New Harbour Needs Heroes! (IC)

[Llyarden]

Wildcard: Well, that makes two of us who are bad at pretending, so it's much of a muchness who does what.
Wildcard: I guess I'll head over and check that my ambush site is still intact, and let you know once I'm in position. Keep this...uh, whatever it is...up so we can keep in touch.

And unless Platformer had any further modifications to the plan to suggest, Jake would take off in the direction of his potential ambush site. He wasn't exactly the most subtle of people, but once upon a time he knew these entrances had been well-hidden by people much smarter than he was. Hopefully enough of the concealment would be left to make up the difference.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Platformer: I call it the Chat, and will do.

While he waited for Wildcard to give the word, Kevin considered if there was anything worth doing in the meantime. He could Chat Morningstar and try to get some information. It wasn't particularly much risk, since the Chat wouldn't offer any indication of his position. If the collars restricted action, they could at least maybe put a plan together for once he broke her free. If they compelled obedience, then even if she alerted the Leoni that there was a hero somewhere in the vicinity, they'd still have to spread out and look for him. Kevin wasn't stealthy in the general sense, but when you could just stand around a corner and watch people with a third-person camera angle, you didn't really need to be. Anyone who came his way would find him easily, of course, but he wasn't concerned about throwing down with a few Leoni. He was only marginally concerned with throwing down with the entire group of guards present. And this would allow him to see how the Leoni responded to a potential threat in the vicinity, and maybe spread them out before he made his initial attack, improving his chance to successfully pull.

Reward outweighed risk, by his mind, so he went ahead and opened up another Chat.

Platformer: I've got eyes on you and the other hostages. Working out a plan of attack. Anything you can tell me?

...

Platformer: Also, uh, nice to see you again? Uh, how's adulthood treating you?

...Yeah, Kevin was...Kevin was not the best at the talky stuff. But in fairness like seriously what do you say to a former classmate who may or may not be some level of mind controlled when you see them taken hostage by alien slavers?

[Starsign]

Another day saved, as the heroes would say. Blackcoat wondered how Earth could be so intriguing that aliens would often come to it, usually in arms rather than in diplomacy. While he's seen centuries of Earth's history, he had no clue what the world beyond the sky was like. Did he want to know? Perhaps he would, one day. After all, he is immortal.

Taking the other leader's weapon away, Blackcoat walked over the open hole of the ship and looked down where Scylla fell. He couldn't see anything but the blue-and-white ocean water beneath him, barely hearing its waves in contrast to the roaring wind. It doesn't show on his composed face, but he did care for Scylla's condition. Finding her in an ocean, however, was like searching for fool's gold, and she was safer recovering in the sea than on land. Besides, taking out the captains of the ship doesn't bring down the ship itself. He can't leave something like this active and floating.

Walking over to the bridge of the ship he's on, Blackcoat looks over the controls of the ship, making enough sense of it to find the intercom mic captains use to shout orders across the ship. He switches it on so every leonine invader still on the ship can hear him. "This be Captain Blackcoat of Earth. All ye crew still on this ship, STAND DOWN. Ye cap'ns are down an' I be ready t' sink these if ye don't take this down t' land an' turn ye'selves in. If any o' ye refuse, come to me and me blade, an' meet the fate ye cap'ns met!" Blackcoat's thunderous voice is no less impactful through an intercom than in-person. Maybe the remaining resisting invaders will get the point metaphorically, rather than physically.

Spoiler: OOC

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Not sure if it's needed but I was hoping to make another opportunity with Blackcoat's The Pirate's Terrifying Presence. If allowed I'd like to do use the intercom to, well, affect as many on the two alien ships as I can. If rolls are needed, DC 20 Will vs Impaired/Disabled/Controlled to stand down.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

Scylla waves and smiles. "Ha! Hi guys! Looks like you got 'em! Just keep them knocked out until we can bring them in - they like to teleport around." She again looks up at the two entangled airships above. "So, what else did I miss?"

Rutherford's booming voice answers as if on cue. Last Scylla saw, the lions' crew had pretty much evacuated, but it's possible that they came back while she was unconscious. They do like to teleport around, after all.

"Okay, got it! Come on, let's board those wrecks and bring them down for anchor!" Does that phrase even make sense? Probably not. Scylla never went out of her way to learn any actual nautical terminology. She doesn't stop to let anyone else question it. "Who wants to come up with me?"

A jet of water erupts from the water off the Eternal's stern and rises to the silhouettes in the sky, forming an aquatic elevator. Anyone can volunteer to join her boarding party as long as they don't mind getting soaked.

At any rate, it's not long before it becomes apparent that the crews have yet to return. Scylla's next step is to rejoin Blackcoat on the bridge of the floating vessel to help land these things and investigate their contents. She gently lands about ten feet away before approaching him. "Hey. Sorry if I got carried away there. These guys were really strong." She water-slides the second unconscious raid leader on top of the first and confiscates their weapons before she forgets. "So, where do we take these guys? I guess the station, right? They have the multi-dimensionated cell or whatever it's called?"

[LoonyLadle]

In the prison cells Jill's warden let out a barking laugh (could lion people bark?) "Technology? We need no such crutch to travel the time ways, we are its apex predators!" Behind Jill her cellmate tried to keep a straight face at such a bold pronouncement but something the girl said had caught his attention, he didn't have a clue what cold fusion was but if she thought that it was impressive enough to be able to trade for her freedom then she might be more useful than he had assumed. "You can work wonders? Explain yourself!" An idea had gotten him saddled with this thankless job but he was starting to get the kernel of another...

Jill bit her lip. If she was understanding the unstated implications correctly, these people had some kind of natural time-warping ability that was not technologically-based. A lot of technological innovations came from imitating life but it was a lot of R&D time and not Jill's forte. An old adage comes to mind; a good scientist is a person with original ideas, a good engineer solves problems with as few original ideas as possible. And, to be frank, experimenting on sentient beings was not an idea she particularly relished -- especially beings as... self-assured as these.

But Jill recognized that expression. At least, she recognizes what that expression means on a human. It was the face of a man with a chip on his shoulder hatching a plan for vengeance. If Jill backed out now, it would end badly for her... but, she might also be able to turn the situation to her advantage. Just getting out of this situation alive would be a big win.

Jill lets herself relax subtly, making her look softer, more malleable, more... feminine. She begins channeling her best used-car-salesman energy. "Really?" she murmurs to the jailer. "You know what? Forget the cold fusion. How do mechanized slaves that never get tired, never need to eat or sleep, and who never resist orders sound to you? I'm talking about automation. No more need to take slaves, no more use for the wyrm, no more losing men and ships to self-proclaimed heroes. Interested?"

Spoiler: Mechanics Stuff!

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(1d20+10)[18] Persuasion check!

Maaan, have I rolled a single die above average this whole game?

[Dodgeson]

Scurrying off to his hiding place Wildcard was right to put his faith in the Protectorate's ability to hide the entrances to their base of operation, after all despite how long it had been since their brave sacrifice none of them had been discovered yet, and he managed to clear the distance without being spotted by the Leoni guards. Once he was there it was simply a matter of rearranging an innocuous cluster of rocks in the correct sequence and the entrance slid open, leading down in to the dark and the tunnels that ran beneath park.

The wyrm wasn't mere mind control, it ate possibility, consuming the victims futures until the only possible tomorrow left was the one that the Chainmaker had designed but Jill had already proven that this wasn't unbreakable and Morningstar had a magic trinket on side. Platformer's Chat was just the nudge the girl needed and with a pulse of light from her choker the silver creature around her neck began to wither.

Morningstar: Where the hell I am...?
Morningstar: Last thing I remember I got jumped by some furries...

"You should listen to her." 'Boss' finally decided to chip in, grinning confidently behind her sun glasses "She sounds pretty smart, and I mean are you gonna get a better offer? I don't know how much you know about this city but let me put it this way, those things you're throwing around didn't work on us and we didn't even put up a fight. Who else do you think might be out there?"

One thing was it was important to realise about the Leoni is that while slaves did form an underclass upon which their entire society sat, that wasn't the only reason they marauded across time, they revelled in having slaves and lauding their power over them. That didn't do much good for the Leoni on the bottom of the totem pole though who were often only a hair away from them and their jailer certainly liked the idea of having something even lower down then they were, even if it was just a machine.

"My cup is too empty to be listening to this prattle." They said already turning away from their cell "I hope I don't drop anything." Unfortunately for them they had only taken a few steps away before something slipped from their pocket, a key hitting the ground with a 'thunk' landing tantalisingly close to Jill and her cellmate...

"So we're going to knock him out right?"

Fresh from defeating the ship's captain Blackcoat bellowed his demands through the ship's intercom and while the vessel he was standing on was empty a small handful of Leoni crewmen emerged from the bowls of the other ship, dropping their weapons and holding their hands in the air in surrender.

Back down on the Eternal, Scylla's advice was met with a hearty "Aye aye ma'am!" she wasn't technically part of the crew but she was friends with the Captain and she'd earned her bonifides, it was close enough and what few Leoni were still conscious were met with a swift coldcocking. With that done the aquatic heroine quickly assembled a small boarding party and it was a quick waterspout ride back up to the alien ship, Scylla's assumption was pretty much on the money, whilst New Harbour's police department weren't as well funded and equipped as say Tomorrow's Science Authority (although Astonishing Industries' investment in the city might be about to change that), they had at least the capability to hold super criminals for a while until they could be transported to a more secure facility.

[Quellian-dyrae]

On the one hand seeing that weird collar start degrading as Morningstar responded to his chat brought a little grin to Kevin's face. On the other hand even if the Leoni hadn't noticed the flash one of them might spot the collar wearing away, so this added a bit of time pressure to making a move. And it meant keeping Morningstar with them, which was solidly worth it as far as Kevin was concerned but might throw a wrench into Wildcard's plan given his desire to keep whatever ambush spot he had a secret.

Platformer: Hey it looks like whatever those collar thingies do Morningstar's breaking out of it.
Platformer: So if you don't want her to know about your ambush site or whatever I guess we'll need a different one.
Platformer: Current plan is some sort of distraction to give Morningstar a chance to move, get around cover, maybe do some corner-sniping, then head whatever way you want us to head so you can ambush whoever's following us.
Platformer: Going to need to move soon though before they notice she's free.
Platformer: Thoughts?

Platformer: Yeah they're the Leoni. They're here to restock their slave supply because a slave rebellion kinda wrecked their civilization or something.
Platformer: You'd think they'd maybe take that as a good reason to stop with the whole enslaving people bit, but here we are.
Platformer: Competent in a fight, got some sort of time-shenanigan tech or powers or some such.
Platformer: Me and another hero came to stop them. You're cordially invited to join us.
Platformer: Hashing out a plan, but it's probably going to involve blasting the Leoni with something. When I do, you head my way and then we'll head his way. Blasting more Leoni on the way encouraged but not required.

[Llyarden]

It wasn't until he started messing with the rock password that Jake realised he'd actually used this entrance once before, with Rachel, when one of their few hero-free dates had been interrupted by an intelligent giant ant armed with a flamethrower. Living in New Harbour had always been an interesting experience. Long story short, this had been the closest entrance to the Protectorate base - and therefore the safest place for Jake to take shelter while Rachel went paragon-ing off.

He...yeah, he did kinda pause for a moment as he realised that, looking down into the slightly-more-dilapidated-than-last-time tunnel.

And then Platformer's Chat message popped up.

Wildcard: It's fine, it's just...something I don't want to make public unless I have to.
Wildcard: Send Morningstar the map I sent you once she's free.

I mean yeah objectively the more people that knew Wildcard's connection to the Protectorate the more likely it would be that his - and Rachel's - secret identities started unravelling, but he wasn't about to mess up the whole plan just to try to protect that. Besides, Morningstar was a hero too, she'd probably understand the whole secret identity thing.

[LoonyLadle]

Jill smiles to the Boss for her show of support, a smile that turns itself around when she hears the jailer-cat-time-person's response. Cup is too empty? Must be a cultural idiom, one Jill can't quite parse the meaning of. If he's saying he has nothing to lose, then surely that means he would want to-

Jill's thoughts on the situation get short-circuited as the jailer blatantly drops the means of her freedom within easy reach. She feels a little dizzy as a thousand trains derail themselves in her head, but quickly snatches up the key before the opportunity has a chance to fade. She can work out the logic of the situation later.

So we're going to knock him out right? "Ummmm..." Jill intoned, uncertainty gripping her. She isn't really sure how the jailer-cat expects her breaking out of here to benefit him, unless he is really desperate to wreak whatever small petty revenges he can on his superiors. Maybe he just doesn't want to listen to her beautiful Gaelic voice anymore. Whatever. Not her problem! Maybe her problem? She'll need live subjects to experiment with. But she also needs to be literally anywhere other than here as a foremost concern.

She shakes her head vigorously. "I guess that's how it's usually done?" she says, still sounding unsure. Important for their conspirator's position they not be seen as having let them get away. "Can't really sneak in these heels. Can you fight?" No point getting out of the cell just to get captured again. Her captors might not be so forgiving the second time.

She readies herself for action, eying her wrench on the far side of the room. They'd at least remembered to disarm her this time.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

Using more slides and jets of seawater, Scylla gathers the incapacitated lions onto the deck of one airship, thinking that it's the most efficient way to get them all to jail. It's only when she reaches for the wheel again that she realizes the flaw in this plan.

"...so, we probably shouldn't actually fly this thing over the city like this, huh?" She tests the controls again, and another chunk of wood and metal falls some fifty meters to splash into the drink. "It'll just fall apart. That, and I can't even find a lever to make it go up or down. I guess they mostly move it with their own teleport powers?"

Scylla taps her foot as she looks from the wheel to the pile of evil kitties and back. She's already tired of thinking about this.

"So, whatever! Let's just load them on a lifeboat and I'll take them myself." A geyser lifts a lifeboat from the deck of the Eternal up to the flying deck for the purpose. "I'll have to make... Two trips, I think?"

[Starsign]

Blackcoat shook his head disappointingly at the few leonine invaders who came up and surrendered. He had expected more remaining on the ship from what he thought were the main invading ships. Were they scouting ships? Or had they instead been ships whose crews already disembarked and boarded elsewhere? He'd bring those surrounded to their knees and demand their plans. However, Scylla's convenient timing, and the boarding party assembled from Blackcoat's own crew, told him that all was taken care of.

"Ye be reckless indeed," Blackcoat responded with a surprisingly relaxed look towards the younger hero. "But ye done well, crashin' both those ships like that. Sure sent 'em all in a panic." He looked over Scylla quickly, seeing herself all revitalized after being brutally beaten down. It's fortunate that some heroes can recover so fast, while the human has to heal as slowly as anyone else... Although his capacity to withstand pain is well beyond that of mortals.

Looking over his own crew, Blackcoat directs them to help Scylla move the leonine captives all to one ship, letting the younger hero take command of the situation, up until the problem becomes apparent for both of them. Not that Blackcoat ever had a good way of moving unconscious villains, himself. In fact, he was quite certain Scylla had a better idea than him, and she certainly did. It was just missing one crucial step.

"There ain't a need fer 'nother trip," he says with the mild mindset of a chuckle. "Now I tried usin' these an' they be 'bout as confusin' as all else outside this gem o' a planet. But this ain't to say we can't get someone else t' teach us." He motions his crew to bring one of the unconscious leonine leaders to their knees, and preferably woken up with a brutal splash of ice cold water. "We be makin' 'em talk t' tell us how to pilot this to the station."

There is a pause before he clarifies, with a healthier look, "Make 'em talk, *morally*, o' course." While Blackcoat changed greatly over the years, he's always abided by one important creed: no torture. Bad for business, bad for his reputation, bad for making friends, and just all around bad.

[Dodgeson]

Morningstar was still as she read (thought?) Platformer's message but it wouldn't exactly help her to stay hidden as then light from the girl's choker began to glow ever brighter, after a moment Kevin received another message.

Morningstar: Close your eyes

That was all the warning Platformer got before she launched herself high in to the air above the crowd, sheathed in a brilliant white light that drew all the eyes that weren't currently ensnared by sinister silver circlets straight to her. this was of course exactly what she was hoping. Platformer would have pretty good idea of what was about to happen next, back at St Ambrose Morningstar's opening gambit was an omnidirectional burst of light so often that it became something of a signature of hers and time didn't seem to have changed that.

"Try and jump me now!" Morning star yelled, shining like the sun.

Spoiler: OOC

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Platformer make a DC20 Defence Save and if you fail that a DC20 Fortitude Save vs Impaired&Vulnerable/Disabled&Defenceless. Though it is sense-based so averting your gaze grants you a +10 to the Defence save so that's probably moot.

Spoiler: Why Do I Do This To Myself?

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Leoni Guard #1 (1d20+8)[20],(1d20+8)[20] Resist
Leoni Guard #2 (1d20+8)[22],(1d20+8)[17] Resist

Leoni Raider #1 (1d20+8)[22],(1d20+8)[14] Resist
Leoni Raider #2 (1d20+8)[14],(1d20+8)[15] Disabled & Defenceless
Leoni Raider #3 (1d20+8)[12],(1d20+8)[16] Disabled & Defenceless
Leoni Raider #4 (1d20+8)[14],(1d20+8)[10] Disabled & Defenceless
Leoni Raider #5 (1d20+8)[25],(1d20+8)[23] Resist
Leoni Raider #6 (1d20+8)[17],(1d20+8)[28] Resist
Leoni Raider #7 (1d20+8)[11],(1d20+8)[26] Resist
Leoni Raider #8 (1d20+8)[10],(1d20+8)[9] Disabled & Defenceless
Leoni Raider #9 (1d20+8)[10],(1d20+8)[20] Resist
Leoni Raider #10 (1d20+8)[25],(1d20+8)[13] Resist
Leoni Raider #11 (1d20+8)[23],(1d20+8)[10] Resist
Leoni Raider #12 (1d20+8)[20],(1d20+8)[25] Resist
Leoni Raider #13 (1d20+8)[9],(1d20+8)[10] Disabled & Defenceless
Leoni Raider #14 (1d20+8)[17],(1d20+8)[21] Resist
Leoni Raider #15 (1d20+8)[21],(1d20+8)[11] Resist
Leoni Raider #16 (1d20+8)[9],(1d20+8)[14] Disabled & Defenceless
Leoni Raider #17 (1d20+8)[17],(1d20+8)[14] Disabled & Defenceless
Leoni Raider #18 (1d20+8)[21],(1d20+8)[20] Resist

Back above the docks Captain Blackheart's crew ably assist Scylla in moving the unconscious Leoni on to one ship, not that she needed much help really, there wasn't much several hearty pirates could accomplish that she couldn't with her waterspouts. Once they were all gathered in one fuzzy pile, one of the leaders was pulled out and dragged before the heroes, an icy splash of water later and they forced back in to the waking world with much coughing and spluttering.

"What in blazes?!" The Leoni raid leader snarled, his eyes promising a swift and painful death to anyone that met his gaze, however how effective this was was up for debate though, the lingering effects of his earlier defeat leaving him without the power to simply vanish from the deck and the sheer weight of numbers before him telling him that fighting his way out was not an option right now.

"You'll get nothing out of me!"

[Quellian-dyrae]

...Well, that appeared effective.

Well-prepared for the blast given his experience with Morningstar's fighting style in St. Ambrose, Kevin averted his camera angle from it easily. Several of the Leoni appeared affected. Also from past experience, he knew that would make them easy targets. It would still leave enough Leoni to be something of a handful, but there was definitely something to be said for alpha strikes...

Platformer: Morningstar just dazzled like a third of their force. I'mma take them out and throw some defense up.
Platformer: If you can get back here fast, more crowd control could be a winning move here.
Platformer: We can always switch back to tactics if there are enough left to make it worth it.
Platformer: Chat going down for a few.

And with that sent, Kevin sprang over whatever building he was standing behind, yelling out "IT'SAMEEEEEE!" while hurling a flurry of hammers at the Leoni who appeared most affected by Morningstar's attack (and taking some pot-shots for a few others), before conjuring up a Hylian shield to fend any return attacks.

Kevin wasn't great at crowd control without a power-up...but that was assuming an enemy fully capable of defending itself.

Spoiler

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Free: Reconfigure Game Mechanics. 6 points to Platforming, 4 points to Third-Person Viewpoint, 10 points to Stomp->Strike, 10 points to Shoot, 10 points to Striking Flurry, 10 points to Block.

Move: Jump into the park proper. I'll more-or-less try to land so more enemies are further away, prioritizing proximity to enemies Morningstar affected.

Standard: Attack the seven Leoni raiders Morningstar affected and three others, Accurate Attacking for 2, Defensive Attacking for 2, Multiattacking for 10. I'll Routine against the Defenseless ones and just fish for luck on the other three: (1d20)[9], (1d20)[10], (1d20)[4]. On a hit, Toughness DC 23 vs. Damage. Kevin is Deflected at 1d10+18 for the next two turns. Eh, they were long-shots

Current Status: Fatigued, +2 Defense this turn, Deflected (1d10+18, SE).

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

Scylla only needs to look at the raider for a second. She doesn't really do interrogations, much less the kind these pirates are capable of, but she does do mind games. She even managed to bluff Blackcoat into thinking she's back in fighting shape. In truth, she's on the verge of falling apart again and really no better off than the suspect we just woke up, but no one else needs to know that.

"I believe you. The Chainmaker must have treated you all very well, to earn that kind of loyalty." She turns to Blackcoat, but speaks clearly enough that the raider knows she doesn't mind him hearing. "I'll start moving the next lifeboat full to the prison."

The seed's been planted. Of course the raiders won't to admit to her that their master treats them like dirt. She's the enemy! But when she just gives them idea, makes them ask the question themselves... well, why would a villain called Chainmaker treat their minions like anything but dirt? Would selling out that villain really be so bad, if it meant freedom for yourself and your crew?

She lets Rutherford take the interrogation from here. She needs to start getting these kitties to the jail before more of them start waking up.

[Starsign]

With the enemy leader restrained, bound, and overall helpless, there was little need to hurry anything. And on that note, Blackcoat let Scylla speak, interrogate, and trick the leonine leader as she likes. To the pirate, Scylla was someone who always did what she felt she should do, and does so without hesitation. There's something both admirable and impressive about that headstrong attitude, even to someone as old as Blackcoat.

And, evidently, she's learned more than he has about these invaders. The Chainmaker? A curious, if frightening name. Perhaps someone who commands over these raid leaders. Blackcoat thinks briefly, then decides against bringing it up. It's better to let others think that the two know more than they actually do.

Interrogations require a lot of knowing about your captive, and more importantly about them knowing as little as possible about you. Blackcoat knows better than to say more than what is necessary, but also focus on the captive's emotional and mental state. "So ye 'eard 'er. We takin' ye an' these ships o' ye to our own locker 'ere on Earth. An' if y' don't wish to speak, then we sure bet that this, ye only escape off this planet, could be nothin' but rubble without someone to tell us how to fly it."

Whether the leonine leader cooperates, or not, is of little concern to Blackcoat. Instead, he eyes the captive with a fierce, focused look and making measure of the alien's thoughts through the reaction, expressions and attitude. When you work and understand people as long as Blackcoat has, you can recognize what one is thinking with the most subtle of visual and audible cues. It is those thoughts which lead to the results Blackcoat wants.

Spoiler: OOC

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So this seems like a good time to use Seen 'em All, Know 'em All: Mind Reading 10, Subtle 2, Limited to Surface Thoughts. Let's get an idea of what the raid leader is presently thinking. Should be DC 20 Will to resist.

[Llyarden]

"What the - oh, geez." Before he'd been able to formulate a reply to Platformer, the weird heads-up display thing vanished abruptly. "And back we go again," he sighed.

A few moments later, he came spiralling out of the air on a rather unstable-looking tornado wrapped around his legs and just kinda went pinballing through the Leoni, one fist wreathed in stone and almost as big as his whole body, opting for the time-honoured classic of brute force and ignorance. In his other hand he held a few specks of plant energy wrapped in a whirlwind, which he'd try to tag one of the other Leoni with if the opportunity presented itself, potentially trussing them up in vines and hurling them at their compatriot.

Spoiler: OOC

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Free: Set Control Elements; Platform Flight 4, Elemental Blast and 25 random points: Whirling Winds, Vine Snare and one-half Leech Life.
Move: Arrive.
Free: Reconfigure Control Elements to Damage 10 [Physical] Linked Close Move Object 10 Linked Affliction 10
Standard: Takedown 2 my way through the minions with Elemental Blast, and if at some point I happen to be adjacent to one of the non-minions I'll throw the Move Object Linked Affliction on one of them to throw them at another one. Power Attacking for 2.
Minions: Routine 18 for DC27 Toughness vs Damage.
Non-Minion: (1d20+8)[11] for DC22 Dodge vs Hindered+Vulnerable/Defenceless+Immobilised and DC22 Strength/Dodge vs Move Object to be thrown at the other non-minion at (1d20+8)[22]

Status: Fine.

[Dodgeson]

With the Leoni already reeling from Morningstar's opening salvo, Platformer and Wildcard leapt in to action, and while they may have given up the element of surprise they quickly dropped a third of the guards before the spots could even begin to clear from their eyes, so that was something.

"Don't let them get away!" One of the guards roared before promptly vanishing in to the timeways to warn the Chainmaker of the heroes' arrival. The guard quickly drew their bow and sent a shimmering bolt of energy skywards towards Morningstar while their subordinates vanished quickly reappearing with their staves drawn surrounding the other two heroes, even if one of them didn't really look like they knew where they were right now.

Predictably none of the crowd reacted to this in the slightest.

Spoiler: OOC

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Leoni Guard #1
Standard: Prepare to be yelled at
Move: Teleport away

Leoni Guard #2
Move: Nah
Standard: Attack Morningstar with Energy Bow (1d20+8)[10] DC23 Toughness & DC18 Fortitude vs Impaired/Disabled if that hits Miss
Morningstar Toughness vs DC23 (1d20+10)[14]
Morningstar Fortitude vs Impaired/Disabled (DC18) (1d20+10)[18]

Leoni Raider #1
Move: Teleport in to Close with Platformer
Standard: Aid Leoni Raider #3 (1d20+13)[18] vs DC10 +2

Leoni Raider #2
Move: Teleport in to Close with Platformer
Standard: Team Attack with Leoni Raider #3 (1d20+13)[33] vs DC18 +5

Leoni Raider #3
Move: Teleport in to Close with Platformer
Standard: +2 Power Attack Platformer with Stun Staff (1d20+6)[16] vs DC25 Toughness & DC20 Fortitude vs Cumulative Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated if that hits. Miss

Leoni Raider #4
Move: Teleport in to Close with Platformer
Standard: Aid Leoni Raider #5 (1d20+13)[24] vs DC10 +5

Leoni Raider #5
Move: Teleport in to Close with Platformer
Standard: +2 Power Attack Platformer with Stun Staff (1d20+6)[10] vs DC25 Toughness & DC20 Fortitude vs Cumulative Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated if that hits. Miss

Leoni Raider #6
Move: Teleport in to Close with Wildcard
Standard: Aid Leoni Raider #8 (1d20+13)[18] vs DC10 +2

Leoni Raider #7
Move: Teleport in to Close with Wildcard
Standard: Team Attack with Leoni Raider #8 (1d20+13)[30] vs DC16 +5

Leoni Raider #8
Move: Teleport in to Close with Wildcard
Standard: +2 Power Attack Wildcard with Stun Staff (1d20+6)[13] vs DC25 Toughness & DC20 Fortitude vs Cumulative Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated if that hits. Miss

Leoni Raider #10
Move: Teleport in to Close with Wildcard
Standard: Aid Leoni Raider #9 (1d20+8)[16] vs DC10 +2
End of Turn: Roll to remove Disabled&Defenceless (DC20) (1d20+3)[6] Nope

Leoni Raider #9
Move: Teleport in to Close with Wildcard
Standard: Attack Wildcard with Stun Staff (1d20+8)[11] vs DC23 Toughness & DC18 Fortitude vs Cumulative Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated if that hits. Miss

"He earns our loyalty through right of blood, he will see our glory restored on the back of you apes!" The alien shot back at Scylla defiantly and as far as Blackcoat could tell the would be alien invader genuinely believed what he was saying, but beneath that was an undercurrent of fear and desperation, whatever was happening in the city now was the last throw of the dice for them and if his raiding party had encountered opposition like this then what did that mean for all the rest?

While the captain was busy taking the measure of the captive alien, his crew was busy loading the others on to the lifeboat while they were still unconcious, giving a judicious blow to the head of any that showed signs of coming around, or just to any they thought they saw twitch. Either way it didn't take long to get the first pile moved around ready for transport.

"Ready when you are ma'am!" One of the crew helpfully informed her, dumping the last of the first batch unceremoniously in to the lifeboat.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Kevin met the assault from five Leoni raiders with quick dodges and blocks. Five modestly superhuman opponents at once was something of a tough order, but he came out of it only taking one significant hit, taking a chunk off of his lifebar and leaving him momentarily hitstunned. Nothing he couldn't take.

Kevin kinda smirked at the guard's order. Them getting away was going to be the least of the Leonis' worries. Skippy blinked off rather than joining the fight though, which presumably meant reinforcements would be arriving shortly.

While Kevin may have been most used to the luxury of being proactive when dealing with large enemy forces (i.e. thoroughly exploring the entire level while they waited patiently at their spawn points), any experienced gamer would know the proper strategy for wave battles. The downside was no opportunity to heal and recover MP and such between fights, necessitating more aggressive use of restorative items and powers. The upside, though, was that an early buff could pay dividends for much longer. (Granted, this was somewhat less true when your buffs went away when you took damage, but whatever.)

So rather than start wading through the mooks, Kevin took aim on the guard that had attacked Morningstar and hurled a flurry of fireballs at him. "Let's see if you've got anything for me..."

Spoiler

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Free: Reconfigure Game Mechanics. 10 points to Stomp->Strike, 10 points to Shoot, 10 points to Striking Flurry, 20 points to Boost Items.

Move: Dazed.

Standard: Attack Leoni Guard 2 at (1d20+10)[20]. On a hit, Toughness DC 25+Multiattack vs. Damage. If he fails by two degrees or more, Kevin gains a Power Up adding Burst Area and Selective to his Damage.

End of Turn: Secondary Effect triggers. Kevin is Deflected at 1d10+18.

Current Status: 1 Bruise, Fatigued, Deflected (1d10+18).

[Llyarden]

Five of the Leoni came at him with their electric staves. Jake blocked and dodged some of them, but a neat triple attack from another three of them left him taking a solid blow from the stun weapon.

He didn't even flinch.

"I mean, points for hitting me, I guess, but you might want to try harder next time. Not that you're going to get a next time."

Now, it was worth noting that while Jake could (somewhat) control his wild powers with nothing but strength of will if he didn't use them to their full extent, if he wanted to ramp up to maximum power, he had to rely on his 'magic' mental constructs to keep everything under control. And so it might have kinda surprised Platformer, as Wildcard raised his hands and brought swirling shadows around him, that he shouted out something that sounded like nothing more than a made-up magic spell.

"Tenebris Ostium!"

Shadows rushed from him, whirling at the Leoni who'd attacked him before flying out towards the other raiders if its power hadn't been dissipated by then, while a plume of black-purple flames erupted from beneath the one who was attacking Morningstar, seeking to take control of the apparent field leader of the group.

And when the shadows were gone, Wildcard himself was nowhere to be seen.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Move: Power up Amplify Elements.
Free: Set Control Elements to Elemental Blast, 4 points of Range, and 45 random points: Vine Snare, Nightmare, Disintegrate, Ignite, one-half Midnight.
Free: Configure Control Elements: Range 4, Damage 10 [Darkness, Spiritual] (Alternate Resistance: Defence) Linked Concealment Attack [All Visual] (Blending) Linked Affliction 10 [Entranced/Compelled/Controlled] (Secondary Effect)
Standard: Attack the Leoni Minions with Damage and Takedown 2, the remaining non-Minion with Affliction, and myself with Concealment. Power Attacking for 2, Routining against the Minions for DC27 Defence vs damage (starting with the ones that were attacking me and working outwards, I guess).
Guard 2: (1d20+8)[16] for DC22 Will vs Entranced/Compelled/Controlled

Status: Visually Concealed.

[Starsign]

The predictable thing about interrogating people is that they will always be defensive, always give an expression of strength, and always try and prove that they will be neither intimidated nor swayed. Whether they can keep that up in the face of torment is a different story; Blackcoat has seen and heard many stories of soldiers and corsairs succumbing to the brutality of cold torture or isolation For him, however, he could find more from a close look rather than through physical force.

The signs were prevalent on the raid leader's face: wild eyes devoid of anger and fury; a mouth stretching far too wide for what he's saying; a forward head jerk indicating a need to respond forcefully rather than a choice to. Something had gone wrong for the leonine invaders, and it wasn't something that they could recover from. This didn't tell Blackcoat how to pilot the ship, but it did indicate that crashing it was probably the least of the leonine's worries.

Thus, a different outcome is needed, one to reveal how many other invaders came with them.

"Glory? The Chainmaker ain't sailin' fer much o' a crew now," The human pirate looks over at the damaged, static, and overall helpless state of the ship. "Don't need t' prick ye eye to tell ye ain't got nothin' left. No backup, no 'Plan B.' 'fraid t' say ye bet all on raidin' a planet far better than ye thought." Blackcoat can only wonder how many alien races underestimate Earth; so many invade, and every time they are repelled. "Ye be lucky ye found me; plenty other people o' this planet would do far worse t' ye than I." He wasn't bluffing; there are plenty of opportunists and villains who'd do far worse to aliens with superior technology than heroes rehabilitating them to prison.

"So ye tell me this," Blackcoat continues, giving the leonine invader a focused, yet genuine look in the eyes, "Did ye really come alone? If ye care 'bout ye kind, ye goals, and whatever's left that ye brought to this planet, ye best speak. Else, ye best pray I don't come tellin' ye be the last o' ye kind."

Was it a harsh warning? Perhaps; the invaders are probably well equipped to fend for themselves for a time. But these two ships were bested by a pair of heroes, with plenty of superpowered people in and around New Harbour. It overall is better for heroes to stop invaders than letting them run into potentially worse things on Earth. Whether this is effective, however, is beyond Blackcoat's understanding of aliens; confronting them is a relatively newer experience for the immortal pirate.

Spoiler: OOC

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So while I originally wrote this as Persuasion, I'm not sure if Bluff fits better. Both ate +18, though, so I'll let Dodgeson decide which is more accurate: (1d20+18)[37]

[Dodgeson]

Wildcard's shadows and flames tore through the the alien invaders while Platformer hurled fireballs towards the bow-armed guard and Morningstar rained down a hail of light from above, when all was said on done only one of them was left standing, though it was too their credit that they hadn't seemed to have taken more than a minor scratch from the concentrated fire, in fact he seemed more perturbed than anything by the large red and yellow flower that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Bobbing up and down and defusing in to chunky pixels around it's edges it was certainly unusual to say the least, which for a slave stealing lion man from outside of time was saying something, but they didn't have time to waste puzzling it out, they were clearly outmatched and outgunned in the current situation but they still had one card left to play.

"STAND DOWN NOW!" They roared "Or it ends for the cattle!"

Spoiler: OOC

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Leoni Guard #2
Move: Dazed
Standard: Ready an Action

Watching their raiding party be loaded unconscious on to a life boat had done a lot impress the situation on him but, exactly unaware of how Blackcoat was reading him like book, they decide to keep up their bravado even as the continued to comply with the Captain.

"You think this is all of us? You can stop two ships but the rest of the fleet will have already taken this city. You're sealed off, no help is coming and once the rest of you cattle have been sent to the palace ship you will never see them again!" He growled, but with how things have played, most of the threat had been deflated for the moment but if Scylla or Blackcoat turned their eyes towards the city they would notice something in the skyline that certainly hadn't been there this morning. The strange and alien silhouette of the Leoni Palaceship!

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

While this is going on, Scylla and her captives ride a tidal wave through the city's streets, her psychic command keeping it and the lifeboat safely in one lane. She notices that she apparently needn't have bothered being so careful. In all her time here, town has never felt quite so... abandoned.

Still, she doesn't really have time to question what gives. She pulls in front of the police station, throws open the front door and whistles to get everyone's attention. "So! Attention everyone with a badge and cuffs! Suspects are subdued and ready for... booking..."

One assumes at this point that the station is mysteriously abandoned, or at least more sparsely populated than usual.

[Starsign]

Hearing the desperate bravado and bluster, Blackcoat took the threat without a lick of response on his face. The human captain stood up and looked out the gaping hole made in the ship, looking out towards the city, and indeed, he sees the unusually-shaped ship which had not been there previously. The palaceship's size clearly towered over the ones which Blackcoat and Scylla took over. He had to admit, it's size was impressive, and he'd not seen something quite as large before. At the same time, it backed up what the pirate got out of the raid leader: this really was all they had left. One normally does not send in their greatest ship to raid. If they did, it's because it is all they had left and absolutely must succeed.

"So that be it?" Blackcoat asks the raid leader without looking back at him. While it is a very dangerous ship, based on size alone, it wasn't the fleet which Blackcoat had been warned about. Ye last ship sent out when there's nothin' else. He folds his arms, while his crew look on in wonder and horror. "Then I jus' board an' take it over like t' others."

A ship is still a ship, regardless of size. It just might take a bit longer.

"Everyone assemble! he shouts to his crew. "Find an' take ye positions as ye can. T' rest, keep an eye on th' captives. Thar be a ship to board!"

Without any actual knowledge on piloting an alien ship, Blackcoat moves to the bridge to check over the piloting controls. Rather than try and lower the ship, he'd instead simply try flying it across the city and to the station Scylla went to. While his crew may not be ready to board an alien palaceship, Blackcoat and Scylla work together better than alone; and if any other heroes are around, all the better to join forces for the assault.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Kevin rolled his eyes. This was not the first time his opponents, knowing better than to think they could take him in a straight fight, had tried to threaten others to coerce him to stand down. It never really worked well for them. Kevin was a big believer in disincentivizing such cowardice with extreme prejudice.

Some heroes found it hard to deal with such threats the way they had to be dealt with, felt obligated to go along with them out of the mistaken belief that it was the most effective way to protect the innocents. Kevin had never really felt any qualms about it.

There were some advantages, to not quite recognizing people as people on an intuitive level.

"Okay, buddy, you're new here, so let me make extremely clear to you how this goes."

"First, I'm not an idiot. Anyone who is evil enough to kill a bunch of innocent people for tactical advantage is evil enough to do it out of sheer spite. By declaring your intent to kill them unless we stand down, I have to fight you as hard as I possibly can. Because either you don't intend to follow through, so the threat is irrelevant, or you do intend to follow through, which means you have proven that I cannot trust you to spare them regardless of what I do so my only option is to actively prevent you from harming them. So it's a counter-productive threat just baseline."

"But more importantly, like, really? You're threatening to kill the very people you came to enslave so your civilization doesn't basically go extinct? When you probably have reinforcements coming anyway? I kinda doubt your superiors would approve a move like that. I mean, if you're just trying to stall until they get here it's like...sure, that's cool I guess. I got a Blaster now, so whatever reinforcements are coming vs. whatever reinforcements are coming plus you isn't exactly a huge deal to me, tactically speaking. But as far as us standing down, you do not have the leverage you think you have."

Spoiler

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Free: Reconfigure Game Mechanics. Keeping 20 points on Boost Items, and then 30 points into Stomp->Strike, Shoot, Stunning Strike.

Standard: Ready an action. If skippy takes or triggers any action that might threaten the captives, blast him, which I believe will pre-empt his own Readied action since mine was declared second, All Out Attacking for 5, Power Attacking for 5, at (1d20+10)[13]. On a hit, Toughness DC 30 vs. Damage, Will DC 25 vs. Impaired+Vulnerable/Stunned+Defenseless Affliction. If he fails Toughness by two degrees or more, I'll give Wildcard a Boost Item; Llyarden if you have any requests let me know, otherwise I'll figure it out if it actually happens.

Free: Kevin's speech occurs after he readies his action.

Move: Uh, if I can and need to use this to make an Intimidation check I will, otherwise meh.

Current Status: 1 Bruise, Fatigued.

[Llyarden]

Jake...just kinda sighed. Platformer's analysis was entirely correct, of course, but people who were irrational enough to try taking hostages tended to be too irrational to consider anything rationally.

"You know, there is a second option other than us just beating you down," he said - it would have been conversationally, but his voice was just kinda emanating eerily from the swirling shadows, Jake himself nowhere to be seen. "Your boss sounds like the kind of person who doesn't allow for anyone to have ideas other than them, so it's understandable you might not have thought about it, but whatever it is you're dealing with, this...Wyrm...you could always just work with humanity, instead of trying to enslave us. You never know, you might find you like it here. There are a surprising number of aliens and beings from other dimensions and so on that have made homes for themselves here. Nothing to say you can't too."

"And, I mean, I assume your Chainmaker's response would be something like 'we are superior to puny humans and they are nothing but cattle,' but, counterpoint: it was humans responsible for bringing you into this state of disarray to begin with, and - no offence intended to Platformer or Morningstar - you're having enough difficulty dealing with just three of us that you're having to resort to threatening your captives, risking the only reason you're even here, to try to get us to stand down."

"Normally I'd suggest you think about it, but I assume your boss will be here shortly, so instead..."

There was a shimmer and the darkness swirled back into Jake, who stretched out his hand towards the Leoni as though offering the slaver a handshake.

"Maybe you just need to trust someone for once."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Standard: Attempt to Coerce the Leoni into standing down, using Passionate to do so with Persuasion and the [Guilt] and [Hope] descriptors instead of [Fear]: (1d20+20)[31]
Extra Effort: If that doesn't work, Heroic Feat Fascinate and just Fascinate the Leoni: (1d20+20)[24].

Status: Fatigued next round.

[Dodgeson]

Flying through the streets of New Harbour, whether on commandeered alien raidships or a tidal wave, Scylla and Captain Blackcoat made their way towards the police station and Scylla's observation couldn't have been more accurate, there was no sign of any other living thing in the normally bustling city, whether they were simply hiding in fear of the invaders or had suffered some other much worse fate...

Scylla's call out was initially met with silence but after a few minutes (and the muffled sound of a barrier being moved) the front door opened just a crack to reveal the weary looking face of one of the city's finest, and now they had been through a lot today and seen a lot of weird stuff, but the appearance of the two heroes and their pile of unconscious invaders still took them by surprise. Not that it wasn't a welcome sight and the door quickly opened wider to reveal both the ruined state of the police station and another single surviving officer.

"Aren't you guys a sight for sore eyes? Hey Lucy, it's Scylla and that pirate guy!" The officer called back to their colleague "These big cat looking things just appeared out of nowhere and started snatching people, dinged the place up pretty bad but we can hold these guys."

"What the heck's happening out there?" The other officer asked as the pair began to drag the unconscious Leoni in to the station.

Elsewhere in the city Morningstar hung back in the sky whilst Platformer and Wildcard tried a more diplomatic approach with the alien guard, currently they were outnumbered and who knows what the Chainmaker would do to them if they actually ordered the cattle to harm themselves, but on the other hand what would they do if they found them allying themselves with the humans? Despite their (somewhat) advanced technology the Leoni where in many ways a simple culture and the lower castes weren't exactly accustom to having to do much thinking for themselves.

Still Wildcard's argument was starting to sound persuasive and if nothing else they could defer the beating they were about to get from the superhumans right now for whatever punishment the Chainmaker was going to mete out later and there was a tiny part of them that wondered if maybe the humans would be able to defeat their leader. When Wildcard reappeared they didn't reciprocate the handshake but instead simply stood aside.

"The Chainmaker will not be turned away from this." They warned "A million years of history rides upon his back."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Spoiler

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Keeping Boost Items active so I retain my Power Up, but shifting the other thirty points to Third-Person Viewpoint, Quest Marker just in case it has anything useful for me, and Chat.

Platformer: Nicely done.

"He might not turn away, but you can rest assured he will be turned away," Kevin responded with quiet confidence. This wasn't the first alien overlord he had thwarted, after all, and he wasn't even a kid anymore.

He started for the entrance to the ship, but halted as he neared the entry. Times past, he would have just left the collared civilians be to go fight the bad guys, partly operating under the assumption that they would have to beat the villain to free them, and partly...well, partly considering them more as part of the background that actual agents. Just a bunch of enthralled NPCs that needed rescuing. Morningstar breaking out of it would have been written off as just "because she's a hero".

But the Kevin of today forced himself to stop and consider. This goon had been able to threaten the civilians when he thought he was outmatched. The Chainmaker would undoubtedly be able to do the same, and they wouldn't have the "you really want to piss off your boss?" card to play against him. He had broken Morningstar free just by Chatting her; her being a hero probably did help with that, but there was no reason to assume the other people here might not be freeable. Morningstar's case suggested that the hold those collars placed was at least somewhat fragile.

Kevin had always been more about the "beat up the bad guys" part of super-heroics. But he was still a St. Ambrose alumnus, and this was right out of first-year Introduction to Heroism. "A true hero is more than just a defender; they are an inspiration to the people around them."

Kevin turned to face the enthralled civilians.

"Hey!" he called to them, forcefully as he could. "Listen up! I don't know what those weird collar-things are doing, but I do know that they're not invincible! They can be broken! Now, my friends and I are going to roll up into this spaceship, throw down with the Chainmaker and whatever goons he wants to send at us, and put this whole 'enslave the entire city' plot to bed. And I'm here to tell you, there is no possible future where that doesn't happen. We will free you. But here's the thing: you don't have to wait for us! Morningstar broke out, right before your eyes. And I know what you're thinking: she broke out because she's a superhero. Because she's got some awesome light powers and stuff, right?"

"Wrong."

"My name is Kevin Matthews, Platformer. I'm a graduate of St. Ambrose. While I was there, I was part of my class's official superhero team. And one of my teammates - one of the best darn heroes in the entire school! - was called Mockingbird. You want to know what Mockingbird's superpower was? Nothing! She was a teenaged gymnast with an electrified yo-yo, and she was one of the top heroes in the entire school!"

"It is not and nor has it ever been the powers that make a hero. Everybody has it in them. And you all are already basically there! You're the people of New Harbour! After the Alchemaster's attack on your city, the loss of the Protectorate, you didn't flee! You didn't run off to Jubilee, or Tomorrow City, or some other, safer city that still had a full complement of superheroes to protect it. You stayed! You rebuilt! You faced the difficulties and the dangers, regardless of whether there was anyone around with superpowers to protect you. That's what heroes do!"

"So do it again! Here! Now! It's not the powers that make the hero, it's the will! And I believe that the people of New Harbour have more than enough will to tear these collars to shreds!"

Spoiler

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Let me know what I need to roll. I'm also totally willing to spend a Hero Point here if that would do anything. I'm only half banking on Kevin actually being able to inspire the people to break free, with the other half being that explicitly bringing up us being about to roll up and stomp on Chainmaker's face creating enough possible futures where they get freed that the Wyrms vanish in a puff of logic.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

"Snatching?" Scylla echoes back as the minions are carted away. Somehow this seems to bother her more than being knocked out earlier. "We caught these guys in a pair of airships by the docks, but we didn't see them bring back any hostages. Where did they take everyone?"

[Starsign]

"Up above ye," Blackcoat suggests as a response, having followed Scylla in, then taking a step outside and pointing above to the large palaceship. It was hard to believe, at first; how can a city suddenly go silent? While New Harbour was not the most bustling city, especially since it had been rebuilt, it was incredibly active and lively. To suggest the people had been kidnapped required a heist plan beyond what Blackcoat has seen in his centuries of living. And yet, the flying technological machine was the most conspicuous thing related to what's going on. "I sure don't get how y' haul a loot as big as a city's populace off in a dawn, but if they be anywhere, it be up there."

It takes a moment for him to determine its size between the length, width, and height off of the ground. It truly is massive. At the same time, it surely has to be all that these invaders have left. All that needs to be done is to take the ship and down its captain, this so-called Chainmaker. There should be a way to get in using the smaller ship that Blackcoat and Scylla captured.

"Scylla, we be haulin' the rest o' the beaten invaders 'ere, then we set sail for boardin', if ye be up for it." The human captain checked over his own crew, making sure they could move the captured invaders to the station, before giving the police officer a small glare. "An' it's Captain Blackcoat, ye landlubber!"

Every notable pirate has a reputation to uphold, and Blackcoat certainly will not die on a day he is known as, "the pirate guy."

[Dodgeson]

"Sorry, no idea." The officer explained apologetically as Blackcoat's crew helped drag the Leoni inside, he should probably be at the very least supervising but his fellow officer could be doing that and he felt that filling in the heroes (with what little information he had anyway) was more important. "They were throwing these weird silver looking things and then they just vanished in to thin air."

"Yeah that'd do it." The other officer, Lucy, agreed with the pirate's assessment of the situation, returning from the cells and holding one hand above her eye line to observe the looming silhouette of the palaceship in the distance.

"Right, Captain Blackcoat! Sorry!" The first officer wilted under Captain Blackcoat's glare before scurrying back inside. Their partner did their best not to chuckle, really they did.

In contrast, the last of the Leoni guards standing didn't even try to conceal their laughter as Platformer's speech, true though it may have been, failed to draw any kind of reaction from the crowd of mindless mannequins that the citizens of New Harbour had become, it would take more than pretty words to reckon with the time devouring Wyrm.

"I'm gonna hang back here, keep an eye laughing boy." Morningstar called from up above as Platformer and Wildcard headed in to the palaceship "Also $20 says this whole thing is rigged to explode, I can shield the civilians." Oh yes Morningstar knew a thing or two about how villainous lairs were constructed, almost like she had some kind of prior experience....

The door to the palace ship slip open as the heroes approached and before them was a curious mix of the old and the new, the whole place was clearly made of metal but it was lit by burning torches handing from the wall. Corridors either side laid off in to small living areas stocked with wooden furniture and tapestries whilst ahead was another metal door that revealed a small room with a panel marked in strange looking alien symbols.