[Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

[DreadPirateH]

Hikari
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5

Spoiler: Labels

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• Freak: +1
• Danger: +2
• Savior: +0
• Superior: +1
• Mundane: -1

Spoiler: Moves

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• [X] Devil or Angel on My Shoulder: When you provoke a teammate to violent action or drastic measures as your Hero Persona, roll with your Alias Label. When you discourage a teammate from going overboard or making an action they can’t take back as your Alias Persona, roll + your Hero Label.
• [X]Save the Light: When you step in to intervene, help a civilian, or stop a threat roll + your Hero label. On a miss, you’re made to look the fool. Mark a Condition and give ground. On a hit, you’ve got someone’s attention. Use it as an opportunity or provoke them to action. On a 10+ your foe must respond in kind or flee.

Hikari kneels down next to the woman. Taking one look at the injuries and the pool of blood, it's clear that it's too late.

Her face like a stone mask, she stands and turns to her teammate. "There's nothing I can do for her. Try to make her comfortable. I'll phone it in."

Standing a few steps away, she pulls out her phone and dials 911. The conversation is muffled as Hikari takes care of business, the panels shifting to focus on Tsunami.

[Mr. E]

Moonshadow
Conditions: Angry, Insecure
Potential: 2/5

'Aw man...'

Cindy has just enough time to regret her life choices before something gold and purple whips past the side of her vision and she rolls sideways, one foot sliding off the windowsill. For a terrible moment, Moonshadow thinks this is, indeed, going to be like pole-vaulting all over again, complete with an untimely and precipitous descent in the wrong direction, before, with a mighty effort, she pulls herself back from the brink and merely face-plants onto the floor.

There is a meaty crunch as the panel cuts to Cindy impacting the wooden boards. Prone on the ground, a nasty metallic smell fills her nostrils, although, to be fair, that's probably just the blood trickling from her nose, and tomorrow she knows she'll have a nasty set of purple bruises ringing her ribs. On the other hand, remaining where she is likely to lead to even worse injuries, so Moonshadow keeps rolling, rotating onto her front as another blast sears the wood next to her. Swinging her arm back, she glares at the Bruja for a second, gritting her teeth.

"Well, hello to you too."*

Swinging her arm forward, Cindy lets the Nifo Oti fly, hurling it towards her opponents head in what is, admittedly, something of a desperate gesture. The panel cuts to her knife, rotating end over end as it flies, while Cindy scrambles upright, hoping she's bought herself enough time.

*A comeback which, in a tragic turn of events, does not sound remotely as badass as it did in her head.

Spoiler: OOC

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Just to be clear, Moonshadow has marked two conditions as a result of her powerful blow. Alright, I think this calls for a little bit of the fine and noble art of fisticuffs. Rolling to directly engage with Cindy's suck it domitian (I presume this counts as dramatic enough to trigger that?) move: (2d6+2)[8]

Hey, another non-miss! Cindy's mostly seeking to avoid taking harm, so she'll choose to avoid/resist the Bruja's blows.

[The_Specialist]

Tsunami
Conditions: None
Potential: 1/5

Spoiler: Labels

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• Freak: +0
• Danger: +0
• Savior: +1
• Superior: +2
• Mundane: +0

Spoiler: Moves

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• [X] Been Reading the Files: You’ve learned about the superhuman world through your mentor’s resources. When you first encounter an important superpowered phenomenon (your call), roll + Superior. On a hit, tell the team one important detail you’ve learned from your studies. The GM will tell you what, if anything, seems different from what you remember. On a 10+, ask the GM a follow-up question; they will answer it honestly. On a miss, the situation is well outside your base of knowledge; the GM will tell you why.
• [X]Be Mindful of Your Surroundings: When you assess the situation before entering into a fight, you may ask one additional question, even on a miss.
• [X]Venting Frustration: When you directly engage while you are Angry, you can roll + the label your mentor denies (Mundane) and clear Angry.

Max is internally relieved when the pair drop their weapons without further encouragement, though he doesn’t allow himself to relax. He offers a nod of vague approval as the girls move to sit down, though his gaze his still rather intense and alert, hardly forgiving. “Stay there,” He instructs calmly though firmly, his tone brokering no argument without being needlessly hostile. Never truly taking his attention off of them, Tsunami moves carefully to take in the scene more fully as he approaches the discarded weapons.

A heavy boot kicks the swords and sends them noisily clattering across the ground and to the far end of the room, creating even more distance between them and where the girls have now moved to sit. As the panel shifts to follow the path of the swords, a duplicate frame depicts them having come to rest, revealing a hint of blood peeking in from the corner of the panel. Tsunami sees it as well, his eyes narrowing as the pair of goons mention that it ‘won’t matter’ for ‘much longer’.

Sh*t.

Picking up the swords awkwardly, Max hastily follows the trail with all three weapons, though dumps the two blades outside once the trail leads him there. Hopefully the two inside don’t get any ideas, that way.

Breaking into a steam-spurred sprint, Tsunami allows himself to feel just a modicum of relief upon seeing the familiar motorcycle approaching from the opposite direction as he nears the end of the blood trail. Skidding to a halt, he leaves a literal cloud fading behind him. His brows knit together, hazel eyes glinting with concern in the dim light of the alley; it doesn’t look good.

So much blood...

Hikari’s words cause him to jolt slightly with a rude awakening to reality, and he looks to her, his gaze growing focused and sharp again as the panels shift to him. An uncomfortable mix of emotions swirl within, including a touch of panic and a smattering of incredulous anger.

“What? There has to be something!” Tsunami almost demands, in the clear tone of someone unwilling to look the truth of the matter in the face. He only stares after Hikari for a brief moment however as his teammate turns away to pull out her phone. Instead, Tsunami drops down, and instinctively moves the fallen girl's head into his lap, instead of a pile of trash, not daring move her more than that. His eyes dart over the girl’s body frantically seeking out the source of the pool beneath her; the red has stained so much of her kimono it’s difficult to gauge at first glance. Quickly though, his gloved hands close over the largest slice, desperately trying to hold the wound closed, stem the tide that has certainly already passed. Apply pressure. Try to keep her conscious.

“Hey... it’s alright, take it easy. We got you now. What’s your name? My name’s Max.” He begins, his tone softer than normal, purposefully gentled to the point that he likely sounds unfamiliar to any of his comrades. Almost immediately he feels a pang of guilt, realizing how labored her breathing already is. He doesn’t even know if she is still conscious, but he probably shouldn’t be making her use whatever strength she has left to talk. So he keeps up the talking instead. “Emergency services should be here soon, okay? Miss? Stay with me...” He doesn’t realize he’s pleading.

[Razade]

Razade, The GM
Pool: 1

Ronin, Biolater: Suburbia

The Biolater seems to consider before giving a shrug. "Alright, have it your way." The villain rummages through his lab coat once more, pulling out another syringe of the same black bubbling liquid before injecting it into the wall. It halts its growth, wiggling and spasming before flowing up the Biolater's arm and into his flesh. The Biolater screams in pain of course but it's mometary as the asphalt, tar and concrete form thick plates over his skin. Rips show in his costume as his left arm becomes a massive black and green blade, an eye forming at its hilt before it focuses on Ronin.

"Behold, a fusion that would surpass even the great Tough! Your doom is upon you, Ronin." Liquid protoplasm leaks from the slots of The Biolater's gas mask as he readies the very large blade growing out of what used to be his arm. More vials litter the floor about him, having fallen as his clothing went to tatters.

Hikari, Tsunami: Alleyway

The panels split for Hikari and Tsunami as one moves to make her call. Understandably in a city like San Fran the wait is not condusive to such pressing matters though even someone without the medical training, self taught though it may be, knows that nothing or no one could get there in time to change the course of events.

That doesn't stop Tsunami in his panels from doing what he can, succor still worth something.

The movement has an effect as the panels snap back to bring both into focus once more with the young woman as she lets out a gasping, gurgling breath. She flails for a moment but the strength in her is gone. Her eyes focus and unfocus as she casts about, Tsunami's name seeming to get her wavering attention.

"M..a.."

She croaks, a hand moving feebly for her kimono. "Ta...ke. Run, run far." Her eyes flutter and close, what little strength remains invested in pulling out what appears to be a CD or at least something approaching that shape and size. Whatever it is, a powerful magical energy pours from it, powerful enough for the both of you to feel it even though you couldn't feel it before. Her other hand moves, slow and with great trembling effort as wet fingers slide along Tsunami's cheek as if seeking to grasp hold of something solid, something warm.

"The Wave." The words gasp from her lips in short, labored breathes. Each word is a struggle as her eyes open once more. Glazed as they are, they look into Max's own clear hazel eyes, terror etched in her own bloodshot violets. Her lips crack, her voice catches with dread thick in her throat. "It rises." Silence hangs on the words thereafter, only the both of your breathing seeming to make a sound in that narrow space. Both arms fall back to the heap she found her last moments on, leaving four bloody lines along Tsunami's face.

Moonshadow, a Bruja: Store front, second level

"Oh come on! Who throws their weapon!" Bruja whines as she readies a defensive spell only for it to shatter as your blade passes through and slices a nice series of jagged cuts along her cheek. "This was supposed to be an easy job! Why do you people always get in the way!" The shattered spell almost hums in the air as Bruja tries to keep her distance though the room probably won't allow for that for long. This room was, before the swarm of exploding bats that shape themselves from the spell and hurtle about you (each narrowing missing) someone's bedroom.

It's not uncommon in San Fransapporo for people to live above their shops, especially in the River District and the poorer areas of the city. Zoning laws being what they are, packing people in so more land can be used for beautification efforts or just generally keeping it usable for the populace has long been key to a vast number of politicians appealing to the more eco-friendly crowd. The room probably isn't going to be used for much in the near future as your fight's left it a disaster. "I'm not being paid enough for this, here."

With a motion, the witch reaches into her kimono sleeves and produces what is very obviously a grenade. With a toss, the witch dashes for the door as smoke starts to issue out from the canister as it hits the ground.

[Hans Free]

The Lion
Conditions: 3, Hopeless (-2 on unleash), Guilty (-2 to provoke or assess), Insecure (-2 to reject)
Potential: 2/5

Spoiler: Labels

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• Freak: +1
• Danger: -1
• Savior: +1
• Superior: +0
• Mundane: +2

Spoiler: Moves

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• [X]Words of the past: When you seek the guidance of one of your elders or a member of your legacy, tell them a problem you face, and ask them a question about the problem. They will answer it honestly, and tell you what to do. Take +1 ongoing if you listen. If you go your own way, mark potential.
• [X]Never give up, never surrender: When you take a powerful blow from someone with far greater power than you, use this move instead of the basic move. Roll + Savior. On a hit, you stand strong and choose one. On a 7-9, mark a condition.

We cut to a ONE PAGER of Mosi, as he stares up at the sky, lain flat on his back. He listens to Coyote Knight's words.

“...You’re not heroes, you or your laser light show friend wherever they are. You’re just kids playing pretend, even you, your highness. Doesn’t matter though. We came here knowing what was on the line. If we go down, you’re coming with us. Take the shot, make’em pay.”

We get a POV of his tunneled vision, as a shot of energy flies high overhead.

Your Highness? It still stings to hear someone other than Brother-- Bengani say that. And the same way he said it too. No one else ever called me that in Imam. I was always just Liddle Mosi to everyone. Not 'The Lion', and certainly not 'your Highness'. How'd I let myself end up getting saddled with this stupid gig? Rhetorical question. I got drafted in...

She's right though, isn't she? I'm not like the others. I'm not really a hero at all.

A series of SEPIA panels; Mosi's POV of a shooting star flying in a starry African sky. Mosi (14), in the same position he's in now, but his eyeglass cracked, teeth gritted, blood dripping down his mouth. His mother and sister SCREAMING in the background. This isn't his first rodeo either.

Back to FULL COLOR. Now. Close Up on Mosi's eyes in the Lion helm. They aren't the yellow-gold of the Lion anymore, but the pale blue of Liddle Mosi. He tears up.

Then, from a nearby alleyway, Lanuola runs out and poses, shouting.

"W-We're not going anywhere! You're going to have to pay f-for what you've done today!"

Sunburst! You have no idea how happy I am to see you! Mosi smiles vacantly. Then he sees it. His face twists in horror. Oh, no. No, no, no...

We get two quick panels of the Lion's IMAGINATION in inky BLACK silhouettes, bathed in solid RED. Juxtaposed. Coyote Knight snaps Lanuola's neck; Brother Beast snaps his sister's.

Mosi yanks himself up off the ground -- half-standing, his side bleeding. A glancing blow. If she had hit a normal person with her blade, she'd probably have run them straight through. Maybe he's not a hero, but he can still keep Coyote Knight from hurting anyone else. From hurting his teammate.

He points at Coyote Knight and shifts into classic I-can-do-this-all-day fighting stance; his hands clawed, eyes GOLD. His pose is more practiced than Lanuola's, less than Hikari's.

"You're right, Coyote. I am just a kid in a costume. But I'm the Lion now. So I don't get to back down either, because this pretend is my job! And I don't punch out until I punch YOU out!"

The Lion drops low, like he's stumbled--

But he VANISHES!

A beautiful two page SPLASH of a lone Mosi, sprinting into the lion's den with legendary speed! MOTION LINES are left behind as he muscles past the henchmen before they can reorient themselves from his last attack. Before his teammates are ready. He BOUNCES up over the apple cart, his right claw on a collision course with Coyote Knight's head.

Spoiler: Crunch

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Rolled to reject influence. Got a 4. Ouch. Coyote's words hit Mosi hard, I marked Guilty and Insecure. Rolled to directly engage. 2! Hahahaha, double ouch!

My intention here is for Mosi to act in a foolhardy manner, rushing in alone without talking to my team, to clear my insecurity and set him up to take a powerful blow, potentially making a sacrifice to assuage my guilt (both at the end of the scene, obviously). If that is okay.

[Catastrophic_B]

Ground Zero
Conditions: none
Potential: 2/5

Spoiler: Labels

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Freak: +1
Danger: +2
Savior: 0
Superior: +1
Mundane:-1

Spoiler: Moves

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In a China Shop: When you directly engage a threat, you can cause significant collateral damage to your environment to choose an additional option, even on a miss.
Physics? What physics: When you unleash your powers to barrel through an insurmountable barrier, roll + Danger instead of + Freak.
-Defender: When you leap to defend your love or rival in battle, roll + Danger instead of + Savior to defend them.

Equal parts not wanting to risk the hostages' safety in the case of another shot, and wanting to get back in the fight to take a crack at whoever ruined his jacket, leads GZ to put the boat down at the nearest pier. Before any of the goons on board can think to try anything, he moves to the back of the boat, and with the ear-grating shriek, the boat's motor is broken off and left to sink into the river.

He then turns to those assembled on the boat, standing up straight, arm's crossed in front of his chest, and hovering just an inch above the boat. However, his attempt at looking impressive is undercut by the fact he's still catching his breath from catching the boat, and he has a massive hole in his shirt and jacket that shows off the burnt skin beneath. Among the people there he can see three wearing the same kimonos as the rest of the gang, and he directs his words towards them. "Your boss just showed that she don't give two ****s about what happens to you lot. Do what you want with that."

With that said, he takes off flying back towards where the action is. He has a vague idea where the beam that shot him came from, and he had heard over the comms that Moonshadow was going after them. The sound of Moonshadow swearing, saying hi to someone, followed by something that sounded a lot like the lazer that shot him, reaches him through his earpiece. He pushes himself as fast as he can go as the thought of what that beam could do to someone without his abilities crosses his mind.

He's just come into view of the building the beam came from, as thick smoke begins to pout out of the window. "No no no no no," he whispers under his breath as he closes the distance. He comes to a stop just outside of the smoke cloud, floating just outside the window, not sure what's going on inside or what he should do. "Moonshadow! What the hell's going on in there? You kicked their ass yet?" he asks over the comms, ready to charge in at a moment's notice should she need it.

Spoiler: OOC

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Rolled +Superior to try Provoke them into turning against their boss. Rolled a 6, marking potential.

[Mr. E]

Moonshadow
Conditions: Angry, Insecure
Potential: 2/5

Cindy grins as her knife rips through the Bruja's half-formed defensive spell, showing her teeth like a shark scenting blood. She steps left, hands instinctively coming up into a boxing stance, working her way around to wall where her Nifo Oti is embedded, the handle protruding from the center of a boy-band poster on the wall*, then squawks and ducks as a swarm of bats hurtle towards her head. Crouching down, Moonshadow reaches back with one hand to grab her knife, while the other protects her head from the spectral creatures.

And then, just as she retrieves her weapon and stands ready to attack, the Bruja tosses a smoke grenade down and flees. The panels cut to a close-up of the smoking cylinder, before Cindy charges forward, tucking her blade into her belt as she crashes through the room, stumbling as one foot comes down on a discarded t-shirt, before regaining her balance as she bounces off the doorframe and throws herself headlong at the witch disappearing down the stairs.

'...wait, there's stairs?'

*No doubt the previous tweenie occupant of this room will be disappointed by the callous destruction of her autographed poster of Jennifer Sung and the Redcoats, even if it is reflective of critical consensus on the quality of their musical oevure.

Spoiler: OOC

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In the continuing story of Cindy regrets her life choices, we have another move which is more than likely to end with some very impressive bruises the morning after. I think this another directly engage, but I don't think that suck it domitian applies here: (2d6-1)[6]

Heh. Classic. Oh well, better hope I'm wrong about that, then...

Also, Cindy has heard GZ, she's just been a bit busy to respond. Got to add some extra drama to the mix, anyway...

[Comissar]

Sunburst
Conditions: Guilty, Hopeless
Potential: 1/5

Spoiler: Labels

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• Danger: +1
• Freak: +2
• Savior: +0
• Superior: +0
• Mundane: +0

Spoiler: Burn and Flares

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Held Burn

0

Shielding

You call up a fast protective field to stop a danger. Spend 1 burn to defend someone else from an immediate threat, rolling +Freak instead of +Saviour.

Moat

Spend 1 burn to create a barrier that will hold back threats as long as you keep your attention on it. The GM may call for you to spend another burn if the barrier is threatened by particularly powerful enemies.

Reality Storm

You channel a destructive burst with your powers. Spend 1 burn to directly engage a threat using your powers, rolling +Freak instead of +Danger. If you do, you will cause unwanted collateral damage unless you spend another burn.

Snatch

Spend 1 burn to use your powers to seize any one object up to the size of a person from someone within view.

Sunburst glances to Lion as he pushes himself to his feet, feeling a measure of relief as he picks himself up and rushes forward, ready and willing to keep on fighting Coyote. There's a close up panel on Lanuola, a small smile playing across her face as she watches for just a moment. Then her eyes close and she's serious again, exhaling. Then a breath in and eyes open. A close up, her foot slides forward across the ground. Another close up, her fists tighten, one arm pulling back a little way. A third, her eyes have picked up their glow again.

"Kyaahh!"

Then a wide panel. Sunburst throws a punch in Coyote's direction. Her form is sloppy. The swing is horrendously telegraphed, her stance would be easy to break, and she has over extended with her punch. But her fist glows bright white, intricate patterns just barely visible around her knuckles, and a beam of blinding light erupts forth, blasting straight out and toward her target. Her punch was instinctual, no real thought behind it, and there's a lack of finesse to the beam. It's far wider than it ought to be, too unfocused to avoid hitting their surroundings. And it's clear it's taken a lot out of her, in the aftermath she looks winded, her hair a frazzled mess, her fist lightly smoking, and her breath coming in short, sharp pants. She looks up, trying to determine what the result of her attack was.

Spoiler: OoC

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Rolling direct engage using Reality Storm.

(2D6+2)[8]

Edit - Lanuola will be creating an opportunity for her allies.

[Razade]

Razade, The GM
Pool: 1


Sunburst, The Lion, The Coyote Knight: Riverside Square

"Oh give me a break. You sound like him too." Coyote stands ready as you charge, all the action panels closing in on her head. It doesn't last though. All the color fades from the Lion's powerful charge, the panels going black and white as a bight golden hue wraps about the Coyote Knight. All that speed drains from The Lion in an instant just like all that color. Just as quick as The Lion is over the apple cart, a kick plants to his face as fast as lightning with a hook to drive The Lion to the ground.

"We made our peace with this. All you heroes, all you know how to do is lecture! You won't get your hands dirty, to do what has to be done! I'm trying to sa-"

Sunburst breaks into the scene, shining and radiant in the black and white panels. The next page is a full panel splash as the beam of light erupts from her feeble punch. The page starts black and white on the left save for our heroine but as the beam travels across the page it brings light and color back to everyone. Even The Lion's color returns, his speed along with it. Of course the blast carries with it drawbacks all its own as Coyote is knocked into a nearby building.

A building already occupied with fighting.


Moonshadow, Smoke: On the Run

You hear it first, Moonshadow, as you try and get your footing in the cluttered room. The telltale sound of very bad things* approaching at speed. The sounds are followed soon after by Coyote hurtling into the room along with a powerful blast of energy that takes the smoke well and truly out of the equation. Also the roof. It's out of the equation too. Really the whole building is a wash as rafters and walls break and form a better cage than anyone could probably make on short notice with the tools available. Not only that, but the parts of the roof not burned to pieces fall in all the right ways to make a ramp down for you.

On the plus side, that cage has trapped not only the Coyote but her erstwhile compatriot Bruja in a bind. With nowhere to run, the former is slow to her feet while the latter readies another defensive spell though from the look of it...you've got the high ground and the upper hand.


*your sister
Ground Zero, Hostages:

A few of the hostages are off the boat like a shot well before you state your piece, scrambling and scratching to get onto dry land and far away from the conflict. The goons don't run however and one civilian remains. Dark skinned like polished oak, dazzling eyes like opal she would have been easy to miss as just another hostage. With a flick of her hands however the river below begins to churn before a series of powerful tendrils burst from the water to batter the flying hero.

"I think we'll stay and fight." Her tone is cool though fury burns in her eyes as more of the water forms a platform for her to step onto. "You heroes, thinking that you're the only ones willing to put your life on the line for something. How you're all so noble for the sacrifice. How people who don't agree with your morals just couldn't do the same. Like you're the only ones with a plan. We had it all worked out until you ruined everything! Then you simply turn your back on the people you thought to save! You won't run from me."

She seems committed to that last part as the tendrils continue to dart and swat at you. Sure you could probably barrel past them but she's coming for you and have you ever been hit by a fire hose? Even if you're impervious...it's not going to be comfortable. "It was a stupid move, stealing the boat. Even if you're strong, one drop would've done worse than we could have planned. Then you just abandon the people you wanted to protect! You heroes, all the glory but never the clean up. You're a menace." Her eyes narrow. Your words wouldn't have reached her even if they'd made her goon squad flee. The following words only seal the deal. "We've got something to fight for, same as you. We're both trying to save the city, you just don't have the stones to get your hands filthy. You want to sleep at night, it makes you weak. You don't realize that it's not a sacrifice when we're already dead. You may have sealed our fates, doesn't mean we aren't going down fighting."

Spoiler: GZ

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Ok this time for realsies. She's calling you out, saying you're reckless and callous not just with stealing and moving the boat but also leaving the civilians to their own ends once you feel they're safe. Danger up, Savior down or roll to reject.

[Catastrophic_B]

Ground Zero
Conditions: none
Potential: 2/5

Spoiler: Labels

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Freak: +1
Danger: +3
Savior: -1
Superior: +1
Mundane:-1

Spoiler: Influenced

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Influenced by Water Lady. Danger up, Saviour down.

In a China Shop: When you directly engage a threat, you can cause significant collateral damage to your environment to choose an additional option, even on a miss.
Physics? What physics: When you unleash your powers to barrel through an insurmountable barrier, roll + Danger instead of + Freak.
-Defender: When you leap to defend your love or rival in battle, roll + Danger instead of + Savior to defend them.

The hydrokinetics words reach out to Ground Zero as he floats in front of the newly demolished building, at the same time one of her tendrils rushes towards him. If Ronin was here, she would be able to tell you how the firehose these tendrils are equated to punches out 7.5kg of water per second at a speed of 17m/s. In short, they're not something you ever want to be in the way of. Yet as the tendrils closes in on him, GZ doesn't make to move or dodge. He just raises a hand towards the water.

As the mass of water slams into his outstretched palm, it stops in place. Ronin, if asked, might also explain that railguns like the one Iron Devil used, spit out projectiles that travel upwards of 3 km/s, and that despite the greater mass of the water, it just doesn't come close to the force exerted by the gun. Knowing the nature of GZ's powers, she could also tell you about how the fact that it is a liquid hitting him, and therefore one 'object', not multiple as may be the case if it were a mass of sand being dumped on him, means that his tactile-telekinesis, the ability to control things he is in direct contact with, can stop the entire tendril with a single point of contact.

"Something's come up. I'm sure you can take things from here Moonshadow," he says into his earpiece before taking it out and pocketing it with the hand that isn't holding back the tendril. He shatters the tendril before turning and flying towards the Hydrokinetic, dodging around tendrils that attempt to swat at him as he closes the gap and calls out "You got your ass around backwards! You're the only one of us that cares about saving the city, I just want to see the Warlords lying broken at my feet! You say I ain't up for getting my hands dirty, but I'm about to bloody my knuckles on you!"

Another tendril dodged, and GZ has a straight shot at his opponent. "And if you're already dead, then from one ghost to another; GO TO HELL!" GZ shouts as he rushes in with one arm cocked back to deliver a punch straight to her solar plexus.

Spoiler: OOC

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Rolled Danger to Directly Engage. With modifiers, rolled a 13. Going with Resist or avoid their blows and Impress, surprise or frighten your opposition.

[Captain Jak]

Ronin
Conditions: Angry, Insecure
Potential: 4/5

Spoiler: Labels

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• Freak: +0
• Danger: +0
• Savior: +1
• Superior: +1
• Mundane: +1

Spoiler: Moves

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• [X] I'll Show Them: When you defend someone who doesn’t believe in you, you can always take Influence over them, even on a miss.
• [X]All The Best Stuff: You’ve compiled access to caches of equipment and weaponry other supers have hidden in the city. When you access a cache, say whose cache it is. If it’s a hero’s, roll + Savior. If it’s a villain’s, roll + Danger. On a hit, you find a tool or intel useful to your situation; the GM will detail. On a 7-9, you leave evidence that you’ve been here. On a miss, you tripped an alarm and they’re coming; prepare to explain yourself.

A return to Sleepy Giant Hills has an establishing panel to remind our readers where we were; a mutated and deformed sword-armed Biolator facing off against a suddenly much-smaller appearing Ronin.

Cut to a panel even closer than before, showing only Miho's eyes inside the Ronin armour; eyes that widen in surprise. This...is certainly a leap forward in the Biolator's repertoire. He may have even moved up to a C-list threat, as hard as it is to believe.

The problem being, of course, is that she has no idea if she's a match for even that level of threat. Rhobe's words had hit home, and she's not entirely certain of herself any more.

Fortunately, her mouth has an autopilot mode. ”Oh, thank goodness,” it spouts. ”I really wasn't digging your other look; this is much more attractive, well done.” Yes, yes, snark might not be the best response here, but one works with that one has.

Still, she has got what she wanted, if not exactly how she expected; a one on one encounter with her opponent, rather than facing a mass of enhanced slime to boot.

A series of panels set the scene; the two facing off against one another, wills focusing on the oncoming duel. Ronin feeds all of her emotions in to a single mental flame to burn them away, leaving nothing but perfect focus; at least, that's what she attempts to do, but has trouble getting past the anger still bubbling within her. Despite her best efforts, her focus is marred by this emotion flickering about the edges, which leaves a crack open for self-doubt to creep in as well.

It will have to do; she senses the moment as arrived, and the pair of them simultaneously burst into a charge at one another. Speed lines slash boldly across panels as they rapidly close the distance, the unlikely suburban backdrop not detracting from the gravity of the duel. The Biolator's sword is out and ready, of course, being fused with his arm; Ronin's heavy blade, however, remains in its scabbard until the moment of contact. Anger-edged focus brings the long blade of the Sword of Doom flashing out as they pass, and the shock of contact travels up her arms even through the armour.

She slides to a halt, sword at full extension at the end of its single stroke, then deliberately re-sheathes the blade in a single, smooth motion before turning to face her opponent.

Spoiler: CRUNCH

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One on one combat: Duel! 10

[The_Specialist]

Tsunami
Conditions: None
Potential: 2/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Freak: +0
• Danger: +0
• Savior: +1
• Superior: +2
• Mundane: +0

Spoiler: Moves

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• [X] Been Reading the Files: You’ve learned about the superhuman world through your mentor’s resources. When you first encounter an important superpowered phenomenon (your call), roll + Superior. On a hit, tell the team one important detail you’ve learned from your studies. The GM will tell you what, if anything, seems different from what you remember. On a 10+, ask the GM a follow-up question; they will answer it honestly. On a miss, the situation is well outside your base of knowledge; the GM will tell you why.
• [X]Be Mindful of Your Surroundings: When you assess the situation before entering into a fight, you may ask one additional question, even on a miss.
• [X]Venting Frustration: When you directly engage while you are Angry, you can roll + the label your mentor denies (Mundane) and clear Angry.

Tsunami’s eyes widen slightly when the girl makes a sound and her eyes actually move to find him. Lifting one hand only briefly, he uses it to hastily pull his mask down so that it hangs around his neck, and gives her a less frightening face to stare at. It’s a quick movement, not caring for the blood it smears on said mask in the process, before his hand quickly returns to the futile effort of holding her together.

“It’s alright...” He repeats in a hurried whisper as she tries to speak and repeat his name, trying to keep his tone as reassuring as possible. He shakes his head slightly in an effort to discourage her from using her remaining strength to speak, especially just for a name. “It’s okay...” He echoes as she fumbles with her kimono, having already forgotten in the panic of this moment that there’s likely an important reason Coyote Knight has gone through all this trouble for this young woman. Max goes quickly quiet however as the girl’s movement is paired with particularly striking words. Take. Run. Far.

Desperate as he is to maintain the wasted effort, he belatedly lifts a bloodied hand from her side once more, taking hold of the disc shaped object so that she needn’t use her own strength longer than is necessary. The sudden surge of potent energy that radiates from it has him even more alarmed, and he realizes that he is staring at it only when he becomes distracted by the sensation of something warm and wet on his cheek. His head snaps back towards her in surprise, further smearing the blood as he unintentionally turns into her touch.

The sudden realization that it is a futile gesture of her own, seemingly for nothing other than seeking comfort, causes that split second of bewilderment to crumble under a sharp stab of helplessness. His jaw tightens as his eyes sting with a sudden, involuntary, and uninvited glittering of moisture. He can’t let it become more than that. That stays inside.

‘The Wave. It rises.’

The terror in her eyes for some reason sets his blood boiling, stoking the flames within him that were set by that unwelcome sensation of powerlessness. This shouldn’t be.

Max instinctively catches the hand near his cheek as it begins to fall, still grasping the disc tight in the other. It takes him a moment in the lingering silence to gather his wits, before he manages to nod firmly, his expression determined as he can make it without appearing hard or cold. He doesn’t know if it’s enough to assuage the dread in her eyes, but he can try at least, and pretend to have any amount of confidence in this current situation. Maybe it’s enough to convince himself and Hikari at least. Some part of him tries to rationalize that he should move on, that his team is still out there fighting and might need his help. But he can’t bring himself to leave while she still breathing, this unfortunate stranger. Maybe it's just because he doesn't want to be here... but being anywhere else still wouldn't change the reality.

“...You’ve done enough. We’ll take care of it.”

It’s a lie, of course. He has no idea what she’s talking about. He has no idea if they’re capable of unraveling the mystery of what ‘The Wave’ is, let alone tackling whatever threat it might end up being. Not that uncertainty or impossible odds have ever stopped him from trying, of course; he still has scars from meeting The Warrior to prove that. But from the moment he answered the call tonight he started out unbalanced and unprepared, and he continues to feel a deepening pang of guilt, or inferiority.

But this isn’t helping anyone. There’s nothing that will help the girl now. He tries not to look at her anymore, uncomfortably aware that it is only his own breathing he hears now. She’s still warm, but it’s just an unkind illusion, her weight utterly limp in his arms. She was a stranger, and from her garb, most likely one of Coyote’s and thus equally villainous. He shouldn’t feel so shaken, but he feels like a dam close to cracking. With all his strength, he wills the tide back; he can’t afford to deal with everything he’s feeling now. The forced calm in unnatural and uncomfortably cold, but Tsunami finds himself moving without really thinking or noticing. He removes his sash and bundles it into a makeshift cushion to place under her head in place of his lap, still not willing to leave the body resting on garbage. Folding her hands on top of her abdomen, it still doesn’t hide the lethal gash nor the dark stains that soak through her kimono and the ground around her.

While each movement involving the fallen girl are slow with purpose and rather gentle, once done, Tsunami stands overly quickly, as if needing to create distance. His free hand lifts to fix his mask back into place, ignoring the uneasy sensation of where it sticks to the blood on his face and smears it further. He’s performed everything thus far while still clutching the disc in his other hand. Finally he looks to it again, and then holds it out towards Hikari after a moment of brief hesitation. There’s no lack of trust for his team mate, it seems more likely that given the context of him acquiring it, he’s perhaps a touch irrationally attached to it, but ultimately deeming it better in Hikari’s hands than his.

“...She’s gone.”

[Comissar]

Sunburst
Conditions: Guilty, Hopeless
Potential: 1/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Danger: +1
• Freak: +2
• Savior: +0
• Superior: +0
• Mundane: +0

Spoiler: Burn and Flares

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Held Burn

0

Shielding

You call up a fast protective field to stop a danger. Spend 1 burn to defend someone else from an immediate threat, rolling +Freak instead of +Saviour.

Moat

Spend 1 burn to create a barrier that will hold back threats as long as you keep your attention on it. The GM may call for you to spend another burn if the barrier is threatened by particularly powerful enemies.

Reality Storm

You channel a destructive burst with your powers. Spend 1 burn to directly engage a threat using your powers, rolling +Freak instead of +Danger. If you do, you will cause unwanted collateral damage unless you spend another burn.

Snatch

Spend 1 burn to use your powers to seize any one object up to the size of a person from someone within view.

Lanuola pales at the sight of what she'd just done. For a moment, she's frozen up, not sure whether she should run toward or away from the destruction she'd created. Her glow is gone now, a faint wisp of smoke rising from her fist the only remaining sign of her actions, leaving behind a very worried looking teenager. Her eyes slide over to The Lion, still picking himself up from his tangle with Coyote Knight. Coming to a decision, she runs forward to him, crouching down beside him to try and help him to his feet. As she does, her words start spilling out.

"A-are you ok? I-I didn't mean to damage the building like that. Oi atua, d-do you think she's still a-alive? W-what if other people were in there?!" Her attention goes to the partially destroyed building, a wretched look on her face, "I-I don't know what I should do!"

[Razade]

Razade, The GM
Pool: 1

The panels show a fairly wide range as they zoom out to show GZ and his foe fighting near the shore, the devestation of the building where Coyote, Bruja and Moonshadow must obviously be in and of course the goon squad along with The Lion and Sunburst. Action lines are drawn as the hydrokenetic enemy is shot into the river below by a well aimed and well focused punch as Sunburst runs to check on her flung friend.

The panels also show said goon squad forming up behind those still left in the square. Any civilians have fled from the chaos by now though this only seems to have emboldened Coyote's Knights. "You should sit down and wait for the big boss to show up." one offers as they make a wall ringing The Lion and Sunburst with weapons drawn. None of them look particularly thrilled to be doing this but something obviously motivates them. Probably an equal level of fear of punishment if they don't do what they can to put you down.

"Light show's over. You and your friend lost this one." another says, katana shaking in their hand as the words sound more like a hope than an assertion. "Some of you go check on Coyote. We'll tangle these ones up if they don't stay down." The same goon commands as a few start to break off for the downed building.

The goons could make life harder for Moonshadow, there's no telling how she's fared in all of this. Them bringing Coyote out of the rubble, not to mention whoever was shooting laser beams, would probably not be ideal either. You'll have to fight your way through...or will you? You could just listen and sit this one out, Hikari and Tsunami have to be somewhere right? Ronin too, there's always trying to get ahold of her. Ground Zero isn't too far away either and he did just sucker punch a villain into the drink. Maybe a rally is called for? Either way, the both of you are hemmed in. What do you do?

Speaking of.

Ronin, Biolater: Sleeping Giant Hills

The panels cut abruptly to Ronin. The page is quick, clean and colorless as it merely shows the strike and then Ronin standing behind the Biolater as his sword swings into the ground. The next panel shows the Biolator erupting in green slime from the attack laid upon him, crumbling to the floor as he returns to his former self where he crumbles further. The wound is luckily mostly cosmetic after such a vivid transformation though the exertion has left him more than defeated.

Someone's bound to come and collect him off the street. That's what the police are for after all and someone's bound to have called them. Speaking of calls...your team hasn't done so in a little while. Your attempts to get to them with information had also hit a brick wall before all this went down. You know where they are, maybe it's time for some physical representation? The trip will take time of course, they're clear on the other side of the city. Is there still some help you might hope to give them all the way north?

What do you do?

[DreadPirateH]

Hikari
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Freak: +1
• Danger: +2
• Savior: +0
• Superior: +1
• Mundane: -1

Spoiler: Moves

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• [X] Devil or Angel on My Shoulder: When you provoke a teammate to violent action or drastic measures as your Hero Persona, roll with your Alias Label. When you discourage a teammate from going overboard or making an action they can’t take back as your Alias Persona, roll + your Hero Label.
• [X]Save the Light: When you step in to intervene, help a civilian, or stop a threat roll + your Hero label. On a miss, you’re made to look the fool. Mark a Condition and give ground. On a hit, you’ve got someone’s attention. Use it as an opportunity or provoke them to action. On a 10+ your foe must respond in kind or flee.

Hikari takes the disc, looking alarmed. She turns it over in her hands, but the nature of the thing remains a mystery. A close-up panel of the disc shows that it's roughly the size and shape of a digital disc, but that's where the similarities end. Iridescent and multi-colored, smooth to the touch, it appears to be etched with angular lines like a maze.

Hikari looks up at Tsunami, and a look passes between them before she calls the others. The panels cut to shots of the others in their circumstances, with Hikari's dialogue in a chibi-head text box. "Ronin, we've got something. Don't know what, we need to ID it. Headed your way now. Everybody else, we've got what the bad guys wanted. We're getting it far away from here. Do whatever you need to do to end this with minimal damage to civilians or the environment. Tell them we've got their disc if you think it'll make them go away."

Turning on her heel, Hikari starts to dash toward her motorcycle when something catches her eye. Her ice cream cone, sitting in the cupholder, dripping blue sea salt ice cream down the body. Shoot! Roberto! Turning back to Tsunami, she thrusts the disc back into his hands. "Take this to Ronin, I'll meet you there! I've got to drop a kid off." And with that, she hops on Sakura, places her helmet back on her head, and zooms off.

Spoiler: OOC

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Just so it's clear, I'm not taking any liberties with the disc description. I asked the GM about it, and he had very clear ideas about what they wanted it to look like, but felt that describing the disc took away from the emotional thrust of the last post with the dying woman.

[Comissar]

Sunburst
Conditions: Guilty, Hopeless, Angry
Potential: 1/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Danger: +1
• Freak: +2
• Savior: +0
• Superior: +0
• Mundane: +0

Spoiler: Burn and Flares

Show

Held Burn

3

Shielding

You call up a fast protective field to stop a danger. Spend 1 burn to defend someone else from an immediate threat, rolling +Freak instead of +Saviour.

Moat

Spend 1 burn to create a barrier that will hold back threats as long as you keep your attention on it. The GM may call for you to spend another burn if the barrier is threatened by particularly powerful enemies.

Reality Storm

You channel a destructive burst with your powers. Spend 1 burn to directly engage a threat using your powers, rolling +Freak instead of +Danger. If you do, you will cause unwanted collateral damage unless you spend another burn.

Snatch

Spend 1 burn to use your powers to seize any one object up to the size of a person from someone within view.

The panel cuts in close on Lanuola crouched protectively beside the Lion. She's watching the encircling goon squad, her worry evident on her face. Her eyes widen as they start to draw their blades. Her attention flits back to the Lion, was he going to be ok? She might have to try and stop this herself. Though the thought of doing so filled her with trepidation. Heart pounding, she rose into a half-crouch, positioning herself protectively between the goons and Lion.

Just keep it together. You can do this... You can do this...

There's a focus panel, showing her back to the reader as she looks out over the surrounding goons. She clenched her fists, calling out with false confidence, "I-It's not over yet! Y-you saw what I did to your boss, y-you better leave before I-I do it again!"

Please say I can do this...

Tightening her fists further, her hands begin to glow a bright white. The glow rapidly travels up her arms as the panels spin around and grow tighter in, finally focusing on her eyes as they burn bright white. Then a wide shot as her entire body shines brightly. The act seems to cause her pain, though, her teeth clenched tight as she struggles to maintain her focus. A close look shows her clothes burning in places, holes forming in her clothing as her hands tremble. And then the light recedes, leaving Sunburst still standing, smoke rising off her in places, eyes once again glowing a bright white as she fights to get her breath back.

Spoiler: OoC

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Sunburst will roll to burn! Post will be edited in when I have a result;

(2D6+2)[6]

As discussed on discord, will adjust conditions, burn, and potential accordingly based on if Mosi is spending a team or not.

[Captain Jak]

Ronin
Conditions: Insecure
Potential: 4/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Freak: +0
• Danger: +0
• Savior: +1
• Superior: +1
• Mundane: +1

Spoiler: Moves

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• [X] I'll Show Them: When you defend someone who doesn’t believe in you, you can always take Influence over them, even on a miss.
• [X]All The Best Stuff: You’ve compiled access to caches of equipment and weaponry other supers have hidden in the city. When you access a cache, say whose cache it is. If it’s a hero’s, roll + Savior. If it’s a villain’s, roll + Danger. On a hit, you find a tool or intel useful to your situation; the GM will detail. On a 7-9, you leave evidence that you’ve been here. On a miss, you tripped an alarm and they’re coming; prepare to explain yourself.

Ronin knew that in the aftermath of a duel one should merely feel quiet satisfaction at a win; it was on her that she only had a fiery sense of righteousness as her anger found an appropriate outlet.

Also, the feeling that she only had such an easy victory because of the decidedly inferior quality of her opponent may have been intruding just a bit.

Well. At least now that this was taken care of, she could get back to getting the potentially critical data off to—

A new panel crowds her introspection boxes, cutting her off in mid-thought as her comms crackle to life again.

"Ronin, we've got something. Don't know what, we need to ID it. Headed your way now."

As Hikari continued to give instructions to the rest of the team, Ronin hastily revised her course of action. Apparently, while she was off handling her little problem they were taking care of theirs.

I HAVE ANONYMOUSLY ALERTED THE AUTORITIES REGARDING DOCTOR RHOBE, Chisei informs her helpfully.

”Thanks, buddy,” she replies gratefully; having a second pair of intangible hands really makes things easier. She triggers her comms.

”Sorry for going dark; I had a...situation of my own to take care of. Dealt with!” There’s still a bit of bravado in her voice, but she soldiers on.

New page, and the layout is back to traditional, right-angled panels which fairly scream ‘back to normal’.

”My place is no good; too much heat at the moment,” she counters, turning to stalk back into her home before too many of her neighbours get brave and emerge. [color=#0000cd]”I’ll be in transit shortly; rendezvous at Tsunami’s lair?”[/colour] More secure, back-up tech there, and she can certainly make it to the nearest teleportal site more quickly than she could the river district in any case.

Thumping into the garage, she triggers the armour to retract and addresses Chisei.

”All right, let’s get flight systems back online, soonest!”. The time taken to restore mobility will be more than made up by that mobility; worth it!

Spoiler: CRUNCH

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Clearing Condition: Angry

[Catastrophic_B]

Ground Zero
Conditions: none
Potential:2/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

Freak: +1
Danger: +3
Savior: -1
Superior: +1
Mundane:-1

Spoiler: Moves

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In a China Shop: When you directly engage a threat, you can cause significant collateral damage to your environment to choose an additional option, even on a miss.
Physics? What physics: When you unleash your powers to barrel through an insurmountable barrier, roll + Danger instead of + Freak.
-Defender: When you leap to defend your love or rival in battle, roll + Danger instead of + Savior to defend them.

As Sunburst struggles to get her breath back after her light show, Ground Zero flies in from above, landing and sliding to a stop just in front of his teammates. He looks down at Lion with an amused smirk, then at Sunburst and sees the state she in and he takes on a more concerned expression.

"You've been a total badass. Catch your breath, I'll deal with these losers," GZ tells her, before shrugging off his jacket and turning to the assembled goon squad. He walks forward, rolling his shoulders and cracking his knuckles. "I was hoping for a good fight today, but that water-bender you had hiding on the boat went down with a single punch! Hopefully you lot will be more fun!"

With that said he uses his powers to throw himself towards one of the Knights with a fist outstretched. At the moment of impact, he uses his telekinesis to fling the Knight backwards and into a food stand. Two swords slam into his back not a moment later, but to the wielder's shock, they don't even scratch GZ's shirt. Reaching behind him, Ground Zero grabs the arms of the two Knights and throws them to join their friend on the food stall.

The rest of them don't go down so easy. Realising the danger of engaging GZ in close quarters, they jump and dodge back when ever he tries to close in and try to strike at his back when he's not looking. Quickly getting tired of the Knights jumping away for what felt like the hundredth time, as GZ feels another blade hit his back, he puts a hand down on the pavement, then brings it up again, this time with a large block of the pavement attached, and swings at his attacker, hitting and knocking them aside.

Ground Zero spies a couple of Knights that have paused for a moment at the display of power. Their hesitation costs them as he flings his block in their direction. They dive to the ground and the block goes sailing over their head and smashes into a store behind them. As they pick themselves up off the ground, it's to see that Ground Zero is now right in front of them. Before they can react, he grabs the two and slams them together.

Letting go of the two Knights and letting them fall to the ground, he turns to see the last of the Knights have assembled with their swords drawn. Apparently having decided that hit and run tactics weren't working, and changing plans to attacking him as one group, even if it means risking it in close quarters. Ground Zero smirks, pulls a street sign out of the ground and tries to replicate one of the stances he's seen Hikari use, but knowing he's probably butchering it. "Who's next?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Rolled +Danger to directly engage Coyote Knights. Got an 11. Going with Resist or avoid their blows, and create an opportunity for your allies (by taking the Knight's attention they can either take time to recover or go after Coyote.

Also spending one team to help Sunburst deal with her burn.

[Hans Free]

The Lion
Conditions: 2, Hopeless (-2 on unleash), Insecure (-2 to reject)
Potential: 2/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Freak: +1
• Danger: -1
• Savior: +1
• Superior: +0
• Mundane: +2

Spoiler: Moves

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• [X]Words of the past: When you seek the guidance of one of your elders or a member of your legacy, tell them a problem you face, and ask them a question about the problem. They will answer it honestly, and tell you what to do. Take +1 ongoing if you listen. If you go your own way, mark potential.
• [X]Never give up, never surrender: When you take a powerful blow from someone with far greater power than you, use this move instead of the basic move. Roll + Savior. On a hit, you stand strong and choose one. On a 7-9, mark a condition.

They want to know where you've gone.

But how can Mosi communicate something he doesn't know? First we see Mosi and Coyote's altercation the way Lion's mind plays it back -- in FRACTURED, TUNNEL VISION.

Panels; Mosi's hand reached out to grab down Coyote Knight. A wooden block Geta to the face. Ground. BLOOD. The sky. And... Sunburst -- hair blowing, hand outstretched. LIGHT drowning out everything. Mosi's HANDS cover his face. A Big Panel, tight on the Lion as he tries to ball up his battered figure, the beam of light ROARING above. Giving him a moment to reflect.

Coyote was right -- Mosi had flown in looking to fight; not to resolve the issue or to save anyone. It's just... It's been hard to not assume the worst from everyone in San Fran... ever since...

Her. We cut to a panel. An extreme close up of SILK. The Scarf of Shadows over her pale skin, blowing in the wind, inky darkness behind her. Mosi resolves to put the thought out of his head. It didn't matter anymore. He has Hikari, and the team, and...

"Sunburst!"

He reaches up and grabs the apple cart, steadying himself to fight Coyote on top. But she's GONE. And the apples are FRIED. He topples over. His head is RINGING. He closes his eyes. Opens them to see Sunburst, flanked on all sides by ruin -- out of focus -- as she looks after Coyote. Closes his eyes. Opens them again. Suddenly Lanuola is next to him, her arm outstretched to pick him up, asking him if he is okay. Her words MUFFLED by the RINGING in his ears, as it fades into DRUMS. One sentence cuts through, her speech bleeding into his thought bubble...

"I-I don't know w--what I should do!"

Mosi opens his eyes again to see a shadowy arena of BLACK as far as the eye can see.

That is not good enough anymore, Champion. Who-- Who said that!?

He stands up, and turns around to see BROTHER BEAST -- taller and more muscular than Mosi -- his godly figure covered in ornate tattoos, scars and GOLD, shimmering into the void. He stands, ten feet from his brother. They circle, paralleling each other's careful steps -- two opposites pieces on an otherwise blank chessboard.

"It wasn't me, so spare me your indignant looks. That's a voice that I don't get to hear. Not really. Just another token of all you've ever taken from me. Mosi... [spits]. My father, my home, my name. My destiny. I should've been the Lion. Stronger. Smarter. Better. If the world were a fair place--. We sweep past Mosi to see that Brother Beast has shifted into Mosi's mother, as he remembers her from training. Lean and powerful but... fragile, a shade of her superheroic self. The Spear of the Lion gripped into her hand, her brow furrowed in frustration. She stands over a disarmed Mosi.

But it is not. I know you are trying your best, but you are undisciplined. You lack commitment to the idea of who you are. You know Brother Beast better than anyone else, do you think he lacks commitment...? Oh, my kind and gentle son. The world is cruel. It pushes us to know our place whether we wish for that or not. We sweep past Mosi again to see her shifted into...

His father, watching his son with a pensive smile -- hair grey, face hardened with wrinkles for a relatively young man. I'm sorry, Lil' Mosi. Your mom and I only wanted the best for you. But we left you unprepared for the hardships of life. Just... take comfort in knowing that that makes you just like everyone else.

And suddenly Mosi is alone, left to expunge the darkness from a world filled with it. By himself. Just like always.

But that's not true. Not at all. Six other costumed figures flank him in a panel, full of life and color.

Yami no Yojimbo.

Back to REALITY -- A big Splashy panel shows a long shot of how the scene has developed -- Lanuola, an aura of light fully charged around her, looking back at Mosi. Ground Zero fighting Coyote's men, smirking at the Lion. Mosi himself, STILL against the apple cart, his head cocked down like he's knocked out.

Then we see him from below. His eyes BUBBLE over with energy the color and consistency of BLACK SAND pouring out of him. Agh... I can't see out of this #@!$ thing!! He rips off his mask and the DARKNESS fades into gold in his eyes, dripping energy onto his chest -- his body glows golden in a faint hum. His wounds seal themselves shut with Sekhmet's Blessing of Divine Beauty. Mosi's foot touches the ground. It cracks under the weight of his MIGHT.

Wide panel of Mosi, suddenly towering behind Sunburst. We see the falling motion of the last of the black sand energy form into gold as Mosi's hand cuts through the intense aura of white light, putting his hand on her shoulder. He smiles to her.

"Oui, I'm okay, Lanni. Thanks for having my back, but I've got the fight from here. Could you go check on Coyote? We've got to try and see if we can salvage anything from this mess. My mess. Hold on, I've got an idea. But you are not going to like it. Probably." He reaches up to his comm, allowing Ground Zero fight the enemies by himself, as Mosi paces back and forth. When GZ next looks back over them, Mosi gives him an assured and -- fairly dismissive -- wave. "Mosi here, can I get a ping from anybody on Coyote's destination? She went on a bit of a vacation. I'm looking to get to the epicenter of the impact... Uh, huh." He looks back at Lanuola with an aside glance. "Well, not me, per say. You are comfortable with flying, right Sunburst?"

But before she can get a word out, Mosi flings the super heroine stories into the air. When we cut back he's dissapeared. Suddenly, we're in the fray -- Mosi is back to back with a sign-wielding GZ. The last couple of goons surround them. We pop through small panels Mosi joins the other teenage force of nature in a choatic brawl.

"Hey, Zero! Thanks for letting me nap for a minute. You may remember that I--" He ducks out of in incoming punch, letting it slide over GZ, redirecting the punch's force into another goon to knock him out. "Cannot fly... So I was hoping -- that -- you could get Sunburst to -- wherever -- it is that the Coyote is roaming. She's up there." He casually elbows GZ mid-fight to point out Lanuola falling through the air with one particularly lazy finger, as GZ slams a goon face down into the concrete under the sign. "I'll clean up what is left down here and meet up with Tsu and 'Kari. You get credit for the takedown. This time." Mosi winks at him and grins, waving off the other boy.

"Well? Go get her!"

Spoiler: OoC

Show

No crunch this time! I feel like this is all within the standard limits of what is accomplishable to Mosi, so it is kinda more of a narrative/transitory post about him taking control of his emotions. Though I am happy to roll an unleash if it feels too easy/to invite hard moves.

Not spending a team to boost Sunburst's Burn, because GZ has already done that.

[Catastrophic_B]

Ground Zero
Conditions: None
Potential: 2/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

Freak: +1
Danger: +3
Savior: -1
Superior: +1
Mundane:-1

Spoiler: Moves

Show

In a China Shop: When you directly engage a threat, you can cause significant collateral damage to your environment to choose an additional option, even on a miss.
Physics? What physics: When you unleash your powers to barrel through an insurmountable barrier, roll + Danger instead of + Freak.
-Defender: When you leap to defend your love or rival in battle, roll + Danger instead of + Savior to defend them.

Ground Zero looks up at where Sunburst is, then back down at Lion, back up to Sunburst, and back again to Lion. A smile splits his face as he laughs "You're an absolute madman!" He gives one last swing of the sign post before planting it in the ground and getting ready for takeoff. "Grab one of their swords when you finish up, I want a souvenir!" he calls out to Lion as he flies off.

He quickly reaches Sunburst's position as she falls, but knowing that catching her with his current momentum could be just as bad for her as hitting the ground, he instead lets her fall past him. He then flies down, matching her speed and dodging her flailing limbs as he grabs hold of her and pulls up, bleeding off their downward momentum and bring them into a controlled flight.

"I think I know where Coyote ended up. You ready to finish this?" Ground Zero says as he flies them towards the building he was floating around before his fight with the water lady. Their height gives them a good vantage point, but GZ knows that it also makes them easier to see. With that in mind, he stretches out his power, spreading his protective barrier to include the young heroine in his arms. Pushed out this far, the barrier is a lot thinner that it usually is, but it's better than nothing.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Rolling +Savior to catch Sunburst. Rolled a 7. Going to be adding team to the pool. Also going with expose myself to danger as I'm a very visible target with a weakened shield, going towards the one person who has been able to hurt me in this fight.

[Mr. E]

Moonshadow
Conditions: Angry, Insecure
Potential: 2/5

Cindy instinctively curls into a ball mid-flight as the room disintegrates around her, arms covering her head as the wall and ceiling splinter into shards. The panels become jagged, stacked on odd angles and distorted into strange shapes, focusing on Moonshadow's face as she weathers the storm, something leaving a bloody cut as it nicks her cheek. She slams into the wall-becoming-floor as Coyote crashes through the room, rolling part way down the staircase and coming to rest with a brutal crunch.

For a moment the panels focus on her prone body, before cutting a sea of pure black, except for a single thought bubble, rising out of the dark.

'Girl. Yes, you, girl. Get up! I SAID, get UP!'*

For a moment it seems as if this command will go unheeded, as Moonshadow lies on her back, eyes closed. But then, as the panel cuts in for a close up, one eye slowly flickers open, and she rolls over, heaving herself upright. Using her Nifo Oti as a support, Cindy rises to her feet, and glares down at the two figures below her. There's blood on her cheek, and a trickle from her nose, which smears across her soot-stained face as she wipes her mouth with one hand. When she spits on the floor, there's a touch of blood in that as well, but the expression on her face is defiant as she raises her weapon.

"The rest of my team is on the way," Moonshadow states firmly**, "So if you just surrender now, that'll save you some bruises..."

*The change of font here is, of course, neither symbolic nor sinister

**Although not without a muttered 'right, guys?' hovering under her breath

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Alright, I think that Cindy is going to try and Provoke the villains to throw down their weapons, or at least delay attacking for long enough for her cavalry to arrive.

(2d6+1)[8]

Ay, I didn't fail

[Razade]

Razade, The GM
Pool: 1 - 1 + 1 = 1

Moonshadow

Coyote lays out in a sprawl, somehow having managed to snag Bruja in the resulting chaos as both are now well and fairly down for the count. Both bleed from various cuts, bruising has already started and both lady's masks have been damaged beyond function. Coyote is a plain young woman, no older than most of your team, sunflower yellow hair cropped short with pale gray eyes that focus in on you as you speak. Bruja is unsurprising, looking much like her older cousin with a dark complexion, full lips and chocolate brown eyes. She seems the worse of the two, only a hand reaching out from the rubble that covers her.

"Oh shut up." Coyote groans as she somehow struggles to her feet, eyes narrowing as she sways. "I'd take the bruises over what we'll get if we fail here. Your friends didn't get it, we're the heroes here. We're trying to save you!"

She swings an arm about the building, barely keeping balance. "Look what you did! Your team! If we'd got what we needed, everyone would have been fine. But nooooo, you heroes. Stained in light, can't even pretend to keep people safe even when trying to protect them. Moralizing, judging, punishing like you're the only word that matters. You haven't seen what's coming, you'd make the same decisions if you had."

Her eyes dart up suddenly, the panels cutting to

Lion, Sunburst, GZ

Not far outside the ruined building as The Lion finishes up whatever remaining goons and of course...throwing Sunburst into the air. Sunburst goes sailing even as Ground Zero leaps up to catch her, the panels moving to show Moonshadow, Coyote, Bruja all in frame with the flying (willfully or not) heroes coming into focus.

The panels all merge to bring the group together, the text box above repeating. Things move quickly then, Coyote ducking down to the exposed arm of Bruja before magical energies crackle about her.

"This isn't over. The Wave rises. We're all dead anyway, we're going early. Sorry, Odette."

With a sweep of her arm the villain sends a scattering of bats out from the inside of her kimono. You've seen this particular trick before from Bruja Moonshadow but with the roof...and most of the building gone they have a much wider range to effect. That range seems to focus on Ground Zero and your sister, Sunburst. The flock scream into the air, detonating the square as storefronts burst into flames. The spell seems to mostly be destruction for destruction's sake, a wild final blow from a spent villain however two figures are directly in the path of the flailing, furious finale.

Ground Zero and Sunburst.

Glowing bats burst about you in a tumult. If Ground Zero hadn't been there to save you, Sunburst, you'd have taken the brunt alone. Luckily you're shielded from the explosions. Ground Zero being that shield.

Moonshadow, you're in a prime position to put this to a quick end, Coyote is still standing and even though her whole body smokes from the spell there's no telling if she could do it again...or something worse. The same goes for you Lion, with no goons about there's no one left to fight. There's no civilians left and you're exposed. Hoofing it might be the best chance, you're unlikely to weather an attack like that.

Spoiler: Moonshadow

Show

You've enraged Coyote. Take Influence over her. She's also using her influence on you. She's saying that you're going in half-cocked, not looking at the situation because if you had...you'd be on her side. Reject her words or lower Savior and raise Superior.

Spoiler: Ground Zero

Show

You've exposed yourself to danger. You know what that means. Roll to take a powerful blow.

Elsewhere

The panels slide away from the explosions, the next page a rather abrupt change of scenery. A lone man sits in a large garden, the sky above a pristine azure as sfx of music float about him. One would be excused not recognizing Master Sun as he sits enjoying his tea, the immortal having changed his appearance quite a lot from one age to the next. Gone is the faux-yellow peril image of the Golden Age. The extreme flowing robes and magical scrolls of the Silver Age. Even the Bronze Age's attempt at the hardened street hustler has been replaced by a smart business suit, sunglasses, perfectly maintained goatee and long black hair slicked back in a pony tail. Modern. Crisp.

The music is cut by crackly text boxes, a news report already given on the first page of Yami no Yojimbo. An attack on the water front. Coyote and her Knights. The tactician listens, scribbling something on a notebook not far from hand as the panels zoom too it.

The attack will be halted, the attack won't be halted. The Knights will find the artifact and take it to Lightbinger. The Knights won't find it, the person with it will hop a boat and get out of the city. Lightbringer will go in person to the conflict and find the artifact. She won't go. The person with the artifact will die and a civilian will find the artifact, sell it and flee the city.

More lines are written, many (including man of the above) are stricken out with angry red lines. The next panel shows, as the news report discusses the bat attack, the truth of things. The Coyote and her Knights will storm the plaza. They'll attract the attention of teen heroes. They'll fight and lose, the young woman with the artifact will die but not be alone. The artifact will be recovered by more heroes. The plaza will be destroyed.

The next line on the page, not crossed out. Lightbringer will arrive.

The panels cut back to the fight.

[Catastrophic_B]

Ground Zero
Conditions: none
Potential: 3/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

Freak: +1
Danger: +3
Savior: -1
Superior: +1
Mundane:-1

Spoiler: Moves

Show

In a China Shop: When you directly engage a threat, you can cause significant collateral damage to your environment to choose an additional option, even on a miss.
Physics? What physics: When you unleash your powers to barrel through an insurmountable barrier, roll + Danger instead of + Freak.
-Defender: When you leap to defend your love or rival in battle, roll + Danger instead of + Savior to defend them.

The bats come rushing out and Ground Zero finds himself truly understanding the phrase 'like a bat out of hell', but when they start exploding everywhere, he has much more important things to think about. Like the person in his arms, who has a family that loves her, friends that care for her, and so many others that would miss her if anything happened to her.

The exact opposite of him. In a moment of clarity he knew that right now she was the one that mattered, not him. She had to be protected.

Ground Zero dived as fast as he could towards the ground. Putting Sunburst on the ground and placing himself over to shield her from the coming blasts, keeping one hand on her to keep her protected. He would have liked to focus the shield around himself, but he couldn't stop all the fire so this would have to do.

Instead he shut his eyes and focused on what Mr Gray had told him was the most important part of psychic powers: visualisation. So as the bats detonated and their world was engulfed in fire, Ground Zero kept foremost in his mind an image of himself with stone skin and one thought on repeat "I am unbreakable!". Even as it became unbearably hot and the blasts tried to throw him from his feat, he stayed in place and didn't let his concentration slip for even a moment.

Then it passed. The sudden drop in the air temperature around them cluing GZ into this, as he let his eyes crack open and check for any lingering danger. Once sure that all the bats were gone, he let go of Sunburst and staggered back, smoke rolling off his skin and his shirt reduced to nothing more than a memory. He holds out a hand to help Sunburst to her feat and asks "You good?" only for it to come out as a weak croak as his throat has been left bone dry from the intense heatwave.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Rolled to take a powerful blow. Rolled a 5. Potential marked.
Also going to be switching in Sunburst for the role of love in the Bull's heart, which gives her influence over me.

[Comissar]

Sunburst
Conditions: Guilty, Hopeless, Angry
Potential: 2/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Danger: +1
• Freak: +2
• Savior: +0
• Superior: +0
• Mundane: +0

Spoiler: Burn and Flares

Show

Held Burn

3

Shielding

You call up a fast protective field to stop a danger. Spend 1 burn to defend someone else from an immediate threat, rolling +Freak instead of +Saviour.

Moat

Spend 1 burn to create a barrier that will hold back threats as long as you keep your attention on it. The GM may call for you to spend another burn if the barrier is threatened by particularly powerful enemies.

Reality Storm

You channel a destructive burst with your powers. Spend 1 burn to directly engage a threat using your powers, rolling +Freak instead of +Danger. If you do, you will cause unwanted collateral damage unless you spend another burn.

Snatch

Spend 1 burn to use your powers to seize any one object up to the size of a person from someone within view.

Lanuola wasn't fully coherent straight after she'd tried to power herself up. She was too busy trying to focus on all of the goons at the same time to notice Ground Zero touch down beside her. But then he is there. And she's told she can take a step back. She lets her guard drop, a close up showing a very relieved smile on her face.

She jumps a little as a hand abruptly claps on her shoulder, her head whipping round. But then Lion speaks, and she relaxes further. Both Lion and GZ were up and fighting. That could only be a good thing. Her expression turns a little more serious as Lion gives her instructions, nodding along at first. Then frowning.

"Umm... What do you mean you don't think I-I'd like it..?"

But Mosi was already talking on the comms. Which made her jolt. She'd forgotten to put her earpiece back in! Fiddling with it, a panel shows that she misses Mosi's aside glance toward her. She belatedly realises she's being talked about and turns her head toward Lion with a questioning look, "... Huh..? What do you-" A hand claps down unexpectedly around her waist, "Wh-wha-" She gets yanked back, the wind up to a throw. There's a close up on Sunburst's eyes, suddenly very wide as comprehension dawns, "WAIT! NONON-AAAAAHHHH!!!"

There's a wide shot. Sunburst is very much in the foreground, the ground, Lion, and GZ are far far below her. And she's still screaming. There's some kind of chatter in her ear, but compared to the rushing wind and the now approaching ground, it somehow feels far less important than it might have a few minutes ago. And then, once again, GZ is beside her. In her panic, it takes her a second to understand what's going on as he reaches out to take hold of her. Once she grasps the situation, though, she grabs onto him wholeheartedly, ending up being carried bridal-style. Her heart was still racing as she's asked if she was ready to finish the fight with Coyote. Frankly, she had no idea right now. But she found herself nodding anyway.

Then time seemed to slow. From her elevated position, she spotted Coyote Knight, and Cindy. Then Coyote Knight cast some kind of spell, and the world looked like it was going to rapidly fill with bats. She prepared herself to try and conjure a light shield, but her concentration was shattered as she abruptly started falling again. With a yelp, she clutched tightly to GZ's clothing. With no ceremony, she then found herself on the floor, GZ crouched protectively above her. The strange sensation of his telekinetic aura tingled across her body. She didn't have time to contemplate that, though, before the first bat exploded.

There's a series of panels showing Lanuola's perspective. All she can really see is Ground Zero crouched protectively over her. He almost fills the frame, only partial views of the exploding mammals breaking in to the corners. And each time his teeth grit in concentration. Then the barrage ends and he stands, holding out a hand to help her to her feet. A flush comes to Sunburst's face as she realises GZ's shirt has been shredded apart, and she becomes uncomfortably aware that the flush carried a glow with it. She accepts his help, using his offered hand to pull herself to her feet. She gives a nod in answer to his question, her attention locked firmly on his face even as her own was glowing from a confusing mix of feelings, "Y-Yeah..." She gave a start, now realising she'd been staring. "W-we should, uh, C-Coyote, uh..."

Stepping awkwardly around GZ, she fixed her eyes on Coyote Knight. Then hesitated. Cindy was right there too... Could she do this..? Without hitting Cindy..? She had to try, right..? Clenching her fists, and once again adopting a decidedly unpracticed stance, she yelled out, "H-Hey! Y-you better back down! O-or, uh..." She hesitates again, eyes briefly sliding to GZ, then to Cindy, "O-or I'll blast you into another building!"

She really hoped Coyote wouldn't call her bluff. More property damage was something she kinda wanted to avoid here.

Spoiler: OoC

Show

As discussed in the discord, gonna give GZ influence over Sunburst in return. Also going to roll to provoke Coyote Knight. Basically saying 'Back down or get blasted' Expecting it to go poorly because Guilty.

Provoke - (2D6-2)[4]

[Hans Free]

The Lion
Conditions: 2, Hopeless (-2 on unleash), Insecure (-2 to reject)
Potential: 2/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Freak: +1
• Danger: -1
• Savior: +1
• Superior: +0
• Mundane: +2

Spoiler: Moves

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• [X]Words of the past: When you seek the guidance of one of your elders or a member of your legacy, tell them a problem you face, and ask them a question about the problem. They will answer it honestly, and tell you what to do. Take +1 ongoing if you listen. If you go your own way, mark potential.
• [X]Never give up, never surrender: When you take a powerful blow from someone with far greater power than you, use this move instead of the basic move. Roll + Savior. On a hit, you stand strong and choose one. On a 7-9, mark a condition.

Establishing panel, a long shot of the clearing, under the shadow and in the dust of a ruined building. Mosi at the end of the fight -- a little scraped up, mask-less and surrounded by the bodies of Coyote's men, knocked out or otherwise incapacitated. He holds one man by the shirt collar on the ground, his fist about to strike.

The Coyote's man mirrors him, screaming in anger and still resisting, even as Mosi literally stands overtop of him.

"Oh, come on! Would you just give up already!?" Mosi groans in frustration.

He sees a familiar symbol on the man's neck, an Imamu tattoo of an inverted pyramid with a hole through the center. The Mark of the Beast. Benghani. We give this issue's artist a break as we get three identical panels of Mosi: Angry. Curious. Confused. "Wait--"

The goon swings at Mosi, more out of frustration than genuine belief in the success of his attack. Mosi could easily deflect the blow, but instead allows the man to hit him. We hear a CRUNCH. Mosi looks worried, as the Imamu Thug SCREAMS in pain. Mosi holds the man's hand gently, but his brows furrow. "This was broken! Simply striking out in anger will only hurt you and those you are close to. Have some pride!"

With his other hand Mosi quickly strikes the goon in the throat, before catching him by his shirt.

Mosi whispers something to him in Afrikaans, then lets the man down gently onto the ground. He walks over to his helm, scoops it up, brushes the dust off with care, then looks back to the man gasping for air on the ground with a mix of pity and hope. Sorry, but I can't let you just walk away either. The man passes out. Just the way Mami taught him.

Mosi looks up to the sky, where GZ holds Sunburst. A sea of magic laser-bats flying towards them. Cut back to the Lion, his mouth in a flat O, his brows raised -- genuinely perplexed as to what is happening above him. EXPLOSION. his heart races for a second, before seeing the two come out of it okay. GZ holding Lanuola like a bride. He laughs. Then sighs.

Ah, Du-at! Cindy is gonna be so pissed at me for that.

We pause for a moment to see the devastated scene from over Mosi's shoulder. No more civilians, that is sure -- but there's a gang of knocked out and badly injured criminals lying around in a now-dangerous section of the city. We rapid cut through a serious of bouncy small panels -- Mosi clicking on the Lion helm buckle. His arm wrapped around another person's arm. Men piled on top of each other. Then the big picture.

Mosi carrying Coyote's ENTIRE GANG piled on his back.

He attempts to muscle through the largest clearing he can, to get the mooks away from the destruction. His eyes wide, his muscles tense, even for him, this is not an easy feat -- forget the weight, keeping the mass of human beings together and balanced is itself an issue. But he won't just leave them here. He grunts into his comm.

"Tsunami? Someone? I really -- really -- need you right now... WHERE ARE YOU!?"

Spoiler: OoC

Show

EDIT: Little more subtle version. I like the idea of floating in the thread of Imamu Refugees fitting into the criminal and shadier sides of San Fran as a result of the political turmoil in Imam, so I wanted to incorporate the idea that one of the goons was a Pridesman as a plot thread.

Gonna roll to unleash them powers of Mythic Might to clear the obstacle of the the devastated market with goons in toe. Can Mosi do it!? Dice say... sort of! Rolled an 8 on the discord. I don't want to mark another condition, so I am gonna accept the unstable or temporary. Huzzah!

[The_Specialist]

Tsunami
Conditions: None
Potential: 3/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Freak: +0
• Danger: +0
• Savior: +1
• Superior: +2
• Mundane: +0

Spoiler: Moves

Show

• [X] Been Reading the Files: You’ve learned about the superhuman world through your mentor’s resources. When you first encounter an important superpowered phenomenon (your call), roll + Superior. On a hit, tell the team one important detail you’ve learned from your studies. The GM will tell you what, if anything, seems different from what you remember. On a 10+, ask the GM a follow-up question; they will answer it honestly. On a miss, the situation is well outside your base of knowledge; the GM will tell you why.
• [X]Be Mindful of Your Surroundings: When you assess the situation before entering into a fight, you may ask one additional question, even on a miss.
• [X]Venting Frustration: When you directly engage while you are Angry, you can roll + the label your mentor denies (Mundane) and clear Angry.

Tsunami continues to stand in place in the background as Hikari calls out to Ronin to meet them, seemingly unmoving. He’s not generally the type to wait for instruction, and though he’s not needlessly contradictory, he definitely tends to take initiative in most cases to do whatever he thinks is the best move at the time.

Instead, he jolts from his stillness, almost subtly bewildered when Hikari thrusts the disc back to him, though he’s quick to take hold of it in both hands. A spark of anger reignites within, despite the barrier he’s tried to put up to restrain the storm of emotions. He can’t quite place why, but despite his efforts, he feels pointedly aggravated with his team mate. Something he’ll have to unpack later. Tsunami begins to turn in the direction of his base as Ronin speaks up to direct them there instead.

“Right. I’ll be bringing it, Ronin...” His tone is a touch distractedly, though who amongst them isn’t a bit distracted at the moment? The fact that he doesn’t correct Ronin on it not being a lair is in itself rather odd though, as he very rarely misses a chance to reiterate the difference. Various chatter and screaming from their team mates are quick to redirect his attention, however, though as he wheels around in the opposite direction, he stops short. The panel shifts to look over his shoulder, framing the disc in his bloody hands, and the blurry shape of the corpse in the background. She takes the focus in the next, duplicated panel. A flashback replays in greyscale, focused on her face, the fear in her eyes.

"Ta...ke. Run, run far."

Max hesitates for a moment; some voice in the back of his head begs him to ignore his protective instincts, to leave the team to their own devices and hope they can handle themselves, long enough to get the disc further from the scene. Something about the object fills him with an uncomfortable level of unease. He’ll just... look. Make sure they’re okay, first. But he can’t just carry this thing in hand. Lifting his shirt, an vest of thin interlocking armour plating is revealed beneath. While he’s not entirely certain he wants to keep this thing so close to him, touching his skin, having no idea what it is... He also knows he doesn’t want it anywhere that is easily lost or taken from him. Shoving the disc in between the plating and the thick mesh backing, he’s content it’s secure enough to get moving. Grabbing up his kanabō once more, a single panel captures Tsunami giving one final glance towards the fallen girl, before he quickly shoots out of the frame with a jet of steam in his wake.

A wide shot shows off the destruction that’s been caused in the meantime by his team mates, Tsunami a small figure perching on a rooftop near the bottom of the panel. Another brief shot focuses on his face again, revealing surprise and alarm in his eyes.

“Sorry to change the plans again, Ronin... Can't head to the base just yet. Any way you can get to my location?"

The next time we see Tsunami is in the plaza. As if physically manifesting to answer the Lion’s call, Tsunami drops in from the sky, the kanabō crashing behind him a split second after he himself lands. It seems he let go of it in midair, realizing before he touched down that he’s going to need both hands.

As he storms towards Mosi, he's entirely forgotten that he’s covered in no small amount of blood, especially for a hero, and one who hasn’t seemingly been present in the fighting thus far. Both of his outstretched hands are thoroughly stained. Parts of his pants and leg armour are coated or soiled from kneeling in the blood pool and holding the girl in his lap there while trying to comfort her. Finger shaped smears track across the left side of his face from where she touched him. Portions of his mask and shirt are smeared as well from his own hands, transferred in contact. Aside from where he gripped the handle, the kanabō is noticeably clean however.

Tsunami wastes no time even for words, closing the distance between them rapidly and immediately working to try and help shift and split the human load between them.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Rolled a 4 to Unleash his powers and strength to try and help Mosi with some dudes, so I'm sure this will all go great!

[Captain Jak]

Ronin
Conditions: Insecure
Potential: 4/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Freak: +0
• Danger: +0
• Savior: +1
• Superior: +1
• Mundane: +1

Spoiler: Moves

Show

• [X] I'll Show Them: When you defend someone who doesn’t believe in you, you can always take Influence over them, even on a miss.
• [X]All The Best Stuff: You’ve compiled access to caches of equipment and weaponry other supers have hidden in the city. When you access a cache, say whose cache it is. If it’s a hero’s, roll + Savior. If it’s a villain’s, roll + Danger. On a hit, you find a tool or intel useful to your situation; the GM will detail. On a 7-9, you leave evidence that you’ve been here. On a miss, you tripped an alarm and they’re coming; prepare to explain yourself.

Flash to a smallish panel just overlapping the last one holding Tsunami hurrying to help lighten the Lion's load. Miho is on her back on the garage floor, both hands up past the wrists in the underside of her chair.

“...Sorry to change the plans again, Ronin... Can't head to the base just yet. Any way you can get to my location?"

Next panel, it's obvious that she stiffens at this message – well, her upper body does, in any case, her lower body of course remaining as unhelpfully immobile as ever.

She clicks her tongue twice, Chisei obligingly opening her mic again. ”Absolutely!” she replies brightly; to anyone who actually knows her, the tone of voice should be taken as a warning sign, rather than a good thing. ”I mean, I have no idea how long it will take, which is why I'm, y'know, not there right now with you guys, but whatever,” she goes on glibly. ”I'll be there as soon as I can, try not to die, m'kay?,” Clicking her tongue again, and she's off-mic.

Yes, okay, that was a little extra, but really!

Bright sparks flare inside the chair where she works, casting stark shadows onto the garage walls.

"Saigo ni!*" she mutters, then raises her voice. "Run diagnostics; let's make sure that's got it and let's get moving!" Extricating her hands even as her electronic best friend begins the flight system diagnostic routine, she takes a moment to push her hair out of her face and consider her options.

"And plot least-time courses to the riverfront; direct line flight or through the quickest combination of teleportal sites, whichever gets us there soonest," she adds, knowing that the AI would be able to compile that information faster than she herself.

Time to get going, if she's going to actually appear alongside the rest of the team in this issue at all!


*Finally!

[Razade]

Razade, The GM
Pool: 1

The Team

Explosions cease, the sounds of fighting dull and the plaza grows still. Mostly. The creaking and collapsing of other buildings is loud but mostly momentary all things considered and the team stands united...mostly. Hikari is nowhere to be found and Ronin is miles away but Tsunami is back on the scene, rushing to help The Lion with his armfuls of goons. Moonshadow, Sunburst and Ground Zero stand in what remains of a building, Coyote and Bruja spent.

Sunbursts words, weak as they might have come out, have no real hope of reaching an already fallen foe. Coyote barely grants a glare to the young heroine before turning her sullen gaze elsewhere.

The fight is done. Whatever their hopes were, you've all successfully kept them from realizing them. The news and police are bound to be here soon, probably to blame you for what is not a small amount of collateral here in the plaza and wider down the river. But you know what they say, you can't beat a few bad guys without lowering the property value of a community.

There's no time for the sirens to reach you however, as the panels snap back to Tsunami and The Lion, managing their respective piles, before the blood slicked hands of Tsunami begin to lose their grip. In a flash of light and a choir of angels, large walls of light shift to catch the tumbling goons before they find themselves on the ground.

The next page is a full splash the hero, standing tall and proud in her meticulously crafted armor and flowing cape. Eyes aglow with powerful elemental energies, her radiance is absolute. Along with her name, these words stand stark on the page. The page itself is fractals behind the heroine, a rainbow hue with an extra lamented sheet to make the whole page seem holographic save for the image of Lightbringer herself. Under her name, these words remain as mute as her.

Lightbringer has arrived.

Ronin: En Route

The Smith, as one might imagine, has set teleportals all about the city to work with the architecture of their respective Ward or District, blending in so as to really only stand out for the people who know they're there. Phone booths, long since abandoned, archways built into alleyways, a railway car always in repair, each is seamless and plastic to their environment. Zipping between the ones in the Sleeping Giant Hills to the River District takes you long enough to arrive to see Lightbringer screaming down the skies.

A former, and founding, member of The Guardians West Lightbringer stands as one of the most respected and feared people throughout the city. Even now with her Authority, few dare to question her presence in the wider heroing community even if opinions curdle under her ever increasingly brutal and unforgiving methods. The true reasons for the Guardian's break remain unknown to the public, both Lightbringer's faction and the Guardians eager to keep the prying eyes of the media out.

The rest of the scene you enter, Ronin, is devastation. Your teammates have obviously won while you've been dealing with your own problems but the plaza is a ruin. Hikari remains nowhere to be found and it would seem Lightbringer has arrived just in time to save Tsunami from causing further bruises to what can only be henchmen. Your arrival so far has gone unregistered in the wider commotion.

The panels are quick to snap back to Tsunami and Lightbringer, whose gaze falls on the oni themed hero. "Need a hand, boy?" Her tone is cool in contrast to the warm light she emits, the barriers holding the various goons hovering up and away from Tsunami and The Lion effortlessly. "It would seem I have come too late, you there." she calls out to the team still in the ruins of the building. "Bring along whoever else you have in there. We can discuss this once everyone is accounted for." Her tone brooks no argument, standing stolid until Coyote and Bruja can be brought present.

"You've done commendable work." she finally speaks, eyes lighting upon each face as the sirens finally grow close. "Which one of you would like to bring me up to speed? What were the aims of these...cretins." The words slip through clenched teeth as she motions to Coyote and her ally, whose eyes remain down. Never once have they looked up at the shining figure of Lightbringer. How could they?

Who here feels they're up to addressing a beacon, a pillar, of the San Fransapporo elite? Who here really knows the answer? Is there an answer? Sunburst, do you feel anything towards this hero? She uses light, same as you, and her mastery seems so effortless. Jealousy? Awe? Revulsion? How about the rest of you?

Silk: The Orphanage

Getting Roberto from the Halohalo shop and back to the Orphanage is a piece of cake for you, Hikari. After all, no more villains remain to block your way even if they'd reached out as far as where you'd left him. That doesn't mean you were alone in your trip. Well...alone with someone else. The point is, someone followed you and they weren't too shy about you noticing even if your ward was none the wiser. Having ninja friends probably makes such a feeling second nature to you by now. As soon as you're out and actually alone however they make their presence known. Not right at the stairs of the Orphanage of course, he's as professional as you. No, a few buildings down and sitting unobtrusively on a bench alone. But you know who to look for.

He's a familiar face, not only because he has some unmistakably similar features to Koto-sensei but within the last year he's been the go to liaison between you and the ninja clan while outside of your Silk persona. The splash page names him Tumult even though he's out of costume, unusually dressed in a nice suit and tie with his usually wild orange hair swept back into a loose pony tail. The page fills in some of his motiff all the same, a traditional Eastern Dragon and falcon warring behind him with the words "Scoundrel" under his name.

"You're looking gloomy as always." his usual greeting given as he scoots to make room on the bench for you. "Would you like to grab a bite to eat? I'm famished, I know a place not too far from here. I even have reservations." He gives you a sideways glance, deftly slipping what is no doubt a message from both your handler's into your pocket. "You're going to need a meal, judging by how the night's headed."

[Captain Jak]

Ronin
Conditions: Insecure
Potential: 5/5

Spoiler: Labels

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• Freak: +0
• Danger: +0
• Savior: +1
• Superior: +1
• Mundane: +1

Spoiler: Moves

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• [X] I'll Show Them: When you defend someone who doesn’t believe in you, you can always take Influence over them, even on a miss.
• [X]All The Best Stuff: You’ve compiled access to caches of equipment and weaponry other supers have hidden in the city. When you access a cache, say whose cache it is. If it’s a hero’s, roll + Savior. If it’s a villain’s, roll + Danger. On a hit, you find a tool or intel useful to your situation; the GM will detail. On a 7-9, you leave evidence that you’ve been here. On a miss, you tripped an alarm and they’re coming; prepare to explain yourself.

Arriving late to the party, Ronin's descent provides a wonderful opportunity to show a large splash page detailing just how much destruction had been wrought in the name public safety. Hearing the events cursorily described and actually seeing their aftermath are two different things, and even as she mentally ties the two pictures together she's struck with a mix of being glad that she hadn't been there to be involved with the destruction directly and guilt that she hadn’t been able to help and perhaps keep things from getting this far.

Landing with a crunch of debris under her boots, Ronin straightens and faces Lightbringer; but not without trepidation. This...this is one of the big heroes of the city. One who is taking the fight to her Grandfather and his cronies, and taking it to them hard...and someone who's good opinion could just very well cement her own as a hero.

"Chisei, please monitor Lightbringer's responses and expressions, run them against your social matrix algorithms; let's see if we can figure out what impresses her," she asks of her friend before keying in the armour's external speakers.

”Certainly, Lightbringer,” she replies, glad that the mild uncertainty in her voice, still there since Rhobe's words had hit hard, was ironed out by the armour's vocal modulator. "Coyote and her gang are thieves; artifacts, powers, and other unsavory activities,” she lays out as background. ”She's been gathering a crew lately for something big; most likely this. They were taking hostages in the process of searching for someone; someone who had escaped after already being injured.” She hesitates a moment. ”We weren't able to get to her in time.” Without knowing exactly what was going on, yet, she was reluctant to mention the as-of-yet unexamined device that had been retrieved.

”As well as Coyote, Brujah, and their crew of muscle, there was an unknown water witch who fled before your arrival,” Ronin concludes. She hopes Chisei is having more luck on getting a read on Lightbringer; the woman is coming across as completely inscrutable to her.

I AM SORRY, MIHO; MY ALGORITHYMS WERE NOT DESIGNED TO BE APPLIED QUITE THIS INVASIVELY, Chisei apologizes. I CANNOT PROVIDE ANY RELEVANT ANALYSIS.

Her own fault, of course. ”You did your best. Make a note; see about getting some software for you that can,” she replies.

With Hikari mysteriously absent – not an uncommon occurrence, as it happens – she doesn't hesitate to step in as spokesperson; she only hopes that this doesn't end up backfiring on the team due to her unfairly derived reputation.

Spoiler: CRUNCH

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Piercing the Mask with Lightbringer: 4. Filled Potential Track

[Mr. E]

Moonshadow
Conditions: Angry, Insecure, Hopeless
Potential: 3/5

"Aw man..."

Moonshadow can't help but stare as Lightbringer drifts effortlessly into the scene, a blinding flare of eerily white light.

'Lightbringer? We're gonna be in so much trouble, aren't we...'

Suddenly feeling extremely aware of the ashy smears and dried blood on her face, Cindy reaches up to futilely scrub at her cheeks, stepping further into the shadows of the demolished building. The older hero speaks, and for a long second it seems like no-one is going to answer her, because who in their right mind would want to front up to that. When Ronin does, Moonshadow lets out a sigh of relief, spared from having to, you know, interact with one of the most powerful heroes in the city, and turns to look at the rest of the crew.

'Mosi seems fine, Hikari must be around here, somewhere, and really, what's up with that? She's team leader, she ought to be doing the talking here. Sis is kinda shaky, but that' kinda normal, and also holding hands with... Kai and blushing. We gotta have a talk about her taste in mind.' Cindy throws Kai a death glare, noting his torn shirt with a distinctly disapproving expression, before continuing to scan the circle. Abruptly stopping on Tsunami, Cindy's eyes widen slightly, 'cause s******** that's like, all the blood.'

As Ronin continues to fill Lightbringer in, Moonshadow hurries around the edge of the circle, trying to avoid eye-contact with the adult hero as she goes, before popping up at Tsunami's side. Leaning in close, she notes the empty expression in his eyes, the blood on his hands but not on his weapon, the way he doesn't immediately respond to her presence, worry building in her mind.

"Uso, are you alright? What happened?"