Iron Station Savage Masks IC II

[Roguewolf]

Sunshine's
Emi smiles as she recalls the incident. "I remember you telling me about that. You guys were getting chased by some of the River Kings pigmen and Grayson sent them squealing back to the bayou."

Keith's Cheshire grin returns as he laughs some more. "It was awesome! Didn't think they would squeal as loud as they did though. Ears rang for a good week after." He shakes his head. "Move over Barnum and Bailey's, here comes Radke and Karver."

Keith listens as Will lists off his questions as well. He also rubs the back of his neck. "Think anyone would be curious, but he's actually an ice dragon." Keith turns to the others. "So Will is, kinda new to our time period. There's a whole lot to catch him up on but he seems to take most of it well."

[InTheMachine]

Sunshine's
Emi and Kylie shake their heads. "Not pulling your leg, Will," Kylie says.

"I'm... really just a normal person," Grayson says in response to Will's questions. "I was just a typical kid up until I hit middle school, and then I... k-kinda turned into a dragon one day when I got upset. My parents told me it was an old family curse that's apparently skipped a couple of generations. How big do you think I am now?" he asks Emi.

"I would say about thirty feet long, and fifteen feet high when you stand up straight and you don't count your wings," she answers.

Grayson shrugs. "It's kinda like I get replaced by the dragon. All my clothes and stuff are fine when I shift back, which is really useful. Oh, and I don't breathe fire, like Keith said."

Kylie narrows her eyes at Will's last words. "What do you mean, 'our time'? Are you a time traveler? I feel like that's weirder than being a dragon," she says with a small smirk.

Raphael
His phone has no new texts. Raphael finds his normal tables, but they're filled with people. If he waits for a minute, he can snag one of the smaller ones to himself.

The band changes songs and the crowd in front of the stage shifts and surges with the music.

Spoiler: Notice TN 8

Show

Deep in the crowd, he spots a possibly familiar head of red hair. But then, she's gone, swallowed by the throng of people.

[ImperialTM]

Sunshine's
Emi and Kylie shake their heads. "Not pulling your leg, Will," Kylie says.

"I'm... really just a normal person," Grayson says in response to Will's questions. "I was just a typical kid up until I hit middle school, and then I... k-kinda turned into a dragon one day when I got upset. My parents told me it was an old family curse that's apparently skipped a couple of generations. How big do you think I am now?" he asks Emi.

"I would say about thirty feet long, and fifteen feet high when you stand up straight and you don't count your wings," she answers.

Grayson shrugs. "It's kinda like I get replaced by the dragon. All my clothes and stuff are fine when I shift back, which is really useful. Oh, and I don't breathe fire, like Keith said."

Kylie narrows her eyes at Will's last words. "What do you mean, 'our time'? Are you a time traveler? I feel like that's weirder than being a dragon," she says with a small smirk.

William nods along to Grayson's explanation "Ice is still cool. If you don't mind, it would be a dream to see your dragon form someday. Talk about being able to check off a bucket list."

Will chuckles at Kylie's question "Not by choice. Well, partly by choice." Will looks down into his mug gathering his thoughts. "I volunteered for a military experiment in the 1940s. Without spilling secrets the mission was to do a small jump in time. That~ didn't turn out so well. Instead, I got shot forward to your time now. When I was growing up we didn't have any of this." He says gesturing. "Things were...simpler. And technology was nowhere near as advanced."

[mmdeforrest]

Arturo's
Marco's face softens. "I'd be happy to, Cal. Your dad comes in every once in a while and we talk for a bit. He seems to be doin' well."

Miguel grins. "I will. I just get caught up in work and school, ya know. I'll see ya around."

As John and Calvin head to Mr. P's, they see that the sign on the door is currently turned to close. The inside of the shop is dark.

Spoiler: Tremors in the Force?

Show

Notice Wild Die: 1d6o6+4 14

John considers the store, drinking in the details of the place to see if there was any echo of the Dagger or a similar item associated with it.

“I take this as a sign that there is a Po’boy in my future,” John says with mock seriousness. “You can sense these things when you’re a magician, you know.”

He turned to Calvin. “And who knows? You may have a response by then.” He turned back toward the window. “Anyplace else you wanted to check out before we headed back?”

[big teej]

Amity Court Market:

"Well Heck with ya." Raphael mutters under his breath as he puts his phone away.

He waits for a giggling gaggle of high school girls to vacate a table and slides in before anyone else can take up residence. His eyes linger on the girls as they disappear into the crowd, shaking his head slightly. He reclines, kicking his feet up onto another of the wrought iron chairs and bobs one foot in time with the beat of the crowd and the music, watching the press as he enjoys his corndog.

He sees nothing more interesting than the crazed outfits people will wear in public in hot weather.

[InTheMachine]

Raphael

Spoiler: Notice TN 4

Show

Across the street, Raphael spots a dark-haired man looking at him before his gaze quickly flits off in another direction. The man speaks into his collar before the crowd moves again and he’s gone.

Spoiler: Notice TN 8

Show

The man meets up with a familiar head of red hair that has hunted Raphael since he fled his homeland in the center of the crowd. The two of them extract themselves from the throng of people and disappear down a side street.

Sunshine's
Grayson gives Will a nervous smile. "There's a park pretty close by. Emi can put up something like a psychic barrier to keep people away if you're really that interested. I-I don't mind showing you."

The server comes back with a tray-full of food. She sets each plate down in order and asks if anyone needs anything else before she heads back behind the counter.

The three East Siders look at Will in wonder.

"I was wondering about the clothes," Kylie says. "Makes a lot more sense now. How long have you been here?"

John and Calvin
The windows of the shop have dark curtains that have been pulled closed, so John can't see much. Through a gap in the curtains he does spot a large books self full of thick tomes. He also sees what he suspects to be a real human skull on the edge of a table.

[ImperialTM]

Grayson gives Will a nervous smile. "There's a park pretty close by. Emi can put up something like a psychic barrier to keep people away if you're really that interested. I-I don't mind showing you."

The server comes back with a tray-full of food. She sets each plate down in order and asks if anyone needs anything else before she heads back behind the counter.

The three East Siders look at Will in wonder.

"I was wondering about the clothes," Kylie says. "Makes a lot more sense now. How long have you been here?"

"Really!" William says beaming. William thanks the server as they set down the plates. "I've been here a little less than 4 months now? A very hectic 4 months." he finishes with a laugh.

[Roguewolf]

Sunshine's
Grayson gives Will a nervous smile. "There's a park pretty close by. Emi can put up something like a psychic barrier to keep people away if you're really that interested. I-I don't mind showing you."

The server comes back with a tray-full of food. She sets each plate down in order and asks if anyone needs anything else before she heads back behind the counter.

The three East Siders look at Will in wonder.

"I was wondering about the clothes," Kylie says. "Makes a lot more sense now. How long have you been here?"

"Really!" William says beaming. William thanks the server as they set down the plates. "I've been here a little less than 4 months now? A very hectic 4 months." he finishes with a laugh.

Keith smiles a bit. "Would be pretty cool actually. Haven't seen that in a while." He tales a sip of his coffee. "You're in for a show, Will!"

Keith thanks the server as they set down the plates. He turns to Kylie. "Threw me through a loop the first time too. Still wasn't sure how to respond the second you looked at me and called me 'sir'." He laughs recalling the situation.

Keith comes to a full stop."Wait did you mention the 4 months think the other day? Holy **** it has been a busy four months for ya!" He takes a bite of the croissant.

[mmdeforrest]

John and Calvin
The windows of the shop have dark curtains that have been pulled closed, so John can't see much. Through a gap in the curtains he does spot a large books self full of thick tomes. He also sees what he suspects to be a real human skull on the edge of a table.

“Yes,” John continued. “Your Mr. P is someone I should probably meet. He appears to have quite the shop. Is it mostly rare books or is it a more eclectic collection?”

John glanced up and down the street, weighing the odds of someone noticing him working a spell that would magnify the books sufficiently for him to read their bindings. They could be nothing more than old books — the kind of thing the wealthy used to buy by the yard to make sure their stately homes were sufficiently intellectual and bear no relation to the skull or his possession of a magical, transforming weapon dating back to the Bronze Age that turns its wielder — a wielder it seeks out and selects — into a champion for good.

Stranger things may have happened and synchronicity makes strange bedfellows, but mere coincidence it did seem a reach.

His binoculars would have made it simple to see — if be somewhat conspicuous. Summoning his uniform, which would give him access to them, would be even more conspicuous.

That left magic.

Casting that impacted him would be better than a spell that pushed into the space. He had learned that lesson with Stella’s curse. Of course, he had no way of knowing what wards, if any, were present and reaching into the street.

He looked over the storefront and glanced up at the second floor for signs of occupation. “It couldn’t hurt to knock,” he suggested as innocently as he could.

Spoiler: Upstairs?

Show

Noticing the Second Floor Flat: 1d10o10+4 10

John made a note of the address. That would allow him to do some research and try to either find out more about Mr. P’s past or find the signs that he was obscuring it.

[big teej]

Amity Court Market:

Raphael frowns and narrows his eyes, seeing his admirer disappear into the crowd. Suspicion creeps into his otherwise relaxed mind. He takes another bite from his boudin dog and slides a phone from his pocket and dials Seraph without looking, expecting Mimi to intercept his call.

"Hey Mimi." Raphael says by way of greeting. "Is AEGIS, Myraid, or Iron Station PD running ops in Amity Court? Time is a factor."

He scans the crowd again, feeling a crawling sensation between his shoulder blades.

Spoiler: ooc/mechanics/whatnot

Show

Attempt to assess the situation: 6
Welp, at least I got a potential out of it.

[InTheMachine]

Raphael
"ISPD has a few uniformed officers in the area," Mimi answers after a moment. "I'm not seeing any other operations currently in effect for Amity Market."

Spoiler: Notice TN 4

Show

A brunette woman standing across the street over by a stall selling paintings and handmade jewelry sees Raphael looking at her and quickly turns and walks away into the crowd.

Sunshine's
"You've only been here for four months?" Emi repeats. "Did AEGIS pick you up immediately? If so, that was lucky. I can't imagine being flung almost one hundred years into the future."

"That would be crazy," Kylie agrees.

The three East Siders quickly finish their food and drinks.

"Marlport Garden is right up the road," Grayson says as he, Kylie, and Emi get out from their side of the booth.

John and Calvin
John doesn't see any movement or anything out of place looking at the upstairs apartment.

[ImperialTM]

"You've only been here for four months?" Emi repeats. "Did AEGIS pick you up immediately? If so, that was lucky. I can't imagine being flung almost one hundred years into the future."

"That would be crazy," Kylie agrees.

"More or less they did. I was lucky I even found them to begin with."

The three East Siders quickly finish their food and drinks.

"Marlport Garden is right up the road," Grayson says as he, Kylie, and Emi get out from their side of the booth.

William finishes his food with military efficiency and follows after the eastside trio. On the way, William turns to Keith "What's Eastside like? Are the other bases similar in design as ours?"

[Roguewolf]

Sunshine's[/B]
"You've only been here for four months?" Emi repeats. "Did AEGIS pick you up immediately? If so, that was lucky. I can't imagine being flung almost one hundred years into the future."

"That would be crazy," Kylie agrees.

The three East Siders quickly finish their food and drinks.

"Marlport Garden is right up the road," Grayson says as he, Kylie, and Emi get out from their side of the booth.

"More or less they did. I was lucky I even found them to begin with."

William finishes his food with military efficiency and follows after the eastside trio. On the way, William turns to Keith "What's Eastside like? Are the other bases similar in design as ours?"

Keith nods along with everyone else. "It is pretty wild, and after seein' you shoot yesterday we're lucky to have ya." Keith follows suit in finishing up his food and coffee quickly, would definitely need to get something else later but this just hit the spot. "And blood sugar is all good!"

He gets up from the booth as Grayson, Emi, and Kylie do and follows them with Will. He smiles again at all the questions. It was actually a lot like talking with Aeryn.

"So East Side is roughly the same, the base layout is similar but it seems like West Side is kinda bigger? It's odd to describe since we have so many more people at West Side than there ever were East Side. So far these are the only two I've gotten to see but they're very similar." He lets out a nervous laugh. "Kinda weird but my room West Side is roughly the same location it was back East. Layout is just a bit different since the closet and bathroom are on opposite sides."

[big teej]

Hackles, Rising:

Raphael stands up, looking around himself and says to Mimi in a strained voice. "I'm either being paranoid, or I've got a bunch of plainclothes goons keeping an eye on me."

Raphael turns his attention to the rooftops, scanning for any local corvid's who's vision he might be able to borrow. He reaches out with his mind, seeking that sense of kinship and servitude, but there's nothing close enough. I don't like this...

Raphael eyes the crowd again, looking for the densest knot of foot traffic and, leaving his boudin corndog behind, glides into the crowd, slithering his way between fair-goers toward the stage and the band. The press of bodies and his growing sense of being pursued is a tingle in his mind. An awakening of power he'd long, forcefully, kept dormant. He blinked and he could, for that tiny flash of darkness, tell each and every one of the sweaty bodies around him apart by scent and heartbeat.

He shook his head, suddenly parched. Why, today of all days, did I leave that stupid backpack at home?

Spoiler: OOC/Mechanics/Whatnot

Show

Notice 7
Unleash Powers to seek those who seek me: 6...
Oh No! I missed with a Move, better mark a Potential!
Nightgaunt gains an Advance: Pick up Burn and 3 Flares from the Nova Playbook.
Nightgaunt picks up Reality Storm, Move, and Snatch for his 3 Flares.

Raphael is angling through what he perceives as the most packed part of the street, toward the band.... because if I'm about to have violence done upon me, having the stage as a backdrop is a proper Street Fighter moment, and excellent placement for collateral damage. Maybe I can hit someone with a saxophone!

[PK-Leon]

Louis
A knock sounds on the door to the lab about thirty minutes after he leaves the kitchen. If he opens the door, Sidney is standing there with a sealed envelope in her hands. She hands it over to him. "Here's the letter to my papa. Thank you for taking it to him for me."

She looks past him to the interior of the lab. "Is this where your prototype is? Could I see it? To see what I'm working with? I would be happy to help you out with it, if I can."

"Mimi, could you grant Sidney access to the lab while she's accompanied by me?" Louis asks while looking back over his shoulder at the door. "Thank you." He reappears at the entrance as it opens.

Louis accepts the letter and carefully tucks it into the inside pocket the jacket he left on a nearby table. "Anytime. It's the least I could do for you two. I could tell your dad was pretty torn up after what happened to you. But I think it'll make him happy to know you're okay." He says with a warm smile.

His smile widens at Sidney's curiosity. "Welcome... to 'The World of Tomorrow!'" Louos says with a sweeping gesture inviting Sidney to come in. "This is where the prototype is currently being assembled and where I do most of my work. Hmm... Actually this is where Mimi does most of the work I should probably say. I just help from time to time. Take a look and tell us what you to think. Mimi, could you show Sidney your schematics?"

[InTheMachine]

Raphael
"Do you require assistance, Raphael?" Mimi asks. "I can deploy the entirety of South Side team."

A shot rings out into the air. There's a moment of utter silence before the screaming starts. The crowd panics and everyone starts to run for the end of the streets and the few side streets that connect to the Market as more gunshots break through the sound of chaos.

Through a gap in the crowd, a crossbow bolt impacts Raphael's shoulder. The pain rips through him, more agonizing than any bullet has been. Another bolt comes in low, tearing through his right thigh.

Combat Begins!
Jacks... ??? goes! Raphael is shot with a crossbow! Roll Vigor at -2 or be Shaken!
10s... ??? goes! Raphael is shot with another crossbow bolt! Roll Vigor at -2 or be Shaken!
8s... Raphael has Initiative!

OOC: Mark your Doom Track for Facing Danger Alone

Louis
"If that is what you wish, Louis," Mimi says before the door opens.

Sidney smiles at Louis as she's welcomed into the lab. Her grin widens as she takes in the equipment and the schematics that project onto the whiteboard. She walks up to the board, taking in what Louis has been working on. "Did you design this yourself? It looks good."

She picks up a dry erase marker from the bottom of the whiteboard and makes a few notes underneath the schematics, mostly mechanical jargon, before she comes over to the table and looks at the scattered pieces of metal and nuts and bolts. "So what are you having the most trouble with?" she asks as she sits.

The Gardens
It takes about five minutes to walk to Marlport Garden. Once inside, the East Siders head off the beaten path into a thicker patch of wooded area, before it opens up into a small clearing.

Emi pauses for a moment, seeming to concentrate. "Okay, we're good."

Grayson nods before it seems like he's consumed by a flash of frosty air. In his place, a winged dragon about half the size of a semi-truck appears. The dragon has shimmering opaline white scales and large spikes of ice protruding from his face and down his back and tail. He falls onto all four feet, shaking the ground, before his head turns so that he can observe Will's reaction.

[big teej]

My Favorite Shirt!

"Ow!" Raphael screams, doubling over as the bolts pierce him, burning like fire... all too familiar cleansing flames. He falls to his knees. "Mimi." He says through clenched teeth, his fangs elongating as he loses his grip on the facade. "Tell Seraph the Darkwatch is here." He grips the bolt in his thigh with both hands and rips it out and casts the sizzling dart away. "Need extraction." He growls and shoves the phone in his pocket. Doubling over, He takes in several deep breaths he doesn't need and wills himself to change, fluttering up and over as a cloud of bats to land, crouched like a gargoyle, atop one of the speakers in costume.

The Darkwatch members in the crowd stand in stark contrast, the only people not running in panic. "You just don't know when to quit!" He screams, his voice cracking. Nightgaunt reaches out for one, grasping the tether of his life, and yanking on it, uncaring, at least for the moment, if it kills the man.


Burn: 3/3

Spoiler: OOC/Mechanics/whatnot

Show

Generate Burn: 11
Marked the Doom Track for facing Danger Alone
Vigor Roll: 4, -2 = 2, failure, only rolled once cause I failed the first one.
Become Unshaken: 4 +/-2 = 4, a success.
Marked the Doom Track to use powers without being Sated, Overexerting myself.
Marked The Doomsign, "Bolstered" and cleared the Doom Track
Bolstered let's me mark the Doom Track to use an Adult Move once.
Shooting: 4
Damage: 11

[InTheMachine]

Raphael
The man collapses as his blood is pulled from his body. Off to the left another bolt flies true and hits Nightgaunt in the side of his chest, just under his unbeating heart.

A familiar figure dressed in full plate hops up onto the opposite side of the stage. Cassandra tosses her fiery red hair from her eyes as she pulls her mace from the the loop on her belt. “I finally found you, beast,” she says, flourishing her weapon. She rushes forward and swings, smashing through the speaker Nightgaunt sits upon. “It’s time for you to stop pretending. You’re a monster and nothing more!”

The three other Darkwatch members still standing advance toward the stage, pinning Nightgaunt in.

Initiative:
7s… Darkwatch goon shoots Nightgaunt with a crossbow. Roll Vigor at -2 or be Shaken! -already done
6s… Cassandra attacks Nightgaunt but misses!
Initiative resets!
Queens… Nightgaunt has Initiative!

OOC: Cassandra gains Influence over Nightgaunt! She attempts to shift Nightgaunt’s labels. Freak up, Savior down.

[big teej]

Awakening:

"Oh $#!%" Nightgaunt says, diving off the speaker and down to the street as Cassandra destroys it. An unfamiliar sensation clenches at his soul as he rolls on the pavement. Fear.

Her words sink in, alongside the rush of memories from the last time he'd laid eyes on this woman, the last time he'd seen his parents, or his true home. He pushes himself to his feet and glances at Cassandra before turning his attention to her unarmored goons. A deep combined sense of shame and rage fills him, and he bares his teeth inside his helmet and spits out his reply.

"You're right, Cassandra." He raises one hand, nails elongated into talons. "We're exactly the same." He brings his arm across his body in a dismissive swipe in the direction of her underlings. There's a brief moment of silence before four bloody red streaks tear through the fabric of reality, slashing through the goons and ripping up a wide swathe of pavement.


Burn: 2/3

Spoiler: OOC/Mechanics/Whatnot

Show

Nightgaunt accepts Cassandra's Influence - No matter how hard I try, no matter how many of my friends I deceive, I am just a blood sucking monster.... But I am still a hero!
Reality Storm: 8 - I choose to resolve Critical Blow and inflict Double Damage on the goons.
Fighting Roll: 5 +2 from Reality Storm = 7 vs. Goon Parry
Damage: 18 x2 = 36 Damage vs. the goons

Nightgaunt attempts to Provoke Cassandra: 11 I want her to throw caution to the wind, giving me a chance to escape, or an advantage on my next action against her.
...although she's probably not super susceptible to my words.... so per the GM, that's a miss and a Potential.

[InTheMachine]

Raphael
Cassandra bares her teeth as Nightgaunt annihilates her soldiers. “We are nothing alike,” she spits. “Your kind kills with no thought. No mercy. You’ll get none from me.”

She dives off the stage, flanged mace high above her head, and brings it down on Nightgaunt’s shoulder before pulling the weapon out of his flesh and swinging again, smashing his chest inward.

Initiative:
8s… Cassandra goes! She hits Nightgaunt with her holy mace, inflicting 42 damage
Initiative resets!
10s… Cassandra goes again! She hits Nightgaunt for 38 damage!
Nightgaunt is knocked back 5 spaces.
9s… Nightgaunt (if he’s still up) has Initiative!

[big teej]

Bloo-bloo-bloo-bloo

Any flippant retort to Cassandra's declaration is silenced as her mace and oblivion rocket Nightgaunt down into the pavement, breaking his helmet into pieces that fall freely from his blank-eyed face as his body bounces across the street to crash into and dent the side of a food truck.

Raphael's lifeless body drops to the ground, rapidly disintegrating into white mist and black smoke that rises up in a brief trail before loosing any amount of cohesion.

Spoiler: OOC/Mechanics/Whatnot

Show

Nightgaunt is defeated and pulls a 10 - Exhausted. Raphael cannot recover this fatigue by any means until 2 whole days have passed.

[InTheMachine]

Meanwhile- 11:11am
Mimi comes over the intercom back in the base, “All available personnel, Raphael is in dire need of assistance. His location is Amity Court Market.”

Stella drops the bowl full of cake batter that she’d been mixing, looking over at Aeryn and Sidney.

Aeryn looks between the two women before rushing out of the kitchen, almost running into Drake as he rounds the corner. “I’m going on ahead,” he tells his team leader as he makes his way to the skylight in the living room.

“We’ll be right behind you,” Drake says. “Stella, do you think we could borrow one of your summons? Ryker and I aren’t fast.”

Stella nods and snaps, replacing her clothes with her stage magician’s outfit. “You have two minutes before I leave.”

Drake reads how serious she is and nods. “We’ll meet you on the roof.”

“I’m sorry Sidney, but I have to go,” Stella says to her best friend.

“It’s alright, Stell,” Sidney replies. “I get it. Go save your boyfriend.”

Up on the roof, Stella summons Jaal who snorts in displeasure at being used as transportation as Drake and Ryker hop on his back. Yuki takes to the air in her cockatrice form, followed by Menagerie on Shrike.

Aeryn arrives at the scene first. He lands in front of the stage, looking over the destruction caused during the fight. His gaze roams over the blood splatters and finally lands on the dented food truck and the remains of Nightgaunt’s helmet.

“Guys,” he says into comms on all channels. “We have a problem. I think Nightgaunt’s been kidnapped. Or something. He’s not here. And he’s not answering me on comms.”

[mmdeforrest]

“Guys,” he says into comms on all channels. “We have a problem. I think Nightgaunt’s been kidnapped. Or something. He’s not here. And he’s not answering me on comms.”

John glances at his wrist and reads the speech to text message and looks around for an alleyway as he pulls out his phone and taps the “Pickup” Widget on the screen before switching to the comm link relay.

“We have trouble, Calvin,” he says quietly, glancing sideways as he puts the phone to his ear. “Where are you, Aeryn?”

“Acknowledged, John,” Clea notes. Pickup in two minutes or less at your location.”

[InTheMachine]

Team
“Amity Court Market,” Aeryn answers. “Police are starting to barricade the area.”

“Aeryn,” Seraph says on the same line. “Get back in the air and look for anything suspicious. I’m on my way.”

[HIDA]

John glances at his wrist and reads the speech to text message and looks around for an alleyway as he pulls out his phone and taps the “Pickup” Widget on the screen before switching to the comm link relay.

“We have trouble, Calvin,” he says quietly, glancing sideways as he puts the phone to his ear. “Where are you, Aeryn?”

“Acknowledged, John,” Clea notes. Pickup in two minutes or less at your location.”

Team
“Amity Court Market,” Aeryn answers. “Police are starting to barricade the area.”

“Aeryn,” Seraph says on the same line. “Get back in the air and look for anything suspicious. I’m on my way.”

"I'll meet you there." Calvin says, His face growing stern.

"Bastion, now!"

As the warhorse appears Goldheart leaps from a flash of fire atop the steed.

"Goldheart inbound." He says over the comms,

Cutting through parking lots and leaping over cars he arrives on the scene.

[Roguewolf]

The Gardens
It takes about five minutes to walk to Marlport Garden. Once inside, the East Siders head off the beaten path into a thicker patch of wooded area, before it opens up into a small clearing.

Emi pauses for a moment, seeming to concentrate. "Okay, we're good."

Grayson nods before it seems like he's consumed by a flash of frosty air. In his place, a winged dragon about half the size of a semi-truck appears. The dragon has shimmering opaline white scales and large spikes of ice protruding from his face and down his back and tail. He falls onto all four feet, shaking the ground, before his head turns so that he can observe Will's reaction.

Keith starts in awe at Grayson's transformation as always and watches Will's reaction closely. "Still one of the coolest transformations I've ever seen." He took a quick glance at Kylie before returning to watch Will seeing a dragon firsthand. He was still a bit uneasy about earlier, but he was mostly worried about having potentially damaged their entire friendship than her eventual response.

He was torn from his thoughts by his communicator going off.

Meanwhile- 11:11am
“Guys,” he says into comms on all channels. “We have a problem. I think Nightgaunt’s been kidnapped. Or something. He’s not here. And he’s not answering me on comms.”

Keith's eyes went wide and started their red angry glowy thing at Aeryn's words. "Aeryn, Will and I are at Marlport Gardens. We'll be right on our way!" Keith's voice was panicked, he looked at Will and everyone else. "We got an emergency, Nightgaunt's gone missing." He tried to keep his breathing steady to keep his eyes normal but thankfully everyone here knew about it.

In some shaky breathing, Keith turned to Grayson/ Draconian. "I hate askin', I REALLY hate askin' because I know it's weird, but could you give Will a lift to Amity Court Market? Please?"

[mmdeforrest]

John kept his face down and close to the store window as Calvin transformed and vaulted into his saddle, waiting for the inevitable whinny as Bastion reared up before galloping off. With everyone in the area (he hoped) focused on the warhorse, he willed his own transformation.

“Clea: Monad Light mode.”

He checked his heads up display and noted he had 45 seconds to pick up.

A quick look was tempting — so very tempting. “Mimi,” he said as he turned to look at Clea as she shifted colors and the Hieroglyphic Monad appeared on the hood. “Scan the police bands. Are they reporting any vehicles or pedestrians of interest fleeing the scene.

He looked through the glass, reassuring himself that he and Calvin would be back.

He turned to look up the street and saw Clea driving towards him at the maximum legal speed limit. She had shifted to the white paint with grey Hieroglyphic Monad on the hood and dropped the shields over the license plate.

He glanced back at the window. He had time.

Spoiler: Spellcasting Punishment for the Curious

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Spellcasting: Heightened Senses, Eagle Eye (2)
Wild Die for the Curious Reroll: 1d6o6 15

One Bennie spent.

15 seconds.

John struggled against the magical eddies that swirled in Calvin’s wake but he held his focus and looked into the semi-darkness of the shop, reading the bindings as Clea pulled up and stopped directly across from him.

Committing the titles to memory, he strode across the street and got into the car, anxiously waiting Mimi’s response. While the rest of the team focused on the square, he wanted to make sure any potential kidnappers were not being pursued elsewhere.

[ImperialTM]

It takes about five minutes to walk to Marlport Garden. Once inside, the East Siders head off the beaten path into a thicker patch of wooded area, before it opens up into a small clearing.

Emi pauses for a moment, seeming to concentrate. "Okay, we're good."

Grayson nods before it seems like he's consumed by a flash of frosty air. In his place, a winged dragon about half the size of a semi-truck appears. The dragon has shimmering opaline white scales and large spikes of ice protruding from his face and down his back and tail. He falls onto all four feet, shaking the ground, before his head turns so that he can observe Will's reaction.

Will brings his arms up recoiling from the blast of cold air. As the transformation finishes and the ground shakes beneath his feet Will brings down his arms and marvels at the creature in front of him. The air had changed. He was no longer standing before an unassuming kid, this was a dragon. Will felt a little intimidated by the size of the creature and knowing what power lay within. William lets out an excited laugh as a huge smile breaks out on his face. "I-" Williams's words are cut off as Aeryns voice cuts in on his communication device. His smile drops "What do you mean or something? What happened." William said tersely. William turns to Keith "We need to get to Amity Court Market. Now."

[InTheMachine]

Team
"Look," Aeryn says. "Mimi told us Nightgaunt was in trouble. I got here and there's blood everywhere, but I don't see Nightgaunt. All I can find are broken pieces of his helmet."

John
He only manages to read a few titles in the darkness of the shop: The Beginner's Guide to Alchemy: Practical Lessons and Exercises to Enhance Your Life, Daemonologie, and The Kybalion: A Study of The Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece.

"There are not currently an pursuits within a few blocks around the Market," Mimi replies to John. "Most calls are for an active shooter, however there are also reports of a fully armored figure engaging in a fight with a 'guy in black'. One of the policemen on scene said that he saw a woman with bright red hair in armor leave down one of the side streets, but he was assisting an injured pedestrian, and couldn't follow. There are no reports of suspicious vehicles."


Gardens
Grayson snorts, letting out a cloud of icy air from his nostrils that frosts the grass below him.

Emi looks over at Will and Keith. “He says he’ll take you there. Do you need us to come too?”

Amity Market
Goldheart arrives on scene just after the rest of South Side and Menagerie do.

Mercury is speaking to one of the policemen just inside the barricade.

Zodiac has shifted into her wolf form. She snuffles around the scene, moving between blood stains, but careful not to disturb them. She spends a lot of time around a food truck with a large dent in the side.

Ryker, Menagerie, and Polaris are nowhere to be found.

[ImperialTM]

Grayson snorts, letting out a cloud of icy air from his nostrils that frosts the grass below him.

Emi looks over at Will and Keith. “He says he’ll take you there. Do you need us to come too?”

"I won't say no to the help. One of our teammates is missing and the scene is messy." William looks to Grayson "So how does this work do I just climb aboard and grab on to a spike?" With help, William climbs onto Grayson's back and situates himself between two spikes. "Ready to fly when you are."