye on the room as he does, still wary about the current situation.

With a frown of thought, Roy thinks to Erica, ~"I'm getting the feeling everyone but our Cell, including the guys we freed, want Jane to touch Serhe." ~"Most everyone thinks the game is over, so it's not to do with winning or losing the game."~

[Arcran]

Serhe's eyes frantically dart between Roy and Erica as he tries to determine what's actually happening here, before he looks at Erica. After a moment though, something Roy says echoes in his mind.

"We don't negotiate with Villains."

If she's going to be hurt, surrender or wait for the Professor to call it. Otherwise, I'm not going to stop until every single one of you is out cold, Serhe says, cracking his knuckles as he slowly pours some of his enhancement into his muscles. This whole situation had gotten needlessly complicated, at least in his opinion. I'm going to apologize in advance Jane, Serhe says, before pivoting and throwing his weight over his shoulder, before bringing that weight forward into a haymaker punch, straight at Jane's ever-changing face.

Yep!

AC: [roll0]
On hit, Toughness DC 23 to resist.

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy grimaces as Serhe aims a haymaker right at the defenseless Jane Doe's face. "Hey, hey, hey, no need for--" THWACK

Roy grunts in pain as he sidesteps in the way of Serhe's punch. It stings, for sure, but he pushes through. "Give them a chance to surrender now that we've denied their last resort. Sorry, it's just...this is still just a game, and she's out for the count."

He turns to the rest of the room as he winces in pain. "Look, if y'all want to keep fighting, we're all for it. But I can tell that most, if not all of you, consider the game already over. We're not letting her touch Serhe, which I think most of you were waiting for? So let's just end this and wake everyone up."

[Zelphas]

"What are you doing?!" Dawnlight explodes as Serhe swings at Jane Doe. She seems oblivious to Roy taking the blow himself or to the fact that she is still hopelessly unmatched, gathering light into her hands as she stares down the power nullifier. "You aspire to be a Hero, and yet you--"

"That is enough."

The teacher appears, standing between Serhe and Dawnlight. "As you said, Mr. Nihilo, I am 'calling it'. This game is over. Your team has won." The teacher's tone is still calm and collected, his face still cartoonish, his grin still in place, but... "Mr. Stonesmith. We live in a dangerous world. Sometimes, as a Hero, you will need to choose between two evils, defeating the greater while, for a time, ignoring or even working with the lesser. In such cases, negotiation with Villains may in fact be in your best interests." Were his teeth always so... large? And when did they become pointed? "That being said... Mr. Nihilo. You were facing an opponent with unknown powers, who had been given inordinate amounts of focus by her team members. In many situations, prioritizing her defeat would be the correct choice; in fact, in some cases you would even be praised for said choice." And his eyes always resembled small stones, but they had never seemed so... dead, before. "And to all except for Mr. Berg, Mr. Nihilo, Miss Stonesmith, and Mr. Stonesmith... it was a clever plan. It may actually have worked. Circumstances simply were not on your side."

The tension that you all had felt at one time or another in the other Cells spiked when the teacher entered the field, then drained away, replaced by weary resignation.

The teacher claps his hands briskly together. "Well then! That concludes all of your duties for today, save one; choosing your new dorm rooms! Please take a few moments to collect yourselves, and then gather in front of the gym to hear your Cell scores." In a blink, the teacher is gone.

Congratulations on finishing the first week at Hope Academy! Take 2 PP for playing this far!

There will be one more big event before Hero Points reset, so keep ahold of them for now.

Of course, as PCs, I will never roll a social check against you that doesn't have a legitimate power behind it. You can react to the teacher's appearance and demeanor however you like. For reference, though, here is his Intimidation roll: [roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica couldn't really blame Serhe. None of them had full information, and lacking the empathic link that she and Roy shared, Serhe had less. But she trusted her instincts and her brother's, and both of them were saying that the battle was over.

So when Serhe swung...well, she was moving to get in the way herself. But she had expended an awful lot of energy, firing off two area blasts in that sort of quick succession. Her enchanted Flux crystals produced the effect, but it was still her energy charging them. She was a bit winded, and wasn't able to react in time.

Fortunately, Roy did.

Erica left her armor on as the professor appeared and spoke, mainly for the benefit of having the helmet to cover her face. The game was over. Their team had won. And, you know, she should have been excited at that. With teamwork and tactics, they had dominated the battle, achieving the primary objective before their foes could even react and blowing through over half the opposing force in seconds and with little in the way of harm. These were all students of Hope Academy, the most prestigious school for Heroes on the planet. Their victory here was a major accomplishment, possibly even on par with their performance during initiation.

But...

And to all except for Mr. Berg, Mr. Nihilo, Miss Stonesmith, and Mr. Stonesmith... it was a clever plan. It may actually have worked. Circumstances simply were not on your side.

Those words echoed in her head, in a painful, harmonic resonance with some of her oldest memories. Something had been happening here. Something that didn't seem to have anything to do with the challenge itself, and didn't seem to have nearly enough to do with Jane's power incontinence or whatever it was. There had been some sort of plan and...

And to all except for Mr. Berg, Mr. Nihilo, Miss Stonesmith, and Mr. Stonesmith...

And they had all been in on it. Not the enemy side in the game. Their teammates too. What was supposed to happen, if Serhe touched Jane? She didn't know. It may not even have been particularly bad. The end result wasn't what mattered. What mattered...

And to all except for

Erica had spent her childhood always being picked last and picked on. It had always been her and Roy pretty much, never as part of a bigger group of friends. They had been looked down on, bullied, isolated for the weakness of their powers. And now, here they were, sixteen years old and clad in powered armor of their own design, standing strong in what was clearly proving to be the most combatively-powerful Cell in the new crop of students in Hope Academy itself. And had anything changed?

Erica had exulted in their victories, but the truth, the truth that she hadn't even really admitted to herself, was that it had never been about the power. It had never been about the glory. Personal power had been a means to an end, not a goal in itself.

Erica Stonesmith didn't care about being the strongest.

She just wanted friends.

The helmet hid the two silent tears that dropped down her cheeks from everyone but her brother.

But of course, you don't live through a childhood like hers' without learning how to cope. Erica had her defense mechanisms. She kept her voice steady, if perhaps a bit wistful, and even forced some cheer into it, when she said, "Well, good game all!" She headed over to the nearest unconscious student, resting her staff on them and pouring a steady trickle of power through the white-gold gem that would produce a healing flow of positive energy. She'd go about with healing until everyone was back up on their feet.

That it would also give her time to get a hold of herself was a plus as well.

[Zelphas]

The other Cells are rather subdued as they all get ready to go; none of them refuse Erica's offer of healing, though there are a few disgruntled looks directed towards your Cell. Others, particularly Dawnlight's Cell, seem to shrug off the disappointment, and Ediz responds only with a polite nod and a light sigh once he awakens. Leaving the earthen building, you are assaulted with the light, tinkling laugh of Tsubaki, who has apparently just heard the story from Calvin and finds the entire thing hilarious.

Well then, students, here are the final scores!" the teacher announces, his features and actions once again as normal as they ever are, for him. "First place goes to the Cell of Connor Berg, Erica Stonesmith, Roy Stonesmith, and Serhe Nihilo, by dint of excellent exam scores and fulfillment of the extra objective. Second place goes to the Cell of Ediz Sharma, Manus Brock, Patroclus Belluomo, and Tsubaki Aggio, just edging ahead of third place due to near-perfect scores in all written exams of the week. In third place is the Cell of Donald Morgan, Elita Coste, Grace Daniels, and Jane Doe, with good field scores and exam scores. In fourth place are Bernhard Siladi, Calvin Squires, Doireann Keleman, and Wyn Glazier, and in fifth place are Farhan MacDonald, Lucy Norwood, Marius Amato, and Nancy Keroack."

The teacher grins around the gym. "Well done, all of you! I know that not all of you accomplished what you wished this week, but this is just the beginning of your Hero career, and you have already done exceptionally! Now, before we go to tour the dorms that you will be able to choose from, we must discuss some changes in class policy going forward.

"From this point on, you will go to morning general classes with me Monday through Friday. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday will be spent in individualized classes honing your particular powers and skills; Tuesdays and Thursdays will focus on team tactics with your Cell. On Fridays, you will remain on campus for an extra hour for "Heroic Ethics" class, which is taught by Glory. Once a month on a Saturday, you will shadow a Cell in Hope as they go about their heroic duties." His smile gains a familiar superior edge. "Attacking me during morning classes is hereby prohibited. Attacking me at any point in the next two months is likewise prohibited. After that point, I will take on my secondary role: that of your final combat test of the school year. The task is simple: the first student or group of students who incapacitates me before the end of the school year will gain perfect marks in combat. Each successive student or group that succeeds will be given a score ten percent lower than the last student or group that succeeded. I will warn you now: I will respond to every attack past this point as though my opponent was using lethal force."

The teacher pauses for a moment, his voice dipping into a low, almost mocking tone. "Don't worry; for your first year, you only have to kill me once." He claps his hands abruptly, his smile bright and cheery once more. "Off to the dorms, then! remember, you get to pick based on your scores! right this way!" He walks out of the gym, waving a beckoning hand behind him.

In any future combat situations, Renatus counts as three characters; incapacitating one of them is the requirement set for his "final combat test".

Research Dorm

The first dorm Renatus leads your class to is several times larger than your current accommodations. the furniture in the living room, bedrooms, and kitchen is pleasant but bland in shades of pastel greens and blues with tan, mostly blank walls, and a few tasteful potted plants here and there. More interesting are the other large rooms attached to the main dorm: A large, garage-like room filled with various building, sculpting, weighing, and measuring tools, including what seems to be a fully-functional furnace; a bright, white room with an assortment of microscopes, beakers, and other tools essential for anyone interested in the intricacies of PTD science; and a big room crammed nearly wall-to-wall with books, the titles declaring them mostly non-fiction research tomes, but with a few books of fairy tales and other novels sprinkled in.

Size: Medium

Features: Living Space, Workshop, Laboratory, Library.

Battle Dorm

This dorm is roughly the same size as the last, though the furniture tends more towards lightly carved wood, the walls are painted with deeper blues and golds, and the houseplants are oddly miniature trees and bushes. This dorm contains a (only slightly) smaller version of the gym you were in just a few minutes ago, fully stocked with weights and exercise equipment, as well as what seems to be a fully-equipped infirmary, complete with medicines of all kinds. The far side of the gym leads to a large room that is open to the air on one side, allowing the flowing waters of a stream from the Savior Sea to collect into a decent-sized pool underneath the high ceiling. In the distance, you can see mid-afternoon sunlight sparkle off of the Savior Sea itself.

Size: Medium

Features: Living Space, Gym, Infirmary, Dock

Secret Dorm

The teacher takes each Cell one at a time to this dorm. He teleports you directly to a series of room that, while somewhat smaller than the last two rooms, are still much larger than your current dorm. The rooms are slightly domed and painted in darker, muted colors with twining strings of vines carefully tended to climb the walls, evoking the feeling of a cave while still having all of the comforts of an apartment. You can find no evidence of doors, stairs, or other egresses from the apartment in the small amount of time you are given to look at it; the teacher promises that he will reveal both the secret entrance and the password needed to open it to whichever Cell picks that dorm.

Size: Small

Features: Living Space, Concealed, Sealed

Open-Air Dorm

This dorm is nestled in the middle of the woods your class has used for training in the last week, a smallish house obviously meant to evoke a rustic, farm-like feel. The teacher explains that, in addition to the large shed on the side stocked with tools and supplies for building, a full acre of the woodland around the house is considered the Cell's dorm as well, to do with as they please.

Size: Small

Features: Living Space, Workshop, Grounds (Large)

The End Dorm

It takes about thirty minutes of simple walking to reach this dorm, out on the extreme southernmost corner of Hope Academy's grounds. The house looks nice enough, if plain, though a small sign affixed to the door reading Welcome to the End is a bit of a sour note. Inside, the dorm is still about twice the size of your current living space, with plain but serviceable furniture and one healthy-looking houseplant. Aside from that, there seem to be no other major accommodations for this final dorm.

Size: Tiny

Features: Living Space

Wandering away from the main group, you almost accidentally stumble upon a false wall hidden inside one of the dorm bedrooms. Behind the wall is an oval-shaped ring of smooth black stone set slightly into the floor and reaching almost six feet in height, inscribed with a series of arcane runes.

You decipher several runes for 'travel', 'light', and 'speed', as well as one that denotes 'hope' and another that means 'ring'.

You are pretty sure that this is someone's attempt at a portal-shaped teleporter, something which no one has yet been able to get to work properly in Teocawki. What's more, while you couldn't at your current ability recreate this portal, you might just be able to finish it--if you're willing to take the chance.

"You are free to modify your dorms as you like, as long as you leave them habitable by the end of the year," the teacher says as the tour concludes. "Now, Mr. Berg, Mr. Nihilo, Mr Stonesmith, Miss Stonesmith: which dorm would you like?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Well, she could admit it, their Cell coming in first for the week definitely picked Erica's spirits up a bit. She was a bit less enthused about the competitive atmosphere the school was fostering after how the last test had ended, but she reminded herself that there was a purpose to it. It would drive them to push themselves and push each other, to become the best Heroes they could be.

Even so, she wouldn't have minded an opportunity to work with her classmates rather than against them more often. And it was, perhaps, because those thoughts were flitting around her head that she took special notice of the particular rules for their Combat Final.

Actually dropping Professor Renatus when he was fighting back in earnest would not be an easy task, even for them, and even with two plus months to learn and prepare. Buuuut...

She didn't bring up the strategy then. Realistically, the chance of keeping it from the Professor was virtually nil, but still, there wasn't any reason to just blurt it out. She definitely planned on discussing it, though.

--

Erica did, during the tour of the dorms, take the opportunity to go over to Jane Doe (or to the empty space that she was pretty sure she specifically didn't remember seeing her in, anyway). "Um, I just wanted to make sure you were okay, after what happened with your powers earlier, and stuff," she told her with a little, awkward smile.

As far as the dorms themselves, well, the Research Dorm definitely seemed like a practical one, and the allure of all those shelves and shelves of books was hard to deny. And the Open-Air Dorm actually gave her some kinda nostalgic memories of home. The Secret Dorm she wasn't particularly interested in, and the End Dorm was just kinda...disappointing. She kept waiting for the Professor to tell them what was cool about it and then he didn't and that was kinda sad.

But really, it was a moot point by then. All of it but the Research Dorn had kinda been a moot point. Because everything else had happened after Battle Dorm, which meant everything else had happened after she squealed into her brother's head, ~IT HAS A POOL! THAT IS SO COOL!~

--

When the Professor asked which dorm they wanted to claim, she looked to the rest of her Cell. "Battle's got my vote."

[Arcran]

Serhe winces slightly at everyone else's reaction to his swing at Jane. He'd honestly assumed she was faking the pain to be able to get a hand on him, but that clearly was not the case. Even the teacher's confirmation that what he did wasn't an absolutely terrible thing did little to ease the tension he was feeling from the others. Even more, the teacher looked like something out of a nightmare, and for some reason Serhe felt that he was the reason behind it.

Sorry, Serhe mutters forlornly, blinking his eyes rapidly to shut off his powers' effect on Jane. He offers the girl a hand, hoping that the meager peace offering would be enough to alleviate at least a bit of the anger currently being directed his way. Just, sorry, he says, knowing that whatever he said wouldn't be effective. What was he supposed to say? Didn't mean to hurt you by sucker punching you, no hard feelings, right?

Of course, that anger and the teacher's appearance couldn't quite kill a smug bit of pride in his chest. The goal of this exam had never been to win. It had been him. The entire goddamn class had felt they needed his powers to be able to take down the teacher. Not Erika's, not Roy's, and not Connor's. Each and every one of them knew who the most powerful person in this class was, and, not matter what they thought of him, that fact would never change. He couldn't wait until this news got down the grapevine to his brother. Seeing the look on his face would be worth a century of the glares he was enduring right now.



Serhe's eyes widen in a momentary panic when the teacher announces himself as the final exam. It had taken all four of them and a good deal of luck to land that initial hit on him. Even more, he'd respond as if his life was in danger. That meant he wouldn't be holding back, or just trying to change people's hair to pink. While he doubted he would kill them, it wouldn't be easy to take him down.

Of course, they were the first place cell. If anybody was going to do it, it would be them.

As they saw the various dorms, Serhe silently thanked whatever deity was listening that they won. If he was going to be stuck in The End or the Open Air Dorm he would have been in for a rough few months. While Serhe would have liked the Secret Dorm (after all, he likely didn't have any love lost on him after his little stunt in the last exam), the amenities of the Battle Dorm were too good to pass up. Huge bedrooms, a weight room to practice his Enhancing in, a gym to train in and, of course, the pool. Serhe's strength was his powers, and if anywhere was going to make that gap larger it would be the Battle Dorm.

Battle is good with me as well, Serhe says, popping his knuckles loudly. Hard to say no to pool parties, right?

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy flinches slightly at their teacher's appearance, but doesn't falter. In this specific situation, he'd argue his stance was accurate: there had been nothing to gain by acquiescing to their request that he could tell, at least nothing except their word. Still, he will keep in mind the benefits of keeping an open mind in the future. Nothing in the world is black and white.

He does what he can to bolster his sister's curative efforts. His energy mingles with hers in tandem, and he murmurs words of compliments to the other students. To Marius, Roy gives a friendly grin as he offers a hand to the Transformer. When they get to Elita, Roy takes a moment to study her mask's mechanism. After a second and some gentle manipulations of the tech, the mask slides back into place over her mouth. When she wakes up, he smiles sheepishly as he offers her a hand. "No hard feelings? he asks.

Overall, Roy's stoked about this whole thing. Sure, Renatus is gonna be taking them 1,000% harder to even hurt in their next encounter. And they have to try and kill him? Mists below, the thought is terrifying. But still, the rest of the semester's looking up!

-----------

And the dorms don't disappoint--at least, most of them don't. The research dorm would be excellent for the tinkering he wants to do (~"Imagine the merch I could make with those resources!"~ he thinks to his sister with pleading that's only half-fake), and the End Dorm fascinates him despite its total uselessness. Still, when push comes to shove, he agrees, ~"Mission: Make Friends with Pool Parties is a go!"~

Out loud, he says, "Battle Dorm's got my vote."

[Zelphas]

With Serhe's power no longer affecting her, Jane Doe quickly begins to fade away again, her form shrinking back to that of a tiny, grey girl even as she erodes from thought and memory. Just before she disappears entirely again, Serhe hears a whisper in the wind: "It's okay. Sorry... I got you in trouble..."

Marius returns Roy's grin with a curt nod and a flicker of a smile, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. Elita's hands fly frantically up to her face as she wakes up, scrambling over her breathing apparatus before she finally relaxes. "We didn't get it, then?" she sighs, sounding only mildly disappointed. "It was a long shot anyways; we only came up with it after we heard--I-I mean, after you all came through the back room." Elita, looking flustered, jumps to her feet. "Oh, no hard feelings... we should go meet the teacher, right?" She dashes out to the front of the gym.

---

"Then it's unanimous!" the teacher declares after Connor also gives his assent. "First place has chosen the Battle Dorm! Second place?"

Ediz, who had been quietly conversing with Patroclus, steps forward. "We've decided on the End Dorm." Beside him, Patroclus nods in agreement. Tsubaki shrugs and rolls her eyes, and Manus glares at nothing in particular, his arms crossed.

"An interesting choice!" the teacher exclaims, obviously enjoying himself. "Third Place, what do you choose?"

Dawnlight breaks away from the whispered conference with Donald and Elita to say "The Research Dorm is our choice!"

The teacher nods to her, then looks expectantly at Doireann, Bernhard, Calvin, and Wyn.

"Secret Dorm," Bernhard says flatly, cutting off Doireann as she was about to open her mouth. She shoots him a glare, but doesn't contradict him. Behind them, Wyn covers his mouth with one hand, making a sound like sand being shaken out over paper.

"Then it seems that the Open-Air Dorm goes to last place!" the teacher says finally, looking over at Nancy, Farhan, Marius, and Lucy, who are wearing identical expressions of confused relief. "For the first four months of your time here, these dorms will be entirely yours. After four months,
there will be a chance to switch--or perhaps usurp--other dorms from your class... but I will explain that in more detail once that time draws nearer." His grin growing impossibly wide, the teacher spreads his hands. "For now, enjoy your last weekend for some time without work! Classes start in earnest Monday morning. Your schedules will be in your dorms. Have a good day!" As has become the norm at this point, with his last word the teacher is gone.

---

MONDAY--CLASSES BEGIN

Serhe

Brice Albert is a mischievous-looking man in his mid-to-late thirties, his short hair and skin speckled with large brownish spots that remind you of pictures of a legendary BTD creature known as a "leopard". He shakes your hand as you meet him in the gym on Monday morning, gesturing for you to follow him out into the open-air track-and-field area just outside the school.

"Officially, I'm your Enhancing teacher, and officially, I'm supposed to gauge your Enhancement abilities and offer improvement suggestions," he says after introductions are completed, leading you towards a set of equipment set to one side of the field. On the other side of the field, you can see a group of four people a few years older than you setting up for an obstacle course of some kind. "We'll do some of that too; of course, that's not your main skill, so that won't be our main focus, no matter what the Council has to say about power categories." He flashes you a quick grin. "So, here's your equipment; let me see the extent of your current Enhancing abilities. Feel free to ask any questions or make any observations you like as you work; you know the basics: visualize, infuse, enhance.

"Also, those four over there are a second-year Cell, and are about to run that obstacle course. Choose one of them right now, and make sure that person wins. They don't know what you're doing here, and they've had a year's worth of training to get better than you, so you might not want to let them know that you're messing with them." Albert winks. "Don't worry, I'll keep them from actually attacking you... the first time."

Roy

Elin Boulos is... difficult to describe. She seems to be roughly your height, but she is about twice as wide, covered in enough bits and bobs of odd machinery that her form and features are entirely obscured. "Ready to get to work?" she asks immediately, her voice distorted by some sort of apparatus that covers her entire head and upper torso. She gestures back to the room you are standing in, which seems to be the lovechild of an Enhancer's workplace, a laboratory, and a junkyard.

"Build me something out of this. Make it interesting. You have a week. Use at least one soft material as a hard surface and one brittle material as a movable joint. We can talk about what you want to make in the long run in the meantime." Boulos turns back towards what she had been working on when you came in, a complicated mess of wood, stone, iron, brass, and even some rare plastic that you can't even begin to make head or tail of.

Erica

You enter the classroom to find Patroclus Belluomo already there, the tall boy slumped forward slightly in a chair with dark rings under his eyes. He nods to you slightly as you enter, then turns his attention back to the front of the room, where Doctor Proxy is waiting. "Miss Stonesmith, please, take a seat," she states as you arrive, her tone utterly neutral.

"Runes are the most commonly accepted form of controlling and directing Supernaturalist magic," Doctor Proxy begins as soon as you sit down. "Other methods exist, but the ease of teaching runes by rote and the tacit approval of runic magic by the World Council has seen its widespread use throughout Teocawki. Thus, any class focusing on training Supernaturalist abilities would begin as a class on runes." The woman reaches back with one hand, tapping the wall behind her. Several lines of block-like script fade into view, filling the wall with inch-high script and glowing with subtle bluish light. "First, your knowledge of runic language and syntax must be assessed. Using as many of the runes on the wall as possible, and only these runes, create a sequence that is not only capable of causing an actual effect in reality, but also makes grammatical sense according to the rules of runic language. You may work together or apart. You have one week to create the longest sequence you can; the runes on this wall will fade in two minutes."

Feel free to get creative here--flesh out how your powers work and how powers in general work in Teocawki as much as you like! I've given you a bit to go on, so feel free to run with it. If you have an idea of things to roll for your next post, go ahead; out-of-the box solutions are fun too.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Feel free to get creative here--flesh out how your powers work and how powers in general work in Teocawki as much as you like!

::Cracks knuckles:: :smallbiggrin:

Erica walked into the classroom, giving Patroclus a friendly smile, and went to take her seat. She nodded a bit to herself as Doctor Proxy explained the assignment. Runes, fortunately, were something Erica was fairly proficient with, at least from a technical standpoint. She used them extensively in her artifice to help focus and bind magic to objects. Under normal circumstances, she wasn't very good at the mechanical side of actually imbuing the runes with the energy required to actually trigger the effects. It took a lot more out of her than it would most Supernaturalists, with much more waste energy. But her ability to enchant Flux crystals still made heavy on them, although not so much in sequence.

Erica's power, of course, was the ability to directly enchant Flux crystals. She still wasn't actually sure of the mechanics behind it (she did have a theory that it might have involved transmuting the crystal to alter its crystalline structure in such a way that it formed runes, but she lacked the tools to confirm or refute that idea, and it was just one of many theories), but her process generally involved envisioning the sort of energy or force she wanted the crystal to output, and gradually pouring power into the crystal while maintaining that image in her head. And she could (and at first, did) do this by envisioning the thing itself - a roaring fire, a bolt of lightning, and so on.

But she had rapidly discovered that there were limits to that style. Her envisioning had to be...ideal. That was doable for things like fire and lightning, that were naturally visible, but it got harder for more complex energies. How do you visualize cold, or positive energy, or kinetic force? Of course, there were plenty of powers and spells that produced those things with visual manifestations, but those tended to say more about the user's ideal. One cryokinetic might produce cold as a blast of arctic air with twinkling snowflakes all fluttering through it, while another might manifest pale blue light, and a third produce a spray of freezing liquid or chilling mist.

Runes, though, gave her a new option. Every rune was a linguistic representation of a specific concept. Now, for most magical practices, the runes themselves only told part of the story. Standing on its own, the rune for fire, for example, meant fire, sure. But it could also mean so much more than that. It meant the warmth of a hearth and the safety of a campfire. It meant the unpredictability of a torch in the wind, and the destruction of a wildfire. It meant power and energy, cleansing and consuming. The spark of innovation, the first light that humankind had ever learned to wield against the darkness.

The rune meant fire, but it also meant everything that fire meant.

Which all was to say, for standard spells and rituals and enchantments, that you don't just use the rune for fire. You need a sequence of runes, and their order, position, even orientation all matter, along with such things as rhythm and tone. Runic syntax wasn't about reading a set of instructions from left to right and top to bottom. It was more about patterns and connections, relative positions. One of the first rules of runic syntax was that if you contained a set of runes within two of the same rune, then the outer runes would determine the basic effect and the inner runes add definition to its manifestation. But getting more advanced, if another instance of the outer runes is within the sequence contained by two of the same inner rune, the basic effect would be defined by an interaction between them. A runic sequence of fire - air - fire would be an incomplete sequence, but at least serve as the bare foundation for manifesting fire that is in some way influenced by the nature of air. There are far too many possibilities for that to actually create an effect in itself - that could mean embers blown on the wind, fire from the sky, fire projected across the air, transforming the air to fire, solar effects as the fire of the sky, fire to create lift as heat rises or to simply unleash fire with enough force to generate upward propulsion, or plenty of other things besides. But it at least ensures the core of the effect will be the production of fire, influenced in some way by association with air.

While Erica's runecraft was solid, though, her power did rely on single runes. Because what she needed was simply a vivid mental image of an ideal force - and that was exactly what a rune provided. By concentrating on a single rune as she poured power into a Flux crystal, she altered its nature, allowing it to output something other than antigravity. It was possible that over time, she might be able to use runic sequences to develop far more complex Flux Gemstones, but her understanding of the mechanics of her power would have to advance substantially before that became practical for her.

What it all came down to, though, was that Erica was comfortable with her runecraft. Now, she didn't recognize every rune on the wall, but she knew most of them, and knew what books to look for for information on the others.

With only two minutes to copy or memorize the runes, she did so in the quickest manner available to her. A shimmer of energy passed over the light, loose blue blouse and skirt she was currently wearing, and where it passed her clothes were covered by a simple white apron - on which was embroidered the runes on the wall, albeit upside-down. Once she had them preserved, she took out a pencil and paper, lifted the apron up onto her desk so she could read it, and began copying the runes over without rushing.

While she transcribed them, she asked Patroclus with a bright smile, "So, what do you say? Want to team up?"

Persuasion to try and get Patroclus to work together: [roll0]. Add +5 if Attractive applies.

[Arcran]

Serhe

Brice Albert is a mischievous-looking man in his mid-to-late thirties, his short hair and skin speckled with large brownish spots that remind you of pictures of a legendary BTD creature known as a "leopard". He shakes your hand as you meet him in the gym on Monday morning, gesturing for you to follow him out into the open-air track-and-field area just outside the school.

"Officially, I'm your Enhancing teacher, and officially, I'm supposed to gauge your Enhancement abilities and offer improvement suggestions," he says after introductions are completed, leading you towards a set of equipment set to one side of the field. On the other side of the field, you can see a group of four people a few years older than you setting up for an obstacle course of some kind. "We'll do some of that too; of course, that's not your main skill, so that won't be our main focus, no matter what the Council has to say about power categories." He flashes you a quick grin. "So, here's your equipment; let me see the extent of your current Enhancing abilities. Feel free to ask any questions or make any observations you like as you work; you know the basics: visualize, infuse, enhance.

"Also, those four over there are a second-year Cell, and are about to run that obstacle course. Choose one of them right now, and make sure that person wins. They don't know what you're doing here, and they've had a year's worth of training to get better than you, so you might not want to let them know that you're messing with them." Albert winks. "Don't worry, I'll keep them from actually attacking you... the first time."


At first, Serhe wanted to roll his eyes. If anyone honestly thought that his Enhancing abilities were the reason he was here, they were a damn fool. There were ten year olds that could pull off more impressive Enhancing feats than he could. However, as soon as Albert flashes him a quick grin, Serhe instantly relaxes, although a nagging thought hangs in the back of his mind. Would he be stuck learning how to better Enhance things if he hadn't gotten lucky with his teacher?

When he receives his actual training task, a mischievous grin crosses Serhe's face. Serhe focuses his energy on his eyes, zooming in on the four second-year Cell members. He quickly glances over the group, trying to guess what their powers might be. One was going through regular calisthenics, which made Serhe fairly certain that he was just a run-of-the-mill Enhancer, or maybe something Odd. Another was hovering off the ground slightly, so either Supernaturalist or Elementalist. Probably. The third Serhe honestly had no idea, as they were just sitting there, but the final one made his choice of a winner rather easy, given the way they were changing their form back between human and some kind of one-eyed colossus.

Looks like the Transformer is in for a bit of good luck today, Serhe says, before grabbing a small piece of flux crystal about the size of his fist. While he hardly had the capability of the Stonesmiths with Flux Crystal, it was the cornerstone of his family's power. As such, Serhe had trained quite a bit with it in his early days of Enhancing with it, and had some rudimentary capabilities. As he takes it, Serhe focuses his energy on the stone, pouring in as much energy as possible as he attempts to visualize one thing in his mind: one side of the stone completely flat and polished, smooth enough for Serhe to see his face in. It took a few minutes of focus (Serhe mentally kicked himself for not practicing this for so long; maybe it wouldn't have been a bad idea to actually practice Enhancing...), but soon enough Serhe had a perfectly serviceable mirror. He quickly arrays the various weights and other objects around him so it would look like he was actually training, occasionally checking the small mirror to make sure the obstacle course hadn't started yet.

As the other students get into position, Serhe holds the mirror up to his shoulder, watching as the race is about to begin, cycling through his different Banes just to confirm who had what powers. It was a bit awkward to watch through the mirror, but Serhe only really needed to track one person. Before the race even started, he'd already shut off the Elementalist's powers, and the Transformer took an early lead with great, lumbering giant steps.

The rest of the race was pretty simple for Serhe. To keep a low profile, Serhe tried to only hit somebody when they pulled a little bit too close to his favorite Transformer. Hopefully,if he did it right, the four would assume it was some strange development in their friend's powers, and not the boy sitting on the hill sabotaging them. The instant the Transformer crosses the finish line, Serhe drops to the ground, pouring Enhancement into his muscles, and begins to furiously do push-ups as he looks at his teacher.

Good enough? Serhe asks, his eyes bloodshot. With three different people of different powersets, Serhe had been stuck switching between his Banes at a rather rapidly, extremely uncomfortable rate.

[Thokk_Smash]

The second Roy walked into the room, he could feel himself start to salivate at the sheer volume of trinkets, knickknacks, and baubles crammed within the space. With a force of will he turns himself to face his latest instructor. His eyes dart over her various accoutrements before focusing on her words. For the space of a second (for Roy, several dozen mental seconds), his mind goes to several dozen thoughts at once.

"Is the sky the limit here, professor?" he asks as he moves into the room of wonder and glory that is the junk heap. There are dozens of things his eyes spy that could be of use in his project. That won't be enough, though. There is only so much mere sight can do to inform an Enhancer as to the quality of his materials.

No two materials are alike. It's easy to say, and simple enough, but it's never truer than for an Enhancer. Enhancing is all about pouring energy into an object--filling in the cracks and holes and imperfections in the very fabric of their being. Not enough energy, and not only does it remain unchanged, but it runs the risk of worsening the object's constitution. Too much energy, and you run the risk of actually degrading the object's presence in the world, in addition to, y'know, making it go boom itself.

So knowledge is the name of the game with Enhancement. Roy takes the first day to simply sift through the gigantic piles of trash and rubble, giving most every square inch an attention to detail that is loving in its thoroughness. At the end of the afternoon, he has a goodly pile of materials to start with his fun invention. It's still a vague, amorphous idea, but it's gonna be fun.

With Quickness 3 and the run of the room, I'm hoping Roy can "take 20" on Perception to find fun stuff. He's sadly lacking Investigation, but I'm hoping Perception can be subbed in here. It's a Perception of 32, +3 for visual aids, if able to "take 20".

He'll Routine an Expertise of 26 for any of his Expertise that might apply (Science, Smithing, Current Events, Tribs, Flux, History, Theatre, Music, Sculpture, Cooking, Business, Survival, Local, Tactics, Superheroes, Literature).

[Zelphas]

Erica

Doctor Proxy stands silently in the room, having finished her spiel. She seems to be focused on nothing in particular, and is moving just barely enough to prove that she is alive.

Patroclus is staring at Doctor Proxy, having looked over the runes on the back wall for a long moment before turning his regard back to your teacher. "Rooks and ruin, the rumors are true; she's a golem," he mutters almost to himself in a surprisingly low baritone, before looking over at you and smiling lightly. "Sure, teaming up sounds good to me, but I have to warn you; I know the runes on the wall their, but my grammar is terrible. You probably want to jot down that bottom row soon; they're all different permutations of unraveling or disassembling, and while your outfit is resisting it, they're still trying to act on it," he mentions almost carelessly, and sure enough the bottom row of runes seem to have darkened slightly on your apron.

The fact that Patroclus' grammar is terrible is significant; essentially, poor grammar in runic magic causes more energy to be spent in casting spells--if such badly-worded spells work at all. The fact that Patroclus specializes in combat magic suggests that he has quite a bit of excess power, if he's losing the lion's share of it by casting poorly.

In fact, in what little you've seen of Patroclus in battle, he seems to use spoken spells, vocalizing the runic language. That is always a tricky business, but opposed to his grammar his diction seems to be perfect. That probably mitigates the power loss from his spells somewhat.

In fact, his "bad grammar" probably explains his specialization; evocation magic pretty much works or it doesn't, so losing efficiency in spellcasting just means weaker spells rather than no spells or random spells. He probably has issues with more intricate casting.

Serhe

Albert watches your preparations quietly, giving a few instructions and suggestions here and there on your Enhancements. He seems to take no small amount of delight in never being quite where you expect him to be when you look up, always off to one side or slightly closer or farther than you believed from the sound of his voice and feet.

Your sabotage of the obstacle course has a few hiccups at first--you had a bit of a nasty shock when, after eliminating the Enhancer powers from the boy who had shown no powers beforehand, the boy proceeded to walk up to the first obstacle and turn it into slurry with a touch--but eventually you sorted out the correct powers to block at the right times and successfully gave the colossus an unbeatable lead. The second year team grows continually more frustrated and confused, which works in your favor: though they at first shot you a few curious looks, they soon forget about you entirely as they try to discover what is happening between them. For her part, the colossus is unsuccessfully hiding the glee mixed in with her confusion, which isn't helping matters between her and her team.

"Quick and effective," Albert comments, rapping your right arm lightly to push it out from your body a bit farther. "Each member on that team had had issues with their powers in the past, so the deck was slightly stacked in your favor, but you still obfuscated your own involvement well." He paces slowly around you, ostensibly looking over your progress. "Have you temporarily blinded yourself with your power use? Is there a time limit to how long you can block powers? If you needed to block my powers, what would you try first?"

Roy

Boulos considers your question for a moment. "Don't blow up the room. Don't want to clean that up again. If it can't be salvaged, its first use better be essential. Other than that, make it interesting." She goes back to tinkering with her contraption, which now seems to resemble an odd combination of a dragon, a tea set, and a willow tree.

Looking through the mounds of scrap and detritus, you find pretty much any sort of material you can imagine. Interestingly enough, everything is either raw materials or broken beyond repair or easy identification, and everything is a mixture of several materials rather than one "pure" material.

Your Science Expertise is enough to let you identify all but the most esoteric of materials; you can pick and choose what you like.

Your Superheroes Expertise tells you two things: Boulos (Hero name Feature) values practicality first and foremost and despises ornamentation for its own sake, and while she's generally terse in communication, she becomes much more expansive when talking about future concepts for inventions.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Oh shoot," Erica said, quickly scribing the bottom row of runes before removing them from her apron. "Thanks," she said with a little laugh.

Once she had finished transcribing, she dismissed the apron and moved to a desk next to his. "That's fair enough. I'm good with the grammar and stuff, it's more the mechanics that give me trouble. But if we work out a basic plan for what we want to do, I'll put it in order, and if you do the actual casting we should have ourselves a pretty solid spell!"

Lowering her voice a bit, Erica added, "So, um, speaking of teamups. I noticed something interesting about our combat final. The ranking is based on the first student or group of students to win, not the first Cell. So I was thinking, wouldn't the obvious strategy be for like the entire class, or as many of the class as is willing to help, anyway, to just work together to win? It's not a zero-sum game, if everyone's part of it, then everyone gets full marks. So...does that sound like something you and your Cell might be interested in doing?"

Erica actually had a suspicion that this was the intended solution to the problem. That after a year of making them compete against each other, the goal was to finish with a lesson of unity and teamwork in the name of overcoming an individually superior foe. She wasn't sure of that, but it would explain what otherwise seemed to be a pretty glaring loophole.

And let's toss out Expertise (Magic) for putting the runes together, hopefully with a Team Check from Patroclus: [roll0] 36 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?536652-Teocawki-(M-amp-M-3e)-OOC-Welcome-to-Hope-Academy!&p=22868978#post22868978)+any Team Check bonus.

[Arcran]

Lucky for me then, Serhe says when Albert mentions the ways the deck was stacked in his favorite, letting out an internal sigh of relief as he continues to move up and down in a push up, this time with slightly better form. In any case, he passed the first test, whatever that meant. And if it confused the hell out of another Cell, well, all the better. Still, despite the victory, Serhe couldn't help but feel a pang of annoyance at having his winner chosen based solely on her powerset.

As the questions rattle off, Serhe does his best to answer them, pausing occasionally as he goes down for another pushup.

I've only blinded myself once, when I was younger. Little too excited by the new powers, and got a little carried away, Serhe says, pausing for a moment as he completes another pushup. Little better at knowing my limits now, fortunately.

As far as I know, as long as I keep focusing on it it's blocked, Serhe continues, before firing off a quick series of pushups. Can even use it on a few people, Serhe says, before slowly standing up and getting a better look at his instructor before answering the question. Truth be told, Serhe absolutely hated talking about his powers like this, and was doing his best to obfuscate his limits as much as possible. Old habits, and all that. If people knew how his powers worked, well, they could beat them. If they were just scared that he could turn off their powers there was an aura of omnipotence that gave him a considerable edge.

If I had to shut you down, I'd probably focus on your Enhancer powers first, Serhe says candidly. You were assigned as my instructor for that powerset, which I assume means that's your area of expertise, Serhe says, expecting to be wrong for a reason he didn't quite understand.

[Thokk_Smash]

With a gleam in his eyes, Roy starts to grab seemingly random objects from the pile. He clears out a space for his work and takes out a veritable smorgasbord of bowls, pots, personal tools. First he takes a rake, handle warped and tines rusted, and shoves it into a small bowl that seems far too small to contain it. That is set to simmer while he takes a thick pane of glass with a crack in it and begins to etch in simple runes into the surface. Runified to his satisfaction, he places it in yet another bowl that shouldn't have fit it to set in a clear, glowing liquid.

Next, a gigantic pile of foam--a mountain of the castoffs of mattresses, teddy bears, and training dummies. He begins to knead it like dough while his Enhancing energy crackles around him. And every movement a blur of frenetic activity.

"So," he says with little preamble. "Mechs. D'you know if a pair of twins have ever tried to make one of those? Hypothetically speaking, of course," he says, in the tone of one who is entirely not speaking hypothetically.

[Zelphas]

Erica

"Works for me," Patroclus replies with a shrug, looking over the runes in more detail. "Proxy's specialty is inscribed spells, so if we manage a good incantation with her handpicked runes it'll hopefully impress her.

"As for your suggestion," he continues, lowering his voice to match yours, "I'd be up for another group team-up--one where I actually get to do something--and I bet Aggio would be too, especially if you propose it to her like a trick or a game. Manus won't agree right away--he's got too much of a grudge against the Bergs--but I think we might be able to talk him around. Be careful if you talk about this to Sharma, though. If you ask him for help, he'll want something 'of equal value' in return. The kids wired oddly--it won't matter to him that the plan itself benefits him; since you're asking, he'd consider you in his debt until you repaid him. Best thing is to convince him that asking you to team up was his idea; that way, he'll suggest it and then owe you a favor later."

Patroclus pulls the sheet of paper towards him slightly. "All right, so we've got all the basic element runes, with variations, runes for locomotion, binding, unbinding..."

Make an Expertise: Magic check for constructing a proper spell, with a +5 for convincing Patroclus to help.

Serhe

"So you haven't pushed yourself to your limit since you were younger?" Albert asks in a tone that makes it difficult to tell if it is intended as a joke or not. "Good instincts, going by what you know about me rather than basing my powers entirely around my appearance; I am in fact classified as an Enhancer according to the power classifications of the World Council." He smiles slyly. "That fits me about as well as it does you.

"In any case, with powers like yours most training is going to be about straining your limits until you can push past them," Albert continues, beginning to pack up the weightlifting supplies. "Your power will be most useful the less people know about it, so upping your ability to obfuscate your skills will be on our list too. Tomorrow we can try a walking tour of the school, and we'll see how many people we can embarrass and get away with." He flashes you another quick grin. "I already have the reputation, after all, so at least some of it will get blamed on me."

Make a Nullify Check (All-Out Power Attacking is allowed) for using your power multiple times over the week. Roll a Stealth Check as well: DC 15 or above gives you +2 to the Nullify, DC 25 or above bumps that up to +5.

Roy

Boulos looks up from her contraption, the disparate parts having now morphed into a long, sinuous shape shaped more or less like a gun's barrel, with several curving ends sprouting symmetrically from the muzzle and surmounted by bulbous half-circles of curved glass. "Project was scrapped too early; varied attempts weren't made." She studies your actions for a long moment, her face hidden behind her gear, her tone just as difficult to decipher.

Finally, she turns back to the device in her hands, almost absentmindedly threading the half-circles together with wisp-thin threads of glass pulled away from a discarded square pane. "The mind-strain issue? Possible. Would suggest starting small: joint control of doll or smaller-than-human golem, then build from there. Connection issue; check with Proxy for possible solution. Be careful; otherwise, may end up like Proxy." She continues to thread the half-circles together and back into the muzzle of the gun, creating a fragile-seeming lattice of glass and metal. "Design specifications? Or idle considerations?"

Make a Technology Check to build your design for the end of the week, with a +2 bonus for attracting Boulos' attention with how the design could be used practically.

FRIDAY

Afternoon

The first official week had flown by.

The morning classes with Renatus had been odd without the low tension of an attack on the horizon, though the teacher had gleefully reminded everyone that they only had two months to wait before coming after him again. Monday, Wednesday, and earlier on Friday, you had worked with your individual teachers on your individual projects; Tuesday and Thursday had been spent in obstacle course after obstacle course, working on team cohesion and group movement. All in all, it had been a whirlwind week, and each night had carried with it enough combined homework and exhaustion that you hadn't been able to do much else.

The four of you are sitting in the classroom for Heroic Ethics, along with the rest of your class. The mood is restless; all of you had found out that morning that you were going to be shadowing a professional Cell tomorrow for the first time, and many of your classmates seemed to be ready for the day to be over so that Saturday will come even sooner. The empty podium at the front of the class only compounds the restless buzz in the room; class was supposed to begin five minutes before, and yet Glory was yet to arrive.

Finally, the doors swing open, and Glory enters the room. The chatter immediately stops, quelled by the mere presence of the famous Hero.

Disdaining the podium, Glory walks to the front of the small upraised stage in the center of the room, his large smile beaming over the twenty newest students of Hope Academy. His presence is awe-inspiring in a way that is welcoming rather than intimidating; instead of being nearly ten minutes late, Glory seems to have arrived precisely on time, his smile filling the students with his approval that you all arrived early to his class. "Congratulations on finishing your second week at Hope Academy." Glory's voice booms, once more filling the room with no need of amplification. "By now, all of you have begun to grow more used to your powers, as well as how they will be used in a team. However, knowing how to use your powers effectively is not the same thing as knowing how to use them well. That is what this class is for.

"First Question: What is the difference between a Hero and a vigilante?"

In a legal sense, a vigilante is a person who actively fights Villains and places themselves in harms way without either the express intention to avert a clear and present danger to civilians or a completed three-year training and certification from one of the Hero Academies.

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy continues to knead the stuffing until it is practically elastic. It practically glows with his Enhancement energies, and when he raps on it with his knuckles he hears a satisfying, dull thunk.

"Thank you for the suggestion, Professor," he says to her advice of using a smaller golem. Over the week his project begins to solidify: a ramshackle mishmash of wood, metals, glass, foam in the vague shape of a hollow humanoid. It's a suit of rough powered armor, though unique in one aspect: it has no Flux crystals to power it. Its energy comes solely from Roy's own Enhancement, augmented and contained within the natural curvatures and connections of the various materials. "I rather like my own personality." A grin at that.

"As for the seriousness of my and my sister's considerations..." Inbetween his frenetic movements of building Roy takes out several schematics and lays them on a table near Boulos' station. "I know that a big problem with previous attempts was the amount of Flux crystal needed to make it even move made it float like a balloon. It may look like our schematics feature designs that lack enough Flux crystal to even support its weight. Well, my sister and I have a little trick up our sleeves..."

When his "powered" armor is finished, Boulos will find that it is an incredibly-defensive item: it almost entirely masks the wearer's true position. Through a mixture of mirage-creation, image distortion, and mild super-speed movements of the armor, enemies are unable to definitively pin down the wearer for a clean hit. Of course, once a hit does land, the armor is sure to be critically damaged--but if one such as Roy chooses to play it defensively? They could make the opponent work for that one hit.

On Friday...

Roy considers Glory's question. There's a bunch of layers to it. The differences can't really be defined in a pithy sentence. "A vigilante fights Villains, same as Heroes; but vigilantes either never finished an Academy's training or place more importance on stopping the Villain over protecting innocents. So, I guess, the difference is in how they view problem-solving."

[Quellian-dyrae]

To say the spell Erica put together was way beyond her personal power was disingenuous. Frankly, mere cantrips were a struggle for her when it came to casting directly. Now, placing it as an enchantment was a somewhat different story, but even so, this was absolutely beyond any enchantment she would actually try to create. It would have taken her almost a month of workdays without resorting to frankly ludicrous numbers of Flux crystals, and even then, it was unlikely she would have even been able to output enough energy to power the thing efficiently. As a work of runic syntax it was beyond reproach, and it used almost all of the runes provided - she was particularly pleased the complex variation of disassembling and unbinding runes combined with complex variations on earth and air runes to negate gravity. But it would take a lot of power to make it work. Fortunately, if her assessment of Patroclus was on the mark, he'd be able to provide it.

And what would the spell do when cast? Simply, it would make a building fly. Without the use of Flux crystals. (While also preventing any structural damage - runes of earth and binding would keep the building itself together, and runes of unbinding written to block runes of destruction would allow it to slip free of its foundation without damaging it, to rebind once it landed).

--

Erica could admit, she was pretty excited about going out to shadow an established team. And, you know, yeah, she was fantasizing a bit. Yeah, of course, they were only just starting their training. She wasn't incognizant of the weight classes involved. But her Cell had proven to have a dominating presence in combat scenarios even among the class of Hope students, which were themselves a cut above average for sure. So she was imagining situations where something did come up and their Cell played a role in stopping it. Erica wasn't in it for the glory, but it's not like she was opposed to it either!

Erica chimed in after Roy had answered, "I'd also add that Vigilantes are kind of inherently...selfish? Self-centered? Egocentric, maybe. They view their own judgment as more valid than society's. At best, they believe they should be operating in a heroic capacity when our systems and our laws are telling them explicitly otherwise. And some go even further, taking upon themselves decisions of right and wrong, even life and death, without regard to other considerations. This doesn't necessarily make them bad people or unable to do good work, but it means they only become part of the solution rather than part of the problem incidentally." Erica wouldn't say that society was perfect, by any means, but their social structures and defense systems had kept humanity alive and even to some degree thriving in a ludicrously dangerous world. She could understand the motivations that would drive someone to vigilantism, even sympathize with them to a degree. But she couldn't fully agree with them. There were better options.

[Arcran]

More that I've just gotten good at knowing when to stop. Oddly enough, bleeding from the eyes is a rather unpleasant experience, Serhe replies to the comment about pushing himself, trying to match his instructor's tone. Serhe's eyebrows do shoot up when his instructor mentions that his powers aren't quite Enhancer capabilities either, and mentally notes that Freak's Bane might be the better choice against his instructor. Serhe nodded along as Albert describes the rest of his training for the week.

As they began the walking tour, Serhe mentally notes that he should make sure that his final suit covers his face, or at least his eyes. If he could obfuscate who he was looking at, even if somebody knew what his powers were that would limit their ability to use that fact against him. As they make their way through the school, Serhe does his best to slip through unnoticed. He never whammied somebody that could clearly see him, and tried to pick targets that always had his backs to him. As for who he went after, Serhe focused on, well, the most entertaining. People that were flying, people that were levitating fragile objects, really anyone that, if their powers were off, would either hurt themselves or their surroundings.

Honestly, the hardest part for Serhe was holding in his laughter.

All-Out Power Attack because that's all I do!
Nullify: [roll0]

If I roll below an 13, I'll use a Luck: [roll1]



Friday

As the instructors ask the question about vigilantes and heroes, Serhe's first thought wasn't the most intelligent. Vigilantes are the same as heroes, just with a way cooler name.

Fortunately, Serhe had the good sense to keep his hand down, and let the Stonesmiths answer the question. After all, they were the smart ones on the team. Serhe does have the good sense to attempt to scribble down what Erica and Roy say, Enhancing himself to be able to write as fast as Erica was speaking. After all, now that they were actually in the Academy, it was a lot less likely that he'd be able to just cheat his way through all the exams.

[Zelphas]

Roy

"Hmm. Espionage purposes? Fragile design; failsafe needed after destruction. Armor used as camouflage good for opening obfuscation, but loses utility in sustained combat." Over the week, you've discovered that Boulos is the kind of mentor who rarely offers praise; everything, including her own inventions, are subject to criticism and improvement. The best you can expect from her is a grudging acknowledgement that the invention has some use, followed by a quick assessment of its shortcomings.

Erica

Just before the class on Friday, Patroclus reread the spell once more, muttering the runic language under his breath as he did so. For a moment, the tall boy gets a little too absorbed in the wording, and you sense a sliver of Supernaturalist power slip out of him. You could swear that the floor trembles.

Patroclus pauses and clears his throat. "Uh... maybe I shouldn't read this out loud in the school," he says slightly sheepishly.

A few minutes later, Doctor Proxy looks over the neatly-printed spell, skimming through the pages with unnatural speed. If this is one of Proxy's much-vaunted dopplegangers, the spellwork is extraordinary; even with your visor on, you can detect only the smallest hint of Supernaturalist power around her person. "Well-crafted and efficient, though it's usefulness in standard Hero work is less obvious," she intones finally, looking over the both of you. "Belluomo could sustain this spell for approximately thirty seconds, correct?" Patroclus shrugs, nodding. "The Academy Sports Tournament is in Flux this year; while there, be sure to examine the newest structures being built in the Canopy. The spells built into the stone are a slight refinement to this spell."

Serhe

The advantage of touring the school with Brice Albert becomes immediately obvious, when a woman who you sent tumbling into a pool she had just moments before been walking over pulls herself out, spluttering and angry... only to sigh and shake her head as Albert smiles innocently at her. While your presence is generally noticed or acknowledged, the chaos that follows the two of you as you traverse the school is almost universally accepted to be the fault of your instructor, and is taken as simply a regular hazard of his presence. For his part, Brice simply explains the different places on campus, and smiles. Though there was that one moment where you were sure that you failed to block the power of an Enhancer using a helmet to answer a series of complicated questions, only for the helmet to be suddenly replaced by a fish...



Heroic Ethics

As your and a few other answers ring out, Glory smiles and nods. "Very good, very good! You are very nearly correct." He paces to the center of the stage. "Boiling it down to the simplest terms, the difference between Heroes and Vigilantes can be explained in six words:

"Vigilantes fight Villains. Heroes save people."

Glory begins pacing again, his baritone voice clear and powerful. "The primary purpose of the Heroes Guild, and therefore of every Hero, is the protection and advancement of humanity. Whether protecting city and island citizens from Villain and monster, patrolling the Savior Sea and protecting it from misuse and abuse, or advancing the borders of our world and seeking to eradicate its many threats, every Hero has this as their most important goal. Vigilantes, on the other hand, are often motivated by a desire for revenge against a specific Villain or a thirst for their own glory, and even those few that aspire to higher goals lack the training they need. The distinction can oftentimes seem like a fine one; in day to day life, the actions of a Hero and a vigilante can be functionally identical. However, when the worst happens, when it becomes important, there can be no greater difference."

He pauses for a moment, his face solemn. "If you remember nothing else from your time at Hope Academy, I pray that you remember those six words. Remember them, strive to live by them, and no matter what your future holds you will be able to call yourself a Hero." After a long moment, the smile beams back out. "Of course, just because the difference is simple doesn't mean that it is easy to follow. Before you you have Teocawki: A Millenial History, which I am sure you are all familiar with from your earlier studies. I will attempt to keep us out of the book as much as possible, but it is a useful reference for discussing ethical choices in the past and building theoretical problems for the future. If you turn to page 463, you will find a brief summary of the Scorch-Entropy Accord..."



SATURDAY

"So, you're Annihilus' kid brother, right?" The tall, statuesque black-haired woman who went by the Hero name Manner asked, fixing Serhe with an interested grey-eyed gaze. "What things can you do with Flux crystals? Isn't that your family's trick?"

"You'll have to forgive Manner," Renault Danton said with an indulgent smile at the Water and Aether Elementalist. The smile didn't quite reach his dark blue eyes, which were alert and quickly resumed scanning the surrounding area. "She gets a little gabby when she's bored, and she was never good at personal privacy."

Connor, Serhe, Roy, and Erica are standing with the Prestige, Manner, Galgameth, and Earshot, the first Cell of Hope, on top of the wall over the city's northwest gate in the brittle, faint light of predawn. The four of you had been awoken earlier that morning and informed that the Cell you were shadowing had taken the first shift of the day that Saturday, from shortly before dawn to just after noon. Primarily, you would be touring the city as an extra set of eyes and ears, alerting the Cell to any signs of trouble you notice and watching as they handled the problem, and listening to any advice they decided to give in the meantime. As to why you were at the northern gate...

"They're turning off Tropics Street now," Caelina Arke (Hero name Earshot) spoke up quietly, the short, unassuming woman identifiable as an Enhancer by the odd grey-blue shade of her natural hair color. "We should be able to see them in another minute. Nothing out of place so far."

"Keep sharp regardless," the Prestige replies with another look at Manner. "The events around these two's capture were weird enough; no reason to get careless. Galgameth, how big are you getting today?"

Ruarc Ebner, a tall, spindly man who seemed to be perpetually trapped in early adolescence, shrugged, brushing his black hair out of his face. "I'll fit in the streets, if it comes to that," he responds casually, though his odd red-gold eyes are as alert as the Cell leader's. "Still might cause some collateral damage if things get really rough, but I should be able to minimize it."

The Cell falls silent as the prison convoy for Gauntlet and Greaves appears at the far end of the avenue.

You had all been told of the move last night, shortly after Heroic Ethics had ended. As it was explained to you, Gauntlet and Greaves had been questioned regarding how they were able to enter the Academy testing grounds and remain undetected, and had proven unwilling to talk. Gauntlet proved easier to coerce than her brother, and that is when the authorities discovered something disturbing: Gauntlet and Greaves couldn't talk. Not about who had helped them enter the testing area, at least. The authorities were stumped as to why this was, until a lucky accident with a Supernaturalist-sensitive guard revealed it to them. Someone had inscribed a Master Rune of Binding on the tongues of Gauntlet and Greaves. The rune was made up of several other runes too small to decipher by the naked eye, immaculately drawn, and utterly inert until activated by the subject that the two seemed forbidden to talk about. The sensitive guard saw a flash of eldritch light from Gauntlet's mouth as she tried to talk about Hope Academy's Opening Exam, and a little more probing discovered the rune and the matching one in her brother's mouth.

Now, the twins were being sent to Bridgehead. Bridgehead was home to the most adept rune-scribes in the Inner Ring; if anyone would be able to decipher and dismantle the enchantment placed upon Gauntlet and Greaves, it would be the researchers at Bridgehead Academy. By happy coincidence, Bridgehead was also the home of Gauntlet and Greaves' Hero parents; familial bonds had proven adept at combating restrictive enchantments before, and while the connection between Arthur and Edith Lantos and their parents was a twisted thing, there was hope that it may help their situation.

The two captured Villains are being transported along the thoroughfare to the gate in an oblong stone block about the size of a small room, flanked on each side by a pair of stern-faced guards. A thick metal door at the front of the block is the only indication that it is hollow; the door is set with a mundane looking iron padlock as well as a collection of faintly shimmering runes. The block floats slightly above the ground, the glow of a moderately-sized flux crystal visible in the predawn gloom; every once in a while, one of the four guards moves behind the block and pushes it slightly forward, the special spell-woven gloves on their hands allowing them to pass through the glyphs on the movable prison and interact with the stone itself.

For now, all is quiet.

Due to Manners' earlier comment about Annihilus, you take a -2 on your rolls to pay attention to the environment for right now. Take a Hero Point for your Shadow of Greatness Complication.

Two of the guards are Transformers, as is Galgameth.

Earshot's Enhancement is primarily auditory; she is able to ampilfy the air around her to transmit sound more effectively to her ears over long distances. She can also use this to turn any sound into a deafening wall of noise, funneling devastating sonic blasts directly into the ears of her opponents simply by snapping her fingers.

Manners is an Elementalist.

The Prestige is a Supernaturalist specializing in illusion and abjuration, though he also seems to have devised a spell that allows him to pull particulates from the air and fashion them into small objects.

I'm not going to tell you to roll for anything; roll what you think you should in your next IC post, and I'll give you any responses you might get in the OOC before I post in the IC again. (you can also roll in the OOC too, if you have anything specific you want to find out before you post).

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica had gotten up bright and early. Well, dark and early - honestly, she was excited enough that she had had some trouble getting to sleep the night before, and still sprang out of bed almost two hours before they had to leave - and (probably with Roy, unless he was doing something else) made a big breakfast for the team in preparation for their first outing with an established Cell of Heroes! And the first Cell of Hope City no less! Yeah, she was jazzed, and had spent the pre-dawn hours chattering away eagerly. She'd end up crashing shortly after dinner tonight, but that was a matter for bedtime! For now, she was way too excited to let a little thing like tiredness matter!

She had, however, gotten all of her chattering out of her system before they left. While she was a bit starry-eyed upon meeting the Heroes, she otherwise kept it professional, albeit friendly. She happily made small talk, but didn't press for it, and she kept her head in the game.

At the moment, she was doing two things. First, she was scanning the area for signs of magic, strange emotions...she even ran a bit of a quality-control check on the runes and spells on the transport, to make sure there hadn't been any sabotage. If she happened to spot anything of note, she alerted Roy, since he could examine it more clearly. Second, though, she was telepathically gaming out possible breakout or extraction scenarios with her brother, based on the terrain, what (little) they knew of the Crow, and what they could see of the supernatural and enhancement powers and effects on the guards, the transport, etc. Admittedly, the latter was kinda more for fun than anything, but it might give them ideas, and they could report any glaring security holes they came up with to the Heroes.

I'll give Roy a Team Check on any Perception roll he makes: [roll0] (after +5 for Teamwork). Well +2 never hurt anyone

I'm scanning with Arcane Resonance, primarily paying attention to A) making sure all the runes and stuff on the transport appear to be in working order and B) making sure there aren't any emotions in the area suggestive of planning a breakout. Her Detect Emotions is Analytical, which I think should help her glean some sense of intents behind them? In any event, those checks will be supported by Expertise (Magic) at [roll1] and Insight at [roll2] (add +3 if the face-to-face interaction bonus applies, this is kinda an edge case there).

Finally, Expertise (Tactics) to game out possible escape/breakout scenarios. If Roy could Team Check this it'd be appreciated: [roll3] (add +5 if Roy Team Checks since he can't fail to provide the max bonus). Any solid ideas we come up with can be reported to the others or used to further inform overwatch efforts.

[Thokk_Smash]

Heroic Ethics

Even long after the class ends, Glory's six words ring in Roy's mind.

SATURDAY In the park

Roy could hardly sleep the night into Saturday. And he'd even tried! He got up early, maybe a little before Erica, and happily nattered and chattered with her as they cooked up a royal banquet of a breakfast.

In the presence of the First Cell of Hope, even Roy feels a bit starstruck. He is quiet at first, as a result, and spends the first few minutes inspecting the visible road with an eagle eye. Before the convoy arrives, he asks to the First Cell at large, politely, "Have there been any ripples in your spheres since these two's capture? Anything happen in the criminal underworld since our exam?"

When the convoy appears, Roy makes sure his visor is on and Enhanced. He sweeps the area for even the smallest sign of something afoot.

Perception check, +2 from Team Check, Vision has Counters All Concealment, -3 if requires sense other than Vision: [roll0]

[Thokk_Smash]

The Totally-Gonna-Be-Uneventful Prisoner Transfer

Roy's visor HUD circles and highlights several parts of one of the guards. "Prestige, sir," he says, though he pitches his low voice to be heard by everyone. "The guard to the back-right of the moving cell--it seems like he's wearing a wig and a fake beard. I don't suppose your Cell got intel on the guards for the convoy?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

When Roy brought the back-right guard up, Erica chimed in, "He does also seem kinda more...tense than the other guards. And I mean, my brother and I have been kinda gaming it out in our heads, and the only really practical means to get through the security here would be to stage a distraction to draw you off, and then get through the cell before you return. Which would pretty much require access to one of the guards' gloves. I mean...the odds that someone is actually willing to put forth that level of effort for the likes of Gauntlet and Greaves seem pretty low, but from a tactical standpoint, if nobody attempts to break them out the choices we make regarding security are meaningless, so we might as well act like someone is going to try something. And if we're doing that...well, back in the Magellans we had a saying, 'It's only paranoia if it creates more risk than it removes.' Given the cell security, the three other guards, and all of you, the loss of a single guard would create negligible risk. On the flip side, a compromised guard is key to a hypothetical opposition achieving their win condition, so even a small chance that a guard is compromised is a substantial risk to the overall mission objective. So, um, I guess I would suggest that maybe you should remove that guard from duty, just in case." The words all kinda...spilled out all over themselves, a little bit. This was the First Cell of Hope and they were students. She almost didn't feel right giving them a suggestion. Surely, just presenting the raw data that they had learned would be sufficient for these experienced Heroes to come to the same conclusion. There was a part of her that worried they'd look down on her for even presuming to do so.

But, well, they were students. They were here to learn. One day, they would be making these sort of decisions; it stood to reason that they should thus present their decision-making process and conclusions so it could be reviewed and corrected by those with the experience. And beyond that...

Well, it's only paranoia if it creates more risk than it removes. And frankly, removing even the tiniest risk to the mission objective was more important than creating any risk that the Heroes would deem her presumptuous.

[Arcran]

Saturday

Serhe, like the others, had gotten up plenty early for his first time in the field, even if was only for shadowing purposes. Going into this, Serhe had very high expections, and even his cynicism towards heroes (thanks to his dear older brother) couldn't keep him from being excited.

That, however, got dashed aside as soon as Manner opened her mouth. Serhe tried wordlessly to come up with a reply, until he was saved by Renault. The Enhancer wordlessly tries to scan the streets below, although it was a bit difficult to focus now that Annihilus had been brought up. Still, as Roy mentions the person in the disguise, Serhe instantly hones his eyes in on him, trying to figure out whatever he can.

Perception for Beard Man: [roll0]

[Zelphas]

Renault looks over at Erica as she gives out her suggestion, losing his slight smile as the Stonesmiths reveal the disguised guard. "Of course, Miss Stonesmith; good instincts," he says, immediately all business. "Manner, step forward and stop the convoy, then move the suspicious guard away from it. Galgameth, circle left and make sure he doesn't start running that way or call for backup; I will circle right and do the same. Earshot, stay on the wall with the kids and--"

Renault cuts off as a terrible sound splits apart the early morning air. Those of you who lived in the colder regions of the Outer Ring and the Magellans shiver as a horrible shriek, seeming to be composed of the arctic wind of a deadly blizzard yet clearly coming from a living, furious throat, cuts through the night air, rising to a painful pitch before violently and abruptly cutting off. All four of Hope's Alpha Cell snap around to stare at the direction the howl arose from; Renault in particular takes an almost involuntary step in that directions, his eyes flat mossy disks of hate.

"Wendigo."

Both of you spot a thin plume of smoke begin to arise from deeper in town; if you had to guess, you'd say that the smoke is about six miles away. This tells you two things: one, that's a lot more smoke than it seems to be; and two, if that scream hurt your ears from hear, at the source it would have been beyond deafening.

The Alpha Cell has some interesting reactions to the sudden scream. All four of them grow significantly more tense the moment they register it, with Earshot tensing up significantly faster than anyone else. For their individual reactions, Renault is the most obvious: his 'Aura' goes nearly black with hatred, lit from within by striations of sickening greenish-blue obsession. Manner and Galgameth have nearly identical reactions, turning a murky orange-grey of dread and concern; Manner seems to be dreading the experience more, while Galgameth is more concerned. Earshot's 'Aura' twists into a sickly yellow (terror) which is ruthlessly suppressed.

The bearded guard's tension ratchets up a notch as the scream hits, but he has no other reaction. The other guards... don't react at all. No emotional change whatsoever.

Wendigo is the name of a Transformer that haunts Hope, though its human form has never been seen (or at least confirmed). It tends to attack Heroes who are closing down on suspected Dimov family dealings, wounding (and very occasionally killing) its opponents with blasts of ice, shrieking winds, and rending claws.

Based on the descriptions you've heard of the Wendigo, its form is additionally fearful; it bears an uncanny resemblance of a rare, far northern Trib known as a Snowgaunt, though obviously at a much smaller scale.

"Renault..." Manner begins, but she is silenced with a glare from the Prestige.

"Cells Beta, Epsilon reporting in," Earshot intones, her quiet voice nearly a monotone now. Her face is impassive, focused on the middle distance as she listens to voices far, far away."Confirmed sighting of Wendigo defending a suspected jewelry fence's abode. No prior connection to Dimov family; they weren't expecting it." She shifts to look directly at Renault. "Flechette is down."

"No Dimov connection? That's odd," Galgameth comments, sounding tense.

"Doesn't matter," the Prestige snaps. "Change of plan. Manner, Earshot, with me; we move to bolster Beta, now. Galgameth, deal with the guard, then get to us ASAP; knock him out if you have to. Earshot, get Lambda out of bed and send them here to replace us. You four," he turns to the four of you, his face an almost unrecognizable mask of fury, "Watch the movable cell. If anything happens, shout for Earshot; Lambda will be here in two minutes." In a flash of arcane light, The Prestige is in the air and flying away from the wall, towards the distant shriek.

Manner glances at the group apologetically. "He's just... sorry. Stay safe." She is lifted by a gust of wind and carried away. Earshot motions the group of you away from her, and you feel a vibration shakes your bones as she is lifted by a column of compressed sound and blasted across the town.

Galgameth watches his Cell leave the wall, then looks over at the Stonesmiths. "A distraction, huh?" he comments dryly, before smiling. "I'm joking. There's no way that the Wendigo would be involved with these two. This just has to be horrible luck." With another quick smile, he leaps off of the wall. Halfway down, his body twists and snaps, expanding into a spindly, vaguely lizardlike form bedecked with small, painful-looking spines running down its arms and back to the tip of its whip-like tail. The shape hits the ground and rolls, uncoiling upright on two thin, bowed legs with its overlarge arms, tipped with disturbingly humanlike long-fingered hands surmounted by large claws. The shape towers up nearly fifteen feet tall, looking almost emaciated and predatory. Hunching forward slightly, Galgameth thrusts his short-snouted, fanged maw towards the bearded guard as the movable cell floats closer and growls...

...And the bearded man looks up at the snarling monstrosity before him and clenches his fists, and a nearly-invisible needle shoots out from a pinpoint opening at the shoulder of his uniform and disappears down Galgameth's throat...

...And then Galgameth goes rigid, the growl fading into slackjawed silence.

The bearded man smiles lightly, looking up at the stunned Transformer before him. "It's all right, brave Hero. We don't want to fight," he says in a light, soothing voice, reaching into his pocket. "We'll just take the two poor Villains off of your hands, and then we'll be on our way." He pulls out a polished silver whistle and blows out a single piercing note, and several things begin to happen at once.

As though the whistle flipped a switch in their minds, two of the guards drop to all fours, their bodies twitching strangely. The third one stops the cell with one hand, and begins moving towards the large metal door.

"All of your vaunted powers do give you one common blind spot," the bearded man comments smugly. "You tend to underestimate the mundane chemicals of our world."

You hear three distinct sounds, coming from three different directions:

First, a rush of wind and blowing detritus, sounding weirdly warped, heading towards you from about a thousand feet northwest of the gate, out in the fields beyond the city.

Second, giant, buzzing wings, heading towards you from about eleven hundred feet south of the gate.

And finally, running feet, accompanied by a crackle of electricity, heading towards you from about eight hundred feet west of the gate.

As everything falls apart, and it looks like battle is coming, you feel the power in your eyes spark up, stronger than before. It seems like your training this past week has had some effect.

In this battle, you can use Extra Effort for Nullify attacks twice without gaining any Fatigue.

In between figuring out the bearded man and watching in horror as everyone's 'Aura' goes haywire, you study the runes that you can see on the movable cell. You realize that they look... familiar. In fact, with just a tiny burst of effort here, a slight redrawing here... it wouldn't take more than a second...

If you move within range to touch the movable cell, you can halve your Move action for each round afterwards in order to move the cell 60 feet in any direction you choose each round. You can expend your entire move action to "double-move" the cell, if you so choose.

You realize, as things start going wrong, that you still have some bits and pieces of equipment from the suit that you made for Boulos earlier this week. It's not enough to make the whole suit again (even if you had the time), but you might be able to do something...

In this battle, you can use one Power Stunt that does not accrue any Fatigue. This Power Stunt can be used for two turns, and then it falls apart.

Map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KqnvDhFn3IhGsMSO57timoTVMrIDZfLE2FLXFyQt7a8/edit#gid=0)

You all rolled well, so All PCs are up!

[Quellian-dyrae]

The moment Erica heard the howl, and saw the reaction it provoked in the First Cell, she knew what was coming. Galgameth's joke did not alter her assessment. She didn't recognize the name Wendigo, but whoever that was didn't even need to actually be involved. Precognition, probability manipulation, good ol' fashioned regular manipulation...the world was not lacking for options to bring the right Villain into play at the right time.

~I'm betting on the latter, myself,~ she commented to her brother. ~It sounds like this Wendigo guy tends to target the Dimov people or whatever, so if they got false info to him suggesting a connection, boom, instant distraction.~

"Wai-" Erica tried to call out as Galgameth moved to the attack. Seeing the other three guards show precisely zero emotional reaction to the howl - Erica didn't know a thing about Wendigo, and it still sent a chill up her spine - told her that they weren't just calm and bored. They were under some sort of external influence. Galgameth was likely leaping into a 1:4 fight expecting a 4:1.

Her warning came too late, but it didn't turn out to matter, as the bearded guard somehow managed to stun the experienced Hero. Erica couldn't help but be reminded of another common saying from her homeland. "It's not pessimism."

(Yeah, that was the whole saying. Nobody said life in the Magellans was anything even vaguely resembling easy.)

But, well, what could they do? The Heroes had been drawn off or neutralized, the guards replaced or controlled. They were just students, here strictly in an observational capacity. They could yell for Earshot, but that was pretty much it, and four to one might be too much for even her. The bad guys had won.

...Hah. Right.

She didn't really have the time to go full armor mode, but the small white stones in the simple silver rings on her fingers began to glow with pale light. Those stones were enchanted with a projection affect, allowing her to channel her attacks and manipulate objects from a distance.

The weren't getting into that cell. Not if she had anything to say about it.

Her sword retracted into the hilt, which extended into staff mode. Gripping her weapon tightly in her right hand, she channeled her supernatural power into and through it, charging the Flux gemstones in its pommel-turned-tip. A bright neon yellow light shone from one of the gems, and the next moment, a brilliant blast of lucent energy flared over the cell.

And when it faded, the mobile cell was no longer where it had been. It was up on the roof by them.

(Because with her left hand, she had made a few quick tweaks to the runes and channeled a bit more of her energy through them.)

Erica's heart was pounding in her chest, hard enough that Roy could probably feel it. This wasn't a game, it wasn't a training session. This was a live fire combat situation. It was deadly serious and the stakes were real. Erica wasn't fearless. She was enjoying the taste of self-confidence, but it was one thing to be at the top of their class. It was quite another to face real enemies in a real fight. So yeah, she was scared.

But that would never stop her.

Standing atop the wall, her glowing staff firmly planted, hands aglow with pale white light, her long brown hair and flowing garb waving gently in the wind, Erica Stonesmith stared down the bearded goon and vented her fear the best way she knew how.

Smack-talk!

"Did you really think it would be that easy? That you could just infiltrate the guard, distract the Heroes, and mosey along with the prisoners? This is Hope, idiot! You should have just let Galgameth take you apart! At least that would have been a glorious battle, given you a nice story to tell the other goons in the cell block on macaroni day! Now when the other Villains ask what Hero brought you in, you're going to have nothing to say but 'a group of first-years not even in their second week of classes'!"

"EARSHOT!"

"GUARDS TURNED!"

"GALGAMETH DOWN!"

"ENGAGING!"

Free: Swap to Magic Projection and Flux Wizard.

Standard: Flux Wizard on G1, G3, and BG. Dodge DC 18 for half. Toughness DC 23/19 vs. Damage. Variable Descriptor is Light, and they may be subject to a Secondary Effect next round if she spends a move action for it.

Free: With the second Extra Limb from Magic Projection, touch the cell to influence the runes.

Move: "Double move" the cell up onto the wall with us.

Free: Talk smack.

Free: ...Follow orders.

Current Status: Normal.

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy shakes his head slowly as the situation unfolds. ~No, the Dimovs are a suspected crime family,~ he thinks to Erica. She can hear the gears in his mind whirling in thought. ~The Beta Cell weren't expecting this dangerous of an assault because the place isn't someplace the Dimovs would normally protect. So someone must've sicced it on the Cell. Which means--~

"It is a diver--!" he yells, in tandem with Erica, but it is too little too late. The remaining pro Hero on the scene has been neutralized. It's four children against a group (because it is a group, to have arranged such an elaborate and exact trap) of Villains of unknown means and temperaments. What's the point of fighting back? Better to just hang back and stay out of the way.

...Pfft. As if.

Roy keeps his clothes loose and free, unarmored and keeping his sneering face visible to the Beard Guy. Spots of light appear on his loose sleeves, small globes of Flux crystals creating a layer of hard space outlining his arms and hands.

"You're one to talk about blind spots, Beard Guy," Roy calls out with a mocking smile as his ghostly arms erupt into the air. His gauntlets have been brought with them, and they snake in the air like whips as Roy continues to speak. "Sure, you took care of the big bad pro Heroes. But you shouldn't have given us even a single second to think! Don't think for a second you'll get out of this unscathed!"

Roy tries to inject more than just bluster into his statements there. He's not oblivious to the reality here. This is more than two bumbling, squabbling siblings. There may even be more Villains on the way to back up Beard Guy. But that can't stop them. It won't stop them. And Roy's words are half-ruse, trying to keep Beard Guy's attention from the pair of gauntlets that aim to strike them unawares.

Move action: Deception to Feint, -5 for Move Action: [roll0]

Free Action: Enhanced Spatial Influence to Elongate Roy's Iridium Gauntlets into Close range of Beard Guy.

Standard action: Iridium Introduction, -2/+2 AoA/PA, [roll1] vs DC 25 Damage, DC 20 Strength vs Move Object (Down/Prone), DC 20 Will vs Vulnerable/Defenseless/Incapacitated)

Free action: Bring gauntlets back onto Roy's hands.

Status: Fine, -2 Defenses
HP: 2
Luck: 3/4

[Arcran]

Serhe, along with everybody else, winced at the sudden howl, his pupil's narrowing as he tried to get a look on the source of the sound to no avail. It distracted him for a fraction of a second, wasting the precious few seconds he had to inform everybody about the identity (or lack thereof) of the strange guard. As the professional heroes took off one by one, Serhe felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. From just the quality of the disguise, Serhe was almost positive that this was a considerable threat as well.

That sinking feeling turned to outright panic as Serhe watched the tiny, nearly-invisible dart fly through the air and embed itself somewhere in Galgameth's throat, instantly dropping the giant reptilian creature. Serhe stands for a moment, locked in a panic. They group of them were up against somebody with weapons that he could barely see and who had just dropped a professional hero like they were nothing. Even worse, Serhe had absolutely no idea what his powers were, which made an already ugly situation even harder. For a second, Serhe thought of just trying to call for backup and getting away with the cell, but as the rest of the cell stepped forward, he knew he had no choice. Serhe starts to move forward as well, trying to look far more confident than he felt at the moment. For the first time ever it wasn't a game, he didn't know everybody's abilities, and, if he lost, he might die.

Watch out; he has darts! Serhe says, pointing towards the man in the disguise as he starts to concentrate energy in his eyes, waiting for anything that might give away what powers the beard man used.

Going to hold until after the villains so that Serhe can hopefully figure out what their powers are before Nullifying!

[Zelphas]

Erica's blast of lucent light smote the two twitching Transformers, stopping their shapeshifting cold and leaving the two guards unconscious on the paving stones. The bearded man shades his eyes with one hand, looking up at her with an indulgent smile. He twists his body athletically as Roy's gauntlets snap towards him, avoiding one metal fist entirely; the other strikes a hefty glancing blow on his midsection, and his breath comes out in a hiss of pain as he drops to one knee, obviously winded.

"Aye, g'won back to the hole ye crawled out of," Connor growls at the bearded man. He thrusts one hand, palm outwards, towards the man, and the cobblestones ripple and buck underneath him, turning his kneeling position into a flat sprawl. It takes the man a few long moments to rise to his feet, breathing heavily.

"Understood," Earshot's voice cuts in suddenly, sounding as though she was standing right next to Erika. "Lambda is awake and moving to your position. Est--" A blast of sound so loud it is felt rather than heard suddenly echoes through the connection for an instant before being just as suddenly cut off. A few seconds later, the shriek of the Wendigo once again rises from somewhere across the city. "--Thirty seconds," Earshot cuts back in, her normally unflappable voice sounding slightly slurred. "Hold until then." It seems that the message has ended, and then Earshot's voice returns, lower and gentler than you have yet heard it. "Your lives are more valuable than the prisoners; there is no shame in fleeing if you must."

"Easy?" the bearded man repeats, regaining his breath slowly. "Unscathed? Mr. and Miss Stonesmith, I am sure that those comments were your attempts at 'banter', as it were, but I still feel the need to address them. Old habits, perhaps." He smiles pleasantly. Farther down the street, the cobblestones creak and break as the other conscious guard leaps into the air, jumping clear over the movable cell and landing on the other side in one galvanic motion. ""I assume that this early in your schooling, you haven't taken classes on combating specific power types and their standard tactics, correct? Well, then, consider this an advance lesson," the man continues, as the guard reaches towards the iron door of the cell with his gloved hand. "When facing a Mental Paragon with at least a shred of common sense--a rare breed, I admit--you will find that they have prepared... for the sake of simplicity, we will call it three plans. The first plan is the Ideal Plan, which will never play out as planned so long as we live in this imperfect world. When the Ideal Plan fails, he moves to the Real Plan, which is truly a series of 'if, then' statements hypothesizing enemy response and the proper countermeasures of the same. Should this plan also fail, the Mental Paragon finally shifts to the Contingency Plan, of which there should always be at least three; this being his method of escaping the fallout of his failed schemes." The guard pulls on the iron door, only to find it locked, the binding runes on the door flaring slightly at the power of his pulls. He pauses for a moment, then speaks a word, and the binding runes flare brighter before vanishing. "In the case of this particular encounter, I must congratulate you; you have successfully been the disruption to the Ideal Plan." The guard opens the door to the movable cell, stepping to one side of the now-open portal.

As the bearded man says 'Mental Paragon', you could swear that he looks directly at Serhe.

The runes of binding on the door flared and faded as though they were counteracted by an unbinding counterspell, but there was no answering flash of power from the guard, and his earlier jump suggests that the guard is actually a Paragon. It's almost as though the Supernatural bindings were dispelled by non-Supernatural means.

The sound of buzzing, enormous bug-like wings assaults your ears a second before a white insectoid mass the size of a human wings into view from above the buildings to the south of the gate, glowing eerily in the predawn light. The form lands slightly to one side of the bearded man, its chitinous yet disturbingly human legs flexing from the impact of its heavy landing. translucent milky wings fold into place long its back as it spreads long arms tipped with sharp-looking claws wide, glaring up at the group with enormous segmented ruby eyes. Wide, full lips, looking practically human on the insect body, open wide, and the creature gives out a human scream of defiant challenge. At the same time, its entire form glows more brightly before culminating in a blinding flash of white light that briefly erases the world.

Almost before the white light fades, a strong smell of ozone strikes your noses. Before you can fully register the sent, you are all buffeted by heavy winds that seem as solid as fists, each gust laced with buzzing static electricity that stands your hair on end and threatens to bind your limbs. You have only an impression of a tall person dressed in yellow and gold with flowing golden hair, weaving between the four of you with the electric gusts following in its wake, before the figure breaks off, dashing directly into the now-open door of the movable cell.

Another rush of displaced air comes from behind the wall, abruptly cut off as a man steps lightly from open space onto the wall to your right. The man seems extremely short, barely cresting five feet tall, and so extremely thin as to be cadaverous; he is utterly hairless and dressed in ragged robes of varying shades of grey, and his coal-black eyes seem light from within by some unknowable knowledge. "Humanity's end is nigh," he intones in an impossibly deep, somber voice, his face twisted in sadness as he looks at your group. "Children should not be forced to carry the burden of our future. Embrace Oblivion." Each of you is struck by crushing force and a sense of sudden vertigo as gravity seems to tilt, pulling you towards the strange grey-robed man.

The crushing force and inexorable pull of the man's attack cuts through your wards as though they don't exist, leaving you struggling to defend yourself against it. You count as Impaired against attacks from the man in grey robes; take a Hero Point for your Cardinal Inferiority Complication.

The Yellow Shadow, the Grey-Robed Man, and the Bug Woman are all Elementalists.

The Bug Woman is an Enhancer, though her powers are wildly varied compared to most. It looks like besides that flash of painful, disorienting light, she can also attack with those vicious claws, fly, regenerate from damage, spit rapidly-expanding fireballs, and lift several times the amount of an ordinary human. Her powers also look kind of... weird to you, but you're not sure how.

The disguise, the darts, and the comment about 'old habits' finally let you put together who this man is; Melor Maly, once a respected biochemist and an instructed at the Flux Hero Academy. Besides his work at FA, Maly was known to travel the Outer Ring and distribute medicines to those in need, until one trip about six years ago took him to Mensae, where he vanished. Ten months later, a new villain operating out of Mesa calling himself Lassitude due to the soporific effects of his poisons was captured, and the Heroes who captured him found that he was wearing an elaborate disguise with Melor Maly underneath. It seems that something happened to Maly in Mensae, turning him from a respected Hero to a villain affiliated with the worst kind of extreme Tri-Deist experiments. Since then, Maly has used his talent for disguise and chemistry to break out of prison time and time again.

Then again, a later investigation discovered that the number of mysterious disappearances in the Outer Ring went up a small but significant amount each time Maly went on one of his trips; it's possible that Maly was working for the Higher Power Association long before his apparent turn.

The bug woman bears a striking resemblance to a new type of agent recently deployed by the Weavers, Veld's most prominent Villain faction. Known as 'firebugs', these agents are a tactic of last resort by the Weavers, used to burn the grass fields when all attempts at theft, bribery, or blackmail fails. It's not known if the agents are regularly Fire Elementalists, bug-type Transformers, or a mixture of both, only that the costumes that they wear are astonishingly versatile; despite the immense variation of powers found in Teocawki, all of the firebugs have been observed with almost identical skillsets: bug wings, claws, and fire breath. One odd thing, though; firebugs were described as wearing red costumes with segmented black eyes.

You've heard of the white firebug before; this is the supposed leader of that section of the Weavers, and the prototype from which the other suits were made. You've heard that she's an albino woman named Barbara Rose, though she generally takes 'Firebug' as her official name when she's on official business for the Weavers.

A yellow shadow who uses lightning and wind as her attacks of choice is a well-known figure in Hope: 'Livewire' (real name Madelyn Squires), a B-list Villain and petty thief who is known mostly for quick hit-and-runs against banks. She is slightly famous for never staying still; the few pictures of her are all when she was knocked unconscious in bouts against Heroes.

The name Squires is familiar; one of your classmates, Calvin, has the same last name. Now, that could just be coincidence (Squires isn't really an uncommon surname), but at the same time, In Teocawki, people with the same last name are almost always related somehow.

The grey robes and the fatalistic speech are a dead giveaway; this man is a member of the Cult the Allmind Rejected. Fanatics who believe that humanity has outlived its purpose and should be destroyed, they pop up every now and then, attempting to sabotage human progress.

This particular man sticks out in your mind; you know who he is.

Ten years ago, a hero named Density (real name Doru Kurzmann), a Void and Wind Elementalist, was traveling from the Inner Ring to the Outer Ring when he saw a different airship crash into the Mist. Without hesitation, Doru dove into the Mist himself, trying to save who he could. He arose from the mist three hours later, alone and utterly mad, and since then Accretion has become one of the few members of the Cult the Allmind Rejected able to gather others to himself and form some sort of actual organization, due to his insane claims that he spoke to a representative of the Allmind in the mist and it told him that humanity's time was done.


Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KqnvDhFn3IhGsMSO57timoTVMrIDZfLE2FLXFyQt7a8/edit#gid=0)

Beard Guy

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action: Stand from Prone.

End of Turn: Fort to Remove Dazed & Impaired (DC 18): [roll0] Recovered

Guard 4

Move Action: Leap to L33.

Standard Action: Use ??? to open the door.

Move-By Action: Shift to J33.

Bug Woman

Move Action: Fly to Q22.

Standard Action: Lightning Bug Flash. Everyone, Dodge DC 20 to negate. If that Fails, Highest Active Defense DC 20 vs. Dazed & Visually Impaired/Stunned & Visually Disabled. Connor: [roll1] if that fails: [roll2] Using 1 of Connor's HP to reroll the Dodge check

Yellow Shadow

Move Action: Shift to Q30.

Standard Action: Electrostorm on the group. Everyone, Dodge DC 20 for half, Toughness DC 25/20 vs. Damage, Fortitude DC 20/15 vs. Dazed/Stunned (Cumulative, Secondary Effect). Connor: [roll3] Toughness: [roll4] Fort: [roll5] 1 Bruise.

Move-By Action: Shift into the movable cell.

Grey-Robed Man

Move Action: Fly to V30.

Standard Action: Black Hole on the group. Everyone, Dodge DC 20 for half, Toughness DC 25/20 vs. Damage, Strength or Flight DC 20/15 or be pulled directly towards the Grey-robed man, ending one square adjacent to him. Connor: [roll6] Toughness: [roll7] Strength: [roll8] 1 Bruise and Dazed. Strength should be 15; still resists.

All PCs are On Turn! This is the Final Battle of the Arc; Hero Points are at 'Use them or Lose them' Status!

[Quellian-dyrae]

Roy shielded Erica from the bug woman's light and steadied her against the gravity well. Her wards absorbed the lightning harmlessly.

"Oh really? Is that so?" Erica shot back at the bearded man. "What's your contingency plan for this!?" she challenged with a grunt of exertion on the last word, as she didn't just move, but flipped the cell onto its front. This would likely slam the inward-opening door shut, but regardless, instead of a way out, the door would now only open onto the solid wall of Hope.

"Our end is nigh? Really? That's what you come at us with?" she shouted at the robed man. "You know, I've heard I thing or two about your little doom cult, and the thing that's always struck me is just how ludicrous it is! We survived the Threefold Day, idiot! We survived the flight through the Mists! We survived to found new cities, to spread to the Outer Ring, and to explore the Magellans! We had one bad day and you know what? We've gotten stronger every day since! You say the end is nigh?"

"We're humans! The end is where we ******* live, and you and your sorry excuse for a knock-off copy of a god ain't seen nothing yet!" The staff in her hand transformed into a cruciform longsword, which she slashed at the gray-robed elementalist while channeling positive energy to heal her brother.

Then she scanned the newcomers with her visor. "Serhe, the newcomers are elementalists, and neither Roy nor I saw the remaining guards' powers, so they're presumably both paragons!" Which the so-called mental paragon had kinda confirmed for them himself, but whatever. Evidently he was right about that particular power set not coming with an abundance of common sense.

Move: Flip the cell onto its front. Door is now pressed against the top of the wall, which I'm gonna guess is probably pretty beefy. Who needs runes?

Standard: Spend that fancy new Hero Point for Inspire 5! All allies who can hear her (including Galgameth and as far as I can tell, probably Earshot too) get +5 on all checks for one round.

Free: Swap Flux Paladin.

Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: Attack Gray Robe with Flux Paladin at [roll0]. On a hit, Toughness DC 23 vs. Damage, Fortitude DC 18 vs. Dazed+Vulnerable/Stunned+Defenseless. Regardless, Roy heals one Bruise.

Free: Swap to Arcane Resonance.

Free: Inform Serhe of powersets.

Current Status: Fatigued as of next turn.

[Arcran]

As the man monologues, Serhe's eyes dart around frantically, trying to find something, anything that he could do. When an obvious path forward isn't revealed to him, Serhe starts to back up. Sure, the bearded man has just given his powers away, but that was a trap, right? However, once the reinforcements began to arrive, with one bringing along enough elemental fanfare to give Serhe a very, very good idea of what kind of powers he was dealing with, the boy felt a little bit of his old bravado returning. He twists and turns wildly, doing his best to avoid the concurrent blasts that strike him over and over, leaving his vision spotted and a few of his fingers pointing in the wrong direction, but far less injured than he should have been.

Connor! Serhe shouts, looking to his oldest teammate. Take out that guard! The second Erica confirms what he already knew, Serhe lets a soft smile go across his lips.

Hey, Mr. Ideal Plan! Here's a lesson from us: a monologue is tacky, and just gives us time to get ready! Serhe shouts, his eyes flashing red as they dart from target to target, trying to sap as much power as he possibly can.

Nullify time! AoA and PA at max on all of these, and ignoring anything above Rank 15. Also going to use both of my free Extra Efforts!

The first two wouldn't benefit from Erica's buff, so here they are:
vs. Gravity Guy
AC: [roll0] 20
Nullify: [roll1]

vs. Gravity Guy if first failed, or Bug Woman otherwise
AC: [roll2]
Nullify: [roll3]

Second set gets Erica's buff!

vs. Gravity Guy if first failed, or Bug Woman if failed, then Electric
AC: [roll4] 31
Nullify: [roll5]

vs. Gravity Guy if first failed, or Bug Woman if failed, then Electric
AC: [roll6]
Nullify: [roll7]

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy notices the dangers to his friends in quick succession. He knows that his crystals are more geared toward avoidance than his sister's, and the new enemies seem to be focusing on area-of-effect assaults to maximize damage. Though it costs him some energy, he forces his flux crystals to shift their energies from his visor to the clear-lined crystals lining his armor's extremities. He leaps to his sister's side in a flash even faster than the light from the bug woman: he shields her eyes even as he forces himself to fight past the intensity of the light; he digs in his feet and uses the Flux crystals' energies to resist the grey-cloaked man's power.

The lightning crackles on his armor, though, and sinks into his very bones. He struggles past the pain with some effort. As he does, he ruminates on these new additions. A motley crew of villains. Two with little regard for morality or safety of others; the other two, affiliated with the worst of the dark sides of their respective religions. And even more than that...

"With your obvious self-important intellect, no righteous indignation will make you give a sh*t," Roy says, voice loud and clear in the crisp morning air. "So let's look at the facts: you're the infamous Lassitude, former pro Hero who probably took to horrific experimentation on innocents even before his official disappearance; the island you disappeared on is the same island the mysterious Crow is rumored to roost in; and you've orchestrated this entire escape attempt, by your own words."

He feels Erica's words bolster him, and he grits his teeth in anger. "Your objective, here in the outskirts of humanity's bastion of Heroism, is obviously to get your targets out as fast as possible. So our objective is to oppose you with all the power we can muster. Don't cry if that's enough to take you out!"

He claps his hands together at the last word. He smirks when he realizes Serhe's power has taken hold. His gauntlets begin transforming, shifting, and become a pair of twin pistols. Taking aim at the self-assured prig on the ground, he pushes hard on the triggers. The pistols shoot the painful pellets they're known for, that will immediately expand on contact to threaten to encapsulate the villain in a cocoon of glue.

Free action: Swap to Enhanced Visor Crystal and Violane Verse.

Move action: Dazed

Standard action: Attack with Violane Verse, AoA/PA -5/+5, [roll0] vs DC 28+Multiattack Damage, DC 23 Defense vs Dazed/Stunned (Limited to physical actions only), DC 23 Create. Should be 2-degree success, +2 Multiattack

Potential extra effort depending on the results.

Extra Effort'd to attack Bug Lady, attack roll of 26 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?536652-Teocawki-(M-amp-M-3e)-OOC-Welcome-to-Hope-Academy!&p=22962878&viewfull=1#post22962878)

Recovery for Dazed (DC 15): [roll1] Recovers

Status: Bruised, Dazed (Pending)
HP: 1 2
Luck: 2/4 1/4

[Zelphas]

The grey-robed man lifts up a hand cloaked in void, catching Erica's sword mid-swing and stopping it cold. He flinches back from the light of the sword, his face screwed up in pain and sadness. Mere moments later, the void and whistling wind around him sputters and dies, Erica's blade resting against his now bare hand. On the back of the grey-robed man's hand is the crude tattoo of an locked padlock.

The angry scarlet light of the bug woman's segmented eyes sputters and fades into a dull red-brown as Serhe's gaze passes over her, and she lets out another scream of challenge, which breaks off as Roy's pellets burst around her. Lassitude takes several pellets to the stomach and chest, his breathing becoming noticeably ragged as he struggles to remain on his feet. Despite his state, he smiles, looking up at Erica and opening his mouth to answer.

Several hundred pounds of angry lizard slams into him like... well, several hundred pounds of angry lizard, leaving him unconscious on the cobblestones below. Galgameth roars, flexing his claws wide as he looks over the remaining enemies.

Up on top of the wall, the crude tattoo on the grey-robed man's hand shimmers and shifts; you all hear a distinct click as it changes from a closed padlock to an open one.

The grey-robed man's sad, mad eyes stare deep into Erica's own eyes, his face a picture of resigned despair. "When the man of gravitas comes to inform, rather than to offer, you will begin to understand. It is already too late." Throwing the sword away from him with his hand, the man turns and runs to the edge of he wall... and leaps off, out of sight.

A moment later, what Lassitude was about to say to Erica becomes somewhat apparent: the air becomes charged and taut, and then one entire wall of the movable cell explodes outwards in a blast of dust and rubble, a massive bolt of lightning arcing through the empty space where it had been and out over the city. The air, already charged from the earlier attack, reacts to the bolt of lightning in a physical cascade of popping static sparks, which fall over you all once again, causing your muscles to seize painfully.

The bug woman hisses up at the four of you on the top of the wall and speaks for the first time. "Take my sad birthright powers then, eyeleech," she sneers in a young woman's alto voice, her dull eyes glaring even as her suit begins to writhe and twist upon her, slowly repairing the damage done by Roy's pellets. "Miss Arterbery has given me much better abilities." Leaning back, the bug woman whips her head forward and spits out a glob of shimmering orange-ish goo, which bounces off one side of the movable cell before expanding outward in a rush, covering all of you in a burning hot jelly that suddenly ignites into leaping flames. EVen as the jelly ignites, the woman's suit brightens and flashes again, threatening to dazzle you all once more.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KqnvDhFn3IhGsMSO57timoTVMrIDZfLE2FLXFyQt7a8/edit#gid=0)

Grey Robes

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action: Shift off the edge of the wall, and out of sight.

End of Turn: Fortitude to Remove Dazed & Vulnerable (DC 18): [roll0] Fail.

Yellow Flash

Move Action: ???

Standard Action: Use Chain Lightning on the movable cell wall. Rolled in the OOC; wall is destroyed.

End of Turn: Secondary Effect Activates: Everyone make a Dodge DC 20 Save, then a Fortitude DC 20/15 Save vs. Dazed/Stunned. Connor Dodge: [roll1] Fortitude: [roll2] Dazed. Forgot Inspire Bonus; Tanked.

Bug Woman

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action: Napalm Spit on the party. Everyone, make a Dodge DC 20 save, then a Toughness DC 25/20 save vs. Incurable Damage. Connor Dodge: [roll3] Toughness: [roll4] Tanked.

End of Turn: Secondary Effect Activates: Everyone make a Dodge DC 20 save; if that fails, make a Fortitude DC 20 save vs. Dazed & Visually Impaired/Stunned & Visually Disabled. Connor Dodge: [roll5] Fortitude: [roll6] Tanked.

Also End of Turn: Regenerates a Bruise.

Turns until Lambda Cell Arrives: 4.

All PCs are up!

[Arcran]

Serhe tries to roll to the side to avoid the flaming spit but ends up getting caught up in the blast, launching him a few feet from the side. Even though his powers had taken hold, this woman was still firing off blasts that could almost put him out of condition. What the hell kind of power created a fireball and wasn't Elementalist based?

More than a little panicked, and knowing that he would do far more good just by keeping other people's powers off, Serhe starts to sprint towards the backside of the cage, hoping that he can take out the guard before anything else goes south. After all, all they needed to do at the moment was stall for time. Once another cell got here, they could take care of everything. Thirty seconds, give or take. That's all that they have to hold out for.

Serhe moves, then uses the Defend action!

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy throws himself into the path of the enemies' attacks once more, shielding his sister from the brunt of the effects. He grimaces as the blinding lights leave spots in his vision, and the electricity leaves him with spasms that hinder his movements.

He reaches for the bits of spare parts on his armor, not with his hands but with his powers. They form a latticework of power that channels his natural energies even more efficiently than normal. The makeshift device won't hold up long, but hopefully it'll work for what he needs.

He looks askance at Grey-Cloak as he disappears down the wall. He's not as big a threat right now. Instead, he shifts Iridium Medley to its azure sniper-rifle form. Taking to the air with hardened air beneath his feet, he circles around to the now-exposed side of the cell block. He takes aim at Livewire--he considers mentioning her potential relationship with their classmate, but decides against it. Instead, he merely pulls the trigger and releases a bullet made of pure ice and shattering cold.

Free action: Power Stunt, using Roy's fatigue-free Power Stunt, to make Immunity 10 (Enhancement effects, Limited [Half-Effect]), Enhanced Iridium Medley (Limited [Only when attacking an elementalist or as a Team Attack with Erica when she's on her Arcane Augmentation array slot]), Platform Flight 3.

Free action: Use a :smallcool: HP to remove Roy's Dazed condition.

Move action: Move in front of open part of cell.

Standard action: Attack with Sapphire Solo, AoA 5, PA 3, [roll0] vs DC 30 Damage that has Homing 2 and Precise thanks to Yellow Shadow being an Elementalist. The Damage carries a Secondary Effect.

Move-By Action: End in same spot as started.

Status: Fatigued, -5 Defenses, Visually Impaired
HP: 1
Luck: 1/4

[Quellian-dyrae]

With Roy shielding her from the light and lightning, she reached around him to get her arms in the way of the napalm, the long sleeves of her flowing attire catching most of it. It sizzled against her wards, taking some energy to hold back, but nothing she couldn't afford.

On the one hand, Erica was a little disappointed in the cell for not being strong enough to withstand even one energy blast. But on the other hand...

It was fun growing up with a brother with the power of object Enhancement. For almost as long as she could remember, Roy had been building little trinkets and devices, bits and pieces of BTD tech. Sometimes they were silly. Sometimes they were practical. Usually they were fun in one way or another. One time he had built this little boxy thing with a few buttons and a screen that had evidently been used to play little picture games. He even Enhanced it to output one of the games he had read about, a weird little puzzle with blocks that fell faster and faster and you had to line them up to clear them before they reached the top.

It was funny what you think about in the heat of battle.

(Clang-thunk-crash! The cell rolled over the wall and dropped to the ground, with the door still facing downward but the new hole now facing the wall.)

"Connor!" Erica called to the earth elementalist with a huge grin. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Erica's sword contracted again, but rather than a staff extending from the hilt, the pommel released a flexible beam of pale blue light. She lashed out at the bug woman, trying to wrap the whip of cold energy around her and bind her wings, to leave her easy prey to Galgameth.

Free: Swap to Arcane Augmentation.

Move: Move the cell to K21, door facing down, broken section against the wall. I will happy spend my move action to cost Yellow Shadow her standard action all day.

Standard: Attack Bug Woman with Flux Dancer, All Out Attack for 4, Power Attack for 2, at [roll0], critting on 19+. On a hit, Toughness DC 25 vs. [Cold] Damage, Prowess DC 20 vs. Vulnerable/Defenseless, and Strength or Dodge DC 20 vs. Grab. Note that a successful Grab will negate Flight with the Wings Extra, so if she is grabbed and has no other means of remaining airborne she'll fall, receiving additional damage and possibly ending up Prone (Flux Dancer has a 120' reach, so it won't help her any unless the wall's way higher than I thought). One off from a crit!

Current Status: 1 Bruise (Incurable).

[Zelphas]

As Serhe and Roy both approach the movable cell, they hear an oddly modulated woman's voice speaking from within: "--filled our part of the deal. I only have it in me to carry one of you. Which will it be?"

"Edith," comes Greaves' voice immediately. "Get her out of here now."

"Artie--" Gauntlet begins, only to be immediately cut off. "No arguing, Edie; you go first."

"All right then," Livewire says as Roy rounds the corner to the open wall of the cell. Inside are Gauntlet and Greaves, the twins rubbing their wrists where shackles were until recently and talking to the blurry yellow-gold form that is the infamous bank thief. Roy's shot passes through where Livewire's head was moments before, the villain hardly seeming to notice the shot while sidestepping away from it. "Gauntlet, I'm going to grab you in a second; just rela--oh, for--" Whatever else Livewire was about to say gets cut off as the movable cell flips once more,slamming onto the ground at the bottom of the wall.

Erica's whip lashes across the Bug Woman, eliciting another shriek and leaving her scrambling away from the frigid coils. Seizing his chance, Galgameth rounds on the Bug Woman, his toothy maw opening and spewing forth thousands of red-hot bits of metal towards his enemy; unfortunately, galvanized from escaping Erica's whip, the Bug Woman is able to leap away from the dangerous molten metal shower.

Looking up at Erica's call, Connor suddenly grins. "Aye," he begins, then staggers as the wind suddenly picks up in a howling frenzy. Whirling around the wall, the wind seems to press into all of you, restricting your movements and making it difficult to fly. Out of the clear predawn air, a massive bolt of lightning crashes down in tandem with an earsplitting rush of thunder, tearing large chunks from one wall of the Cell and revealing its inner chamber once more. Connor immediately moves his hands and the wall begins to close again, but a yellow-gold blur rushes through one of the larger holes and out into the open once more. Gauntlet, throwing herself through another hole, is not as lucky; the hole closes around her leg in midair, and she finds herself hanging awkwardly from the edge of the cell, still trapped. "Artie!" She cries out, punching at the cell wall with one un-gauntleted fist.

The Bug Woman pauses for a moment, and then--oddly--glances at the back of her hand. She chuckles, a low, throaty sound. "So we're done, then," she crows, her wings buzzing back into life. In an instant, she is in front of Roy, claw-tipped fingers outstretched to rip and tear. "I can finally have some fun!"

On top of the wall, Serhe feels the pressure behind his eyes intensify for a moment, then ease, far more than it should if he was still suppressing two different powers.

The sky darkens, fading from pearly grey to slate and finally to deepest black. The blackness seems to press on all of your eyes and ears, nearly blinding and deafening you. Your limbs become heavy, as though gravity has increased enormously; it is once more difficult to move--though the blackness immediately begins to fade.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KqnvDhFn3IhGsMSO57timoTVMrIDZfLE2FLXFyQt7a8/edit#gid=0)

Grey Robe

Move Action: Dazed.

Free Action: Switch array to Event Horizon.

Standard Action: Fall the rest of the way to the ground. Flight activates at end of turn, lowering the Toughness save to DC 27: [roll0] Oh, Grey Robe... INCAPACITATED!

Extra Effort: Throw off Nullify. Event Horizon activates; everyone, you have a -5 to Perception checks, and your movement speeds are reduced by 2 ranks.

Yellow Flash Livewire

Free Action: Switch to Electrostorm. Everyone, your movement speeds are reduced by 2 ranks.

Standard Action: Use the second part of Electrostorm on the Cell wall, Breaching it.

Move Action: Escape from the movable cell, to 019.

Bug Woman

Move Action: Shift to S29.

Standard Action: Use Scything Claws on Roy, All-Out attacking for 3. [roll1] Crit on 30+ On a hit, Damage DC 25+Multiattack, Toughness DC 20+Multiattack vs. Weaken Toughness. Miss

Turns until Lambda Cell Arrives: 3.

All PCs are up!

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica grinned as Connor repaired the breach. Livewire was out though, and Gauntlet might have been far enough out to be teleported...maybe. Maybe not. Maybe not without losing a leg, come to think. Regardless, no sense letting them try. "Serhe, can you hit Livewire?" she called over.

She wasn't entirely sure what was up with the sudden - and suddenly ended - gravity swell, but she had more important things to worry about at the moment.

She wasn't letting these Villains get away. Not Gauntlet and Greaves, not the people who came to rescue them. Not if she could help it.

"Yeah. You're done!" Erica shouted an agreement with the bug woman, and sparkles flowed down her body. Where they passed, flowing cloth was replaced by hardened steel, as Erica armored up.

She swung her whip at the Bug Woman again, the deep blue, white flecked crystal on her belt glowing brightly, resonating with the crystals in her brother's armor. The cold whip would detach on a hit, trying to wrap around her like a living thing, while Erica brought it around in a full loop to extend a new cord of green light to snap at the cell, launching it hard at Livewire, Gauntlet-first, basically aiming to smack the speedy Elementalist with Gauntlet on the pass, before pulling it back the way it came (aiming to smack them together again) and slam it back into its previous position even as she extended a second whip of cold energy to connect to the first and reinforce its attack.

Move: Engage Armor Mode!

Standard: Flux Dancer, targeting the cell with the Move Object and the Bug Woman with the damage and Affliction. All Out Attack for 4 (for real this time!). Critting on 19+. If Roy attacks the Bug Woman with a Toughness-resisted Damage or a Defense-resisted Affliction, this attack will be a Team Attack with him. The base effect would be Toughness DC 23 vs. Damage, Prowess DC 18 vs. Vulnerable/Defenseless. If a Team Attack, both effects gain Multiattack, and the Affliction also imposes Physically Dazed/Stunned. Meanwhile, using the Move Object to trigger cell movement to launch it Gauntlet-first at Livewire. Both take Toughness DC 23 vs. Damage on a hit, and since I'm moving the cell Gauntlet's stuck in I don't think she gets any check to resist. Since this is violently moving the cell, Greaves may be subject to damage at GM discretion.
Attack Bug Lady: [roll0]. (+5 for purposes of contributing to a Team Attack) Pretty sure that hits with +2 Multiattack (if applicable), or provides +5 as a Team Attack if applicable
Attack Livewire (Gauntlet also damaged if this hits): [roll1] 26 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=22971909&postcount=456). Should be a hit

Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: DO IT AGAIN!
Bug Lady: [roll2]. Pretty sure that hits
Livewire: [roll3]. Fairly sure that hits

Current Status: 1 Bruise (Incurable), -4 Defense this turn, Fatigued, Exhausted as of next turn.

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy just barely is too slow to avoid the Bug Woman's attack. Luckily for him, he manages to take the blow on a part of his armor where several plates intersect. He feels a deep pressure on his shoulder as the woman's claws impact--yet the sharp implements fail to pierce through to his skin.

"Nice try, Weaver pet," he says as he shifts Iridium Medley once more. "I've felt worse coming from my mists-damned teacher; why do you think I'd be scared of you?"

Still, his heart isn't in the banter. The electricity saturating the air is keeping him pinned. He can't get to the edge of the wall if he wanted to. "Connor, Serhe, we've got Lady Many-eyes," he says as he times his pistols' blasts with his sister's crackling energy whips. He focuses on entrapping the insectoid woman in a solid cage of glue, if he can't knock her unconscious before.

Swap to Violane Verse. This is the last round of Roy's Power Stunt, tho the only difference is after this round the Half-Immunity will be toward Elementalist.

Move action: Attempt to Demoralize Bug Woman, -5 for Move action: [roll0]

Standard action: Team Attack with Erica with Violane Verse, AoA/PA for 5. [roll1] Re-rolled for 23 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=22973201&postcount=458)vs DC 28+Multiattack Damage, DC 23+Multiattack Defense vs Dazed/Stunned (Physical actions only) and vs being trapped in a Create of glue.

Free action: Homing comes back around for Livewire: [roll2] Def missed vs DC 30 Toughness Damage

End of Round: Fortitude to throw off Visually Impaired: [roll3] Well, at least I got that off

Status: Fatigued, -5 Defenses
HP: 1
Luck: 1/4

[Arcran]

Got it! Serhe shouts, blinking rapidly as he tries to adjust to the light that had just returned. He'd panicked when he felt one person slip out of his grasp but, somehow, the grey-robed man had managed to remove himself from the fight. Sometimes luck was on his side, apparently.

In any case, Serhe tries to charge forward, only to find that the storm was making movement difficult. With a grunt Serhe focuses as much of his Enhancement on his legs as he can spare, before sprinting forward and unnatural speeds, quickly getting within line of sight of Livewire and, after his eyes briefly flash red, attempts to shut off her powers.

Power Stunt on Enhanced Body to get enough Speed to get within LoS of Livewire! Just replacing my Enhanced Strength 4 (Combat Only) should be enough.

Nature's Bane! AoA and PA at max.
AC: [roll0] 25
Nullify: [roll1]

[Zelphas]

Erica's whips and Roy's pellets tear long lines of fabric from the Bug Woman's bizarre costume, revealing thin strips of bone-white skin beneath; the skin is only glimpsed for a moment, however, as the remaining parts of the suit writhe and seem to grow to fill in the gaps caused by the attacks. Livewire twists and blurs rapidly as the movable cell bears down on her, somehow managing to dodge Roy's ricocheting bullet and only get clipped by the movable cell without really moving from her place. "Clever maneuver," she admits in her oddly blurred voice, "But not fast eno--"

Gauntlet's flailing head connects with something in the blurred form of Livewire with an amusing *clunk*, and the blurriness of the villain becomes much more erratic as the cell crashes back into place against the wall, carrying the dazed Gauntlet with it. The blurry form turns back towards the Stonesmith twins--and resolves quite suddenly into a tall, athletic-looking blond woman with familiar-looking red-gold eyes and long, flowing blond hair, currently holding one side of her head and wincing. The howling wind around the wall dies as she stumbles for a moment, seemingly surprised by her sudden slowness. "Oh--"

Galgameth rushes forward with a stentorian roar and rips apart the stomach of Livewire's lighning-patterned yellow-and-gold suit, eliciting a clenched gasp of pain from the Elementalist villain. Livewire sinks to her knees, her head bowed.

Connor, perhaps emulating the pro hero, leaps forward and slams one rock-laden fist into the Bug Woman's stomach; he gets a screech of anger for his efforts rather than a gasp of pain, however. "I will burn you all for this, you little--" She hisses.

"What... are you doing?" Livewire calls up from below the wall, teeth clenched from pain as she pushes her hands into the gashes in her stomach. "The deal is... Take her... go."

The Bug Woman grits her teeth under her insectoid mask, glaring around at her enemies with hate in her dull red-brown eyes. "Pray we don't meet again," She hisses, then leaps from the wall, her translucent wings snapping out to stabilize her as she drops.

"Brother! No--" Gauntlet begins to cry before the Bug Woman is upon her. She scoops Gauntlet up in her arms, carrying the much larger woman awkwardly, but easily, and takes off again, flying over the wall once more and quickly dwindling from sight.

On the ground, Livewire sighs slowly before toppling onto her side, her arms and legs going limp as she finally succumbs to the terrible wound inflicted by Galgameth and passes out.

Map.

Bug Woman

Move Action: Shift to Gauntlet.

Standard Action: Pick up Gauntlet.

Move-by Action: Fly out over the wall and out of sight (several miles away).

Turns until Lambda Cell arrives: 2.

All PCs are up!

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica scowled as the Bug Woman flew off with Gauntlet. You know, even so, it was kinda hard to be disappointed with the results of the situation. They still had one of the prisoners, so whatever information they had that Crow (or whoever; she went with Crow as a default until proven otherwise) didn't want to fall into Heroic hands (she took it as a given that they had intel, maybe not that they were able to speak of, but that was by far the most reasonable explanation for Crow to have to expend this sort of effort and resources to recover them). That the prisoner they kept was the smarter of the two was icing.

And on top of that, they had gotten two of the attempted rescuers (actually three! But she didn't know about Grey Robe having knocked himself out). Their dialog pegged them as mercenaries, so their information was likely limited, but still. They were additional sources, and frankly Erica kinda doubted Gauntlet and Greaves had been part of any inner circle themselves, so the mercs might be just as valuable as them (and one of them was another mental paragon, who might know more than he was supposed to know). In any event, in terms of "bad guys in custody and information sources available" this whole thing had been a net gain. So, actually a pretty good job, for a group of students backing up a lone Hero.

...But this was Erica Stonesmith. And if she had learned anything so far in her short time at Hope Academy, it's that you do not settle for a "pretty good job" when you can strive for Ultimate Victory.

Unless one of her teammates had a more immediate way to go after them, Erica pulled a couple of the basic energy crystals out of her powered armor, and set to immediate work enchanting them. She was tired, had already spent a lot of energy, but the enchantment was pretty simple and she concentrated on it intently. "Roy can- enhance with- I'll enchant it to- if we can work it-" she spoke rapidly with her brother in partial sentences, about a third of the conversation happening verbally, a third telepathically, and the other third just not even needing to be said because that was how they rolled!

Unless anyone has better ideas, enchanting a Tracking Infravision device. With rushing, Artifice Quickness, and Routine checks, this'll take ten minutes, five with a Team Check from Roy for another instance of rushing.

[Arcran]

Serhe turns off his Elementalist nullifying powers as he sees the Bug Woman trying to fly away, rapidly switching to Enhancer powers, only for her to vanish from sight far more quickly than he could hope to lock on. Technically, they'd won, but the last member of the group escaping left a rather sour taste in Serhe's mouth.

As Erica states her plan aloud, Serhe just nods. Got it! I'll try to wrap things up here! Serhe says, still moving at a rapid rate due to his Enhanced legs, darting over towards one of the unconscious guards and looking for any sort of restraints. If he finds any, he attempts to restrain Livewire with her arms behind her back, and repeats the process for as many of the unconscious villains as possible, before moving them together so they are in one central area and easily watchable.

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy's already moving to support Erica's efforts. He has several Flux crystals out, but his main contribution is modulating the flow of their energies into the proper forms. "If we just- only need a few- this one's ready, gimme the other-"

Roy only spares one or two glances at where the bug woman had disappeared toward. Part of him wants to force his visor's Flux crystals into the configuration they need, then track down the bug woman immediately. But he knows that this is the smarter play. Gotta wait for backup. And besides, they've got half of the mercs, and one of the two prisoners still around! Not too shabby!

Routined Team Check to provide +5 for Erica.

[Zelphas]

Serhe is able to find several pairs of handcuffs among the unconscious guards, and sets about restraining the fallen villains while the Stonesmiths work on their device. As he moves to restrain Livewire, he finds her breathing easily, the long claw marks on her stomach almost closed. A sudden, light weight on one side of his head causes Serhe to twitch to one side, and a black feather flutters out of his hair, vanishing into wisps of Void before it touches the ground.

On the ground, Galgameth paces restlessly, growling and flexing his bloodied claws, his eyes everywhere at once.

--

A little more than ten seconds later, Lambda Cell arrived.

Eva Novak (Hero name Triage), the leader of Lambda Cell and an unparalleled healer, set about removing your wounds, while Siegfried Zhu (Hero name Red Baron), a straightforward physical paragon, began manhandling the badly-damaged movable cell back into some semblance of order and moving all of the villains into place. The other two, an odd mixture of woman and large, needle-beaked bird made seemingly out of light who went by the hero name Brightwing and a turtle-like being calling himself Kappa met with Galgameth, exchanging information in a series of growls, chirps, and barks that they all seemed to understand.

There was a slight bit of excitement a little less than a minute after Lambda Cell arrived, when the world suddenly grew dark and heavy again and the wind began to howl... and then Galgameth leaped straight over the wall. There was a loud thud, and a growl. The light returned, and the wind died. Again.

Eventually, Lambda Cell and Galgameth reached some sort of decision and split up. Eva Novak climbed on Galgameth's back, and the two of them leaped further into the city, towards the sporadic screams of the Wendigo farther within hope. As soon as the Stonesmiths finished their device, it was plucked from their hands by Brightwing, the bird-woman giving a chirrup of thanks before checking it once and shooting off straight as an arrow in the direction the Bug Woman left, Kappa running after her at an incredible speed. Siegfried finished piling the villains together and checking their restraints, then turned to the group of you.

---

"Well done, kids," the Red Baron booms. He seems to have only one sound setting: loud. "Thanks to you, their diversion didn't last long, and we were able to start fighting the big bad guys right away. Could you run over what happened here for me?"

This is the end of this story arc; we'll be doing wrap-up scenes and a slight interlude here. Everyone take One Hero Point for beating the bad guys, as well as 5 PP plus 2 PP! You can spend the 2 PP however you like, but...

The 5 PP is special: it goes towards your first Super Suit! What this means is that you can spend the 5 PP however you like, but every power you buy with it has to have Removable 1 or Removable 2 attached to it.

Now, you may be asking why I'm giving you Hero Points if it's the end of the adventure. I'm going to steal this idea blatantly from Quellian, so here goes: you can use your remaining Hero Points for an Inspiration or Edit Scene, basically to make something small of your choosing happen in the world.

I'm still toying with the idea of Downtime Actions and other things for you guys to do in between adventures; for now, there's none of that, but there may be some in the future!

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica...hadn't been paying too much attention to her surroundings while she was at work on enchanting. She was actually a little startled when Brightwing snagged the heat-tracker.

"Best I can figure these guys were mercenaries hired by...well, someone. Evidence points to that Crow guy, since he was apparently the one who hired Gauntlet and Greaves originally. I assume the, uh, Wendigo? Was also either hired or lured out by some sort of ploy." She kinda looked to Roy as she said that. He was a bit more read-up on the various big-names in the area.

"Goal was evidently to rescue them, presumably to keep them from talking about whatever the runes they have are keeping them from talking about. Good news is, Greaves seems to be the smarter of the two, and he's the one we still have in custody. So most likely he'll be able to say more anyway. 'Course if Brightwing retrieves Gauntlet it's a moot point. The mercenaries did seem sufficiently dedicated to the cause that they deemed retrieval of their targets more important than their own escape, so most likely they don't have equivalent information, but they might have some. A Supernaturalist should be on hand when they're questioned, in case of similar binding runes." Again, Erica felt kinda weird giving a tactical assessment to an experienced Hero, and again deemed making an assumption that he knew all of it to carry a greater potential consequence than just saying it.

"Um. That guy there is a mental Paragon. I think the other three guards were just under some sort of influence. The others were Elementalists I believe, although at least the bug lady seemed to rely more on an Enhancement-based super-suit. They seemed to be mainly trying to hold us off long enough to make an extraction. The um...the cell seemed pretty vulnerable to attack, actually. Someone might want to look into reinforcing those..."

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy nods along to Erica's assessment of the situation. "Considering the Wendigo's choice of target, it's a logical assumption that the Dimovs may have been contacted by the Crow and its associates," he says, elaborating a bit based on what he knows. "Considering Lassitude's original disappearance was on Mensae, and the Crow's rumored connection to the same island, it's not unreasonable to think Lassitude might know sommat of them. The but woman seems to have come from Veld's Weavers--it seems this is a multinational mercenary group. It would be nice to find out how Lassitude infiltrated the guards for this transfer, and make sure that there are no lasting effects to the guards who had been controlled, as well."

[Zelphas]

"Standard issue cells," the Red Baron answers in response to Erica's comment, shrugging. "They're strong on the outside against almost everyone, but the inside is vulnerable to Elementalist attacks--can't use the same runes, in order to store prisoners in there.

"Cells Alpha, Beta, and Epsilon are still trying to drive Wendigo away," he says, not unkindly. "bringing her out as a distraction to save these two doesn't make much sense. Thanks for the information, kids; we'll keep you up to date on what's going on with these guys. Now let me get you all back to your dorms." He gestures for you all to go ahead, shifting his body as though preparing to jump.

---

Your shadow day is cut short; Alpha's battle against Wendigo incapacitates Earshot and severely injures the Prestige, and immediately after the battle they are consumed by tracking the powerful Transformer. The entire ordeal is considered too dangerous for first-year students, despite your admirable showing against the other villains earlier that day.

It isn't until the following Monday that you find out the results of your tracking device. Triage, her face slightly apologetic, explains that the trail led in a nearly straight line out over Hope farmlands and finally over the wall, where it disappeared into the Mist. It seemed that the Bug Woman had employed a criminal technique known as Mist-skimming, a well-documented method of discouraging pursuit by diving into the Mist for short stretches and resurfacing elsewhere. Brightwing, with Kappa's help, had quickly canvassed the Wall for several miles in either direction, but had found no trace of the Bug Woman coming back to land. The prevailing theory was that the Bug Woman had rendezvoused with an airship somewhere out in the Mist near Hope, using that as her getaway vehicle. Lambda Cell began checking every scheduled flight to and from Hope at around that time, but they don't expect to find much at the moment.

---

ONE MONTH LATER

Roy and Erica

It's your first pseudo-break off of Hope Academy; a three-day weekend, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. So, naturally, you went home to visit your mother.

The lovely little house that you had bought a year or two after discovering your talent with flux crystals stood on a side street near the edge of Hope, in a nice enough neighborhood to be comfortable without being exorbitantly expensive. As you approach your front door, the sound of your mother's laughter reaches your ears. This is by no means unpleasant, but it is surprising; Marisa Stonesmith is a strong woman, but she has not laughed very often since you left the Magellans.

Entering your home, you find your mother at the dining room table, a cup of strong tea in her hands, smiling at an unfamiliar man seated across the table from her. "Erica! Roy! How was your first month at Hope? Is Rhadamanthys still terrorizing first years in general education?" she turns to you as you approach, still smiling. "Oh! I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting guests, but he dropped in rather suddenly today. This is Dr..." your mother trails off, a faintly confused look on her face.

"I told you, Mrs. Stonesmith, Will is perfectly acceptable," The man replies in a resonant baritone, rising to greet the two of you. The man is tall and well-built, carrying himself with a sense of poise and purpose that seems to fill the room. He is not conventionally handsome, but his innate presence and a certain grace to his movements evoke an odd air of... reverence, almost, or at least esteem, as though he were an artwork come to life. He takes each of your hands in turn, his fashionably-cut brown hair swaying slightly as he moved to the two of you. "Mr. Stonesmith, Miss Stonesmith, I am happy to have the chance to meet you both," he expresses, small wrinkles appearing at either side of his lightning blue eyes--the nearly-imperceptible blue of a semi-charged flux crystal--as he smiles. "It is an honor to make your acquaintance."

Erica, take a Hero Point for your Marisa Stonesmith Complication.

Roy, take a Hero Point for your Dr. Gravitas Complication.

Serhe

Thinking back, you should made sure that Tarro was still out on assignment before returning home.

Annihilus faces your across the empty training space in your family's household, smiling in what someone outside of your family might think was a friendly manner. "Just like old times, right Ser?" he calls out, standing confidently with his arms loose at his sides. "Though, now that you're a brave little Hero fighting villains all on your own, there's no need to hold back, right? Come on, then, I'll give you the first hit; let's see your Hero-level talents!" Tarro spreads his hands wide, waiting for you to make the first move.

Serhe, take a Hero Point for your Hidden Powers Complication.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica cast Roy a kinda surprised, but hopeful, looked as they approached the house and heard their mother's laughter. She...didn't recognize the man sitting opposite her, but...well, he appeared to have made her mother smile. So, you know, consider her positively disposed. She darted over to give her mom a big hug, kissing her temple before pressing her cheek against her's. "Hi Mom!" she said with a cheery brightness that was somewhat at odds with the stalwart demeanor she tended to adopt at school. At Hope, she walked with the confident poise of a Hero, spoke with the ringing calm of a burgeoning leader, and acted with the driven focus of a woman whose goals were coming into her reach. "It's been great!" she said with a sort of bursting-at-the-seams enthusiasm that promised extensive elaboration in the not-so-distant future.

At home she was a teenaged girl cheerily greeting her mother after probably the longest time they'd spent apart in her life.

It was several moments before she let go and turned her attention to...Dr. Will, evidently. She summoned up a bit more of the Prism Knight's poise, giving him a gentle smile and shaking his hand. "A pleasure to meet you," she said politely, though once he was shaking Roy's hand she did take the opportunity to cast her mother a little irreverently-smilish look with just a hint of a questioning brow raise.

Not, of course, that she didn't have other ways to gather information...

As per normal Arcane Resonance is up by default, so she'll be taking an Analytical peek at both Marisa's and "Will's" emotions. Insight to Evaluate: [roll0].

[Thokk_Smash]

From the moment they touch down, Roy has an odd feeling niggling the back of his mind. Perhaps it was begun when he hears his mother's laughter, but no--his mother's laughter is always a cause for celebration. Anything that can bring out her laughter is nothing but good. Roy takes his turn after Erica, giving their mother a giant bear hug, as if afraid she would poof into smoke if he let go. "Hey, mom," he says in a voice that is far more subdued than he sounds at school. Here, there is no need to put on a facade of mania; no need to test how others react to him. "Oh, he tries to terrorize us: we try to humor him."

He grins at his own joke, hoping to elicit at least a smile in return. He then turns to face their unexpected guest. There should have been no need for his maniacal facade; not in his own Mists-damned home. He keeps his irritation from his face with practiced ease and gives the man a firm handshake. "It is a pleasure indeed, sir," he says with just the right amount of respect of a teenager to a strange adult. He continues, endeavoring to keep the man's attention on him, "I'm sorry, but it feels like you have us at a disadvantage: you seem to know of us, yet we only know your first name. What brings you to our humble abode, Doctor...?

He trails off, his question both the obvious and a request for the man's full name. He addresses the man as "doctor" mostly to see how he'll react to being called it after telling their mother it was unnecessary. Mentally, to Erica, he thinks, ~"Who the heck is this guy?"~

Deception to Evaluate Will (likely to be redundant with Erica's, but perhaps more can be gleaned from Roy's direct interaction?): [roll0]

Oh, and Roy's Enhanced Visor has Infravision; would he be able to tell how long this guy's been here by the remnants of his heat signature from when he entered?

[Zelphas]

Erica and Roy

Behind the man, your mother rolls her eyes slightly at Erica's raised brow and gives a little shake of her head. Nothing of any strange sort going on here; just a friendly chat.

Will grimaces artfully as Roy asks for his last name. "Would you believe that I almost went to a Hero Academy so I could make up a pseudonym and never use my last name again?" he says, his grimace turning into a rueful, self-deprecating grin that somehow only serves to magnify his aura of esteem. "I'm afraid that my last name is 'Savage', though I attempt to embody its opposite in all that I do. Please, 'Will' is perfectly acceptable." He waits for the two of you to seat yourselves again at the table before sitting himself.

"Truth be told, I honestly did not expect to meet you both here today," he continues smoothly, looking at each of you in turn. "Given your current scholarly pursuits, it is a little difficult to contact the two of you at the moment, and I travel often enough over the course of my work that I haven't been in the Hope area for several months in any case. I found myself near your home and, not wishing to make a nuisance of myself, resolved to drop my card with Mrs. Stonesmith so that we could arrange a more convenient time for the three of us to meet. Mrs. Stonesmith was kind enough to invite me inside, and we got to talking before you arrived.

"I wanted to discuss with you your remarkable abilities in enchanting and enhancing flux crystal. No doubt you've had many people approach you on the matter before; I suppose I'm yet another interested citizen, although I do have a somewhat unique talent with the incredible material myself," he says modestly, sipping lightly at his tea. "My skills are not as directly, immediately beneficial to the people of Teocawki as yours are, but I believe that together we could do quite a bit of good. Of course, you are both just returning from a long moth of studies--and quite an eventful month, if the stories are to be believed--and I don't wish to intrude on your family gathering any more than I have. If you would be willing to permit me a few moments and a single flux crystal--one of your enchanted crystals, if you could, and I would be more than happy to pay for the stone itself--I can give a quick demonstration of what we could do together and then take my leave for now."

Your mother seems happy; she's had a pleasant conversation with a charming person. Her emotions don't seem to be manipulated any more than they would be by any sufficiently charismatic individual (an individual that's not a Social Paragon, that is).

Roy, you can't get a read off of Will. No tells, no tics, nothing. It's like trying to 'read' a painting.

Erica gets a little more information. Overlaying everything within Will is an ocean of reserve; not cols aloofness, but warm, formal respect. You get the sense that this is a man who approaches nearly everything in his life with a sense of genuine respect for what's around him, and a man who is very, very rarely caught off-guard or off-kilter emotionally. Running underneath that is an oddly heightened sense of... raw charisma, which seems to have been heightened by some means you can't quite fathom. It feels as though he has been pushed beyond his natural state by some internal means, but the artificial nature is all internal; whatever it is, it does not directly affect others, only indirectly influencing them by boosting Will's charisma and therefore his gestures and actions. It does not break through the ocean of reserve, but seems to be guided by it.

A few other emotions stand out as the man talks: a genuine spike of annoyance as he says his last name, which remains contained by the reserve but troubles it somewhat; and an odd fluctuation as he says he planned to simply leave his card, which you've come to realize is a sign of someone stretching the truth. If you had to guess, you'd say that he was planning to leave his card, but had considered having a chat with your mother as a viable option and readily accepted it when it appeared. A measure of focus and heightened emotion almost akin to eagerness appears as he asks for a flux stone; he wants an enchanted flux crystal far, far more than he is letting on.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Erica was...actually just slightly disappointed that he was actually here on business. Listen, do not get me wrong, nobody ever would or could replace her father and as far as her own purposes were concerned she had no desire for anyone to try. But, at the same time, it had been eight years and she wanted nothing more than for her mother to be happy. She would have neither blamed nor been upset with her if there had been something more to Will's presence in their home on this day.

To be fair, Dr. Savage was actually a kinda badass name. Although she'd grant, it was definitely the sort of name that you'd expect a Villain to have, so Erica could certainly understand why he wasn't all that fond of it.

And yet...weirdly enough, that sense of artificially heightened charm, which in the general course would normally have left people feeling more at ease, kinda raised Erica's hackles a bit. It was just an instinctive reaction, drilled into her bones by her experience with Nancy. She simply had a cognitive bias against people whose personal charisma was augmented by their powers.

But she was struck by just how eager he was to get one of their crystals. It was like, look, their Empowered Flux Crystals were cool, absolutely. And if they could figure out the technical specifics of how they made them, it would be huge. And sure, as word had spread, people had come to them to purchase their devices. But...that eagerness just seemed odd to her. She actually had to glance down at her own aura before she consciously realized just what struck her as so strange about the request.

"We sell them, sure," she said, just a bit hesitantly, although she didn't go into specifics because honestly the mercantile end of things was Roy's bailiwick. "But what do you want it to...do? I mean, the way it works is, I enchant the crystal to output something other than antigravity when charged, like heat or electricity or...ripples in space or metaphysical resonances, or whatever. And then my brother enhances certain parameters, like charge duration, or output speed, or intensity, or so on. It's not really a one-size-fits-all thing."

Now, Erica's just trying to get a better sense of what he's looking for. I, however, would certainly be interested to know if that description happens to prompt any particular further emotional responses. :smallamused:

[Thokk_Smash]

Roy holds his tea mug gently as he listens to the adult's pitch. It is impressive, to be sure. Well-rehearsed and thought out. Meant to appeal to their ideals and desires as Heroes-in-training.

And crafted tailor-made to him and his sister. The fact that he had planned to take advantage of their mother's good-nature to stay for a chat...well, fine, that's not so conspicuous. Their mom is a wonderful woman and person in general. Yet his desire to acquire one of their enchanted Flux stones, far deeper than he is letting on, is more than enough on its own to make Roy wary of the man.

"Well, we are flattered by your esteem," Roy says with a genial smile. "You are certainly the most civic-minded of those who have come to us requesting our wares. Too many people these days think of themselves far beyond the good of the people."

He pulls out a simple Enchanted Flux crystal--just one for shedding light--and begins to fiddle it around his gauntleted fingers. "Erica does have a point, though," he says, his voice conciliatory. "We can't simply give you one of our crystals--we use all of them ourselves, and don't really have any to spare. We could make a simple one for you on commission, but that brings me to another question: what is your unique talent? Again, we are a little in the dark, here, sir; it's hard to judge how to enchant the crystal when we don't know what you will use it for."

[Zelphas]

Will's smile gains a slightly self-deprecating tinge. "Please forgive me; an innate pitfall of my abilities, in the way that I am currently using them, is a certain flair for melodrama. My power is more easily shown than simply explained. In short, by touching solid or liquid matter, I can take the innate properties of said matter into myself and make them my own. Coupled with my medical training, I have been using my power in a sort of relief effort; I am able to modify my skills to rescue citizens from the aftermath of super-powered battles without causing further damage."

He spreads his hands modestly. "My unique talent already grants me a fair deal of versatility, but certain things are still beyond me: for example, I cannot touch light. With access to your enchanted flux crystals, my skills--and therefore my ability to help--would increase enormously." Will looks at Erica, a light of excited interest glowing in his lightning eyes. "To put it plainly, Miss Stonesmith, any and all of your enchantments and enhancements would be of incalculable worth to me in my endeavors. I do not plan this purchase to be a one-time happening; I would very much like to become one of your most regular repeat customers. I would be delighted if my first commission came as a surprise to me--something that I could not touch and take as my own normally, of course, but beyond that... whatever the two of you could imagine."

He looks over to Roy, his expression growing more serious. "If you would like me to back up my claims with action, Mister Stonesmith, I can do so with a simple touch; one touch would do little more than drain the crystal of its current charge, and I am willing to reimburse you for the manpower and time necessary to recharge it." He smiles again at the last statement, inviting it to be taken as a slight joke yet entirely serious about the offer. He does not reach for the flux stone, waiting for your response.

A lot happens in the moments between the two of you talking and Will's rueful smile. Your explanation of what your can due to flux crystal only sharpens the interest, deepening it into something almost like hunger. Roy's comment about creating something on commission creates a burst of impatience, which is quickly flooded over and quelled by the sea of reserve before it can be more than subconscious thought. Within a moment or two, the reserve also dilutes the eager hunger, as some cerebral action more diffuse than base emotion comes through and overlays everything again as well. He seems to be working against his own strong desire for an enchanted flux crystal, counseling himself in patience with an eye towards something more long-term than the immediate gratification.

His explanation of his powers carries the ring of truth, as does his explanation of their use. He has used his powers to help others before, and he plans to do so again.

That odd fluctuation appears again, this time much subtler than before. Will has done more with his powers than simply save people from collapsed buildings, and in the fluctuation you taste the barest traces of ambition... and possibly pride.