Empyrean's halo light digs into the translucent substance of the chronowraith, wrangling the semi-tangible creature away from Chloe and her father in dramatic fashion! Her brilliant wings beat the air hard as she pulls the wraith back, giving the two a chance to escape.
Chloe puts her small body to work helping her father up, but struggles to bear his weight. The way he favors the injured leg strikes Chloe as exactly the same in her original memories, giving her the weirdest sense of deja vu!
"Omigosh! I'm so sorry! I thought it was after me and I had no idea it would come after you!!" Chloe looks up from shouldering the weight of her father to see Beebee's distraught face! "Here, let me help" Beebee takes the other arm of Chloe's dad and easily supports his weight.
"It'll be all right, Chloe, you're being very brave--" She blinks. "How do I know your name?" Any immediate answer from Chloe is cut off by the chronowraith lunging hard at the both of them, requiring Empyrean to double her effort at keeping the creature contained!
Just then, Johnny flies in and delivers a wind-up uppercut to the wraith's mandibles, giving Beebee enough room to escort Chloe and her dad to safety! "Thanks, Babe!" she shouts up to the handsome flying youth, blowing him a kiss before focusing on shoulder-carrying Chloe's dad towards Rendezvous' portal to safety!
"Stay close," Beebee tells Chloe as they're about to step through. "I trust the Heralds, they'll be taking us someplace safe."
Chloe, what do you do??
Meanwhile, Devil Diva makes use of her experience fighting chronowraiths, ripping into one with her claws and sending it echoing back into the aether! She avoids their mandibles and the tips of their tails, which is where their time disruption powers originate!
All around her, Max sees pockets of time disruption like what she and First Class experienced in the tunnels under Halcyon City. A group of people are frozen in place as if in amber, while others are stuttering like a livestream with a poor internet connection! The largest chronowraith, assaulted on all sides by Valence, Half-Pipe, and Nimbus, spasms in a way familiar to Devil Diva as it calls forth a threat from the past!
A shimmering curtain of temporal energy parts open, and a monstrous bleat fills the atrium, mercifully clear of all but a handful of non-combatants. Giant hooves colored a sickly green stomp on the marble floor support a blast from Halcyon's past -- Nitro Billy, the radioactive goat monster!
DD and Empyrean, what do you do?
* * *
Inside the museum, just as the Prime Wraith chomps down on the two entangled combatants, the Khi'thyri scout craft smashes into its side! The Chroknight armor's temporal manipulation field saves the Governess from the time-twisting effects of the wraith, but it can't save it from Andromeda! Once the jarring impact separates Xaiara from her target, the Bull is there!
Prepared for temporal anomalies, Indarius is ready when the scout craft accelerates as if time had sped up around it, swinging back toward Sammy well before she had a chance to move out of the way! The dragon hero of Halcyon is there, however, and knocks the craft away before it can do further harm!
With words almost as devastating as the telekinetic force she's wielding, Andromeda lays into the Governess, crumpling sections of the armor and catapulting it towards the metal-winged girl, still stuttering and showing temporal afterimages. With more reflex than anything, bladed wings slash upwards to impale the suit of armor!
The armor goes limp, appearing to power down while skewered on the splayed metallic feathers. It's an impressive amount of control, as the tips of the blades have managed to strike only nonlethal or reinforced points of the armored suit. Xaiara emerged from the mandibles of the wraith dressed far differently from the shredded silver gown she had started the battle in; now she's wearing a lean and flexible bodysuit and a domino mask around her eyes. Her wings, while still metal, look more like natural bird wings than a collection of swords.
She looks at everyone in the display hall warily while her wings twitch, letting the Chroknight armor fall to the ground. "Where am I, who are you, and why did you throw a suit of armor at me?"
"Chloe!!" her dad shouts as the angelic being brings her towards his outstretched arms. "Thank you, thank you!" he says as he bows his head while scooping his child into his arms.
Empyrean stands in defense of the father and his child, watching as the spacious atrium of the Taylor International headquarters is filled with mayhem. The stuttering, half-ethereal chronowraiths attack wantonly, and are met by the various powered individuals in attendance at the Gala.
The Heralds work efficiently as a team, focusing on defense and ensuring the crowds of bystanders are evacuated safely. Nimbus directs the members of his team present, sending Half-Pipe into the air to distract the wraiths with his aerial stunts, while Ragnarok threatens anything that gets close to the crowds being evacuated by Rendezvous.
The Finals are less cohesive, but each put their talents to use in the battle. Valence's mastery of atomic forces are less effective against the quasi-real chronowraiths, but his sheer power is able to keep them mostly contained. Miss Hysteria can't abate the crowd's panic, but her hallucinations keep them directed towards the exits. Ne'veah's catlike reflexes avoid the wraith's mandibles, and her razor-sharp claws rend at their ethereal bodies!
The other Daedalus students do what they can, though a good number of them are not built for this kind of combat. Jessie gets swept up in the crowd surging for the exit, but her giant spider PanAm clambers across the wall and sends a line of silk to her, letting her pull herself out of the sea of people. Johnny and Matt, aka Chitin, lend their super strength and toughness to continue to combat the wraiths, while a furry-tailed Beebee bounds across the battlefield with remarkable agility, leading the wraiths on a chase across the atrium!
With one of the smaller wraiths snapping at her heels, Beebee bounds up to the mezzanine level, flipping over Empyrean and her charges. The wraith whips past them in its pursuit, but with a ghostly moan it abruptly changes targets to Chloe and her father! Its tail strikes like a serpent even as Chloe's father steps bravely in front of the creature to protect his daughter! Contact is made and he falls with a scream, clutching his leg in agony! The wraith then coils for a finishing strike!
Empyrean, what do you do???
* * *
Despite distant sounds of fighting elsewhere in Praetor Tower, the search for the Governess feels eerily quiet. The groaning of the swaying alien scout craft is the only soundtrack to Andromeda's threatening words, calling out the destructive AI to face her.
It's only when she contextually admits to being the one who had hurt Samantha in the first place does the Governess show herself, appearing after a blur of motion to stand directly in front of the Bull. "You--"
A silver streak comes out of the rubble, barreling into the Governess in a haze of bladed wings! Andromeda's HUD is unable to pick the two apart as time stutters, replaying events but each time Scythe's own incredible reaction speed and combat prowess manages to keep up with the Governess' time manipulation!
Scythe screams incoherently as she fights with reckless abandon, absorbing hits and not caring about the bloody injuries she suffers while the AI-infected armor's acceleration stays just ahead of the deadly wingblades.
Before Andromeda's HUD can process the two beings to give an optimal attack vector or simply decide to blast them both trusting Xaiara to heal, a massive chronowraith appears out of the aether and attempts to engulf them both!
While the group plans on using Grum's teleportation to avoid the spike stones, they notice the small chamber to the east is lit by bronze sconces. The room is bare except for the upper torso of a statue of a young human man. His face would be handsome if it were not contorted into a terrified expression.
Grum then teleports the group where the gugs are waiting for them.
The now-visible gug wearing adornments and jewelry casts a spell upon the heroes' sudden appearance.
Everyone must make a Will DC 19 save or be slowed.
Indarius leads the charge against the infected Chroknight armor, icing it over with a lance of freezing magic. At the panicked urging of an even younger Sammy, Andromeda joins the fray with her telekinetic powers! The armor blurs and speeds up as it tries to hide out of harm's way! The Bull's telekinetic force tears after the temporally accelerated Governess, ripping through displays and into the adjacent walls! The ripped hole in the wall reveals a large adjacent chamber with a Khi'thyri scout craft hanging from the ceiling.
The resultant shock wave sends the craft swaying ponderously above the large displays! Shrieks of panic echo about the chamber from museum patrons as they rush out of the exhibit hall!
Xaiara pursues after the Governess, her wings blurring behind her as she ignores the rubble-strewn ground. She moves out of sight beyond the crumbling displays, hot on the trail!
* * *
Empyrean effortlessly lifts Chloe to the mezzanine level as the serpentine apparitions make their presence known! Screams of panic erupt from the crowd when the chronowraiths are spotted! Chloe spots her distraught-looking father fighting against the tides of people heading for the exits.
Pandemonium overtakes the atrium as at least three chronowraiths weave through the crowds! They move unnaturally, stuttering like a buffering video, and their eyeless faces sport insect-like mandibles. Several Daedalus students ready themselves for battle, with Valence and Johnny rising up into the air and Ne'veah destroys her dress by transforming into her giant panther form.
The Heralds in the crowd also spring into action. Nimbus and Half-Pipe take to the air and Ragnarok balls his hands into fists, ready to fight. Rendezvous aids in crowd dispersal by opening up large portals, ensuring those who pass through are transported to safety.
Empyrean, you still have a question to ask from your Assess roll
With a feral scream far beyond what a young girl could normally produce, Samantha charges at the infected suit of armor and drives the stun gun against it. Electricity spasms through the Governess, sending it reeling backwards against the museum display of the brutish Razornaught. A plaster cast of the original visage falls from the display, crashing down on the Chroknight armor!
"That's coming out of your allowance, young lady," the Governess scolds, blasting Samantha with another temporal shift!
Samantha, take a powerful blow. Along with the regular options, if you get a 7-9, lose one year from your current age. On a 10+, lose two.
While Indarius charges up, finding the air especially rich with mana, Andromeda pleads for a much more reasonable use of Chroknight's time manipulation.
"One month?" she retorts. "A month won't correct her unruly behavior. A month won't dissuade her from further vigilantism. She will require years of remedial instruction. It's for the best, you'll all see. I missed her formative years-- I mean, I'm her mother so of course I raised her. I would have..."
The Governess' ghost within Chroknight's shell twitches as her self delusion causes a brief moment of hesitation.
She stumbles, you get a +1 Andromeda
Jessie and Xaiara stare at the altercation in fascination, then simultaneously remember the tearful young girl they're holding. "I'll take her, you help Sam," Jessie tells Xaiara, tugging Chloe away from the danger. The metal-winged girl nods once, then moves to stand next to Andromeda.
"Come on, sweetie. You don't have that many more years to lose if that's what's happening," she tells Chloe while pulling her back to the atrium.
* * *
Empyrean, while the crowd seems mostly confused by the alarm, several of the recognizable heroes start looking like they're readying to respond to the alleged threat. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, the Newborn spots a translucent, snakelike creature phasing in and out of the visible spectrum!
Then, just as the one she had been tracking fades from sight entirely, another of the spectral serpents crosses her vision!
===================
You are about to Enter battle against a dangerous foe as a team. Two team is added to the pool. If the leader has Influence over every teammate, add another Team.
• If everyone has the same purpose in the fight, add another Team.
• If any team member mistrusts the leader or the team, remove a Team.
• If your team is ill-prepared or off-balance, remove a Team.
Please state who will be taking charge of the team in your next post, and what your purpose is in the fight, and once the leader is chosen state if you trust them.
Glasswing steps away and back into the crowds to start urging people away from the confrontation within the museum.
Still out in the atrium, Empyrean hears a butterfly-winged young woman telling people to leave, that there's a temporal anomaly and they have to move fast!
What do you do?
The armored figure shakes their head. "I'm from this timeline, same as you. An attack on the Praetorium may be the obvious scenario, but you are incorrect; this is not an attack at all," "Chroknight" says, responding to both Indarius and Statian. "I'm here to protect you."
Kzzkkzkkkhhhkkk
Time stutters briefly, and Statian suddenly looks a couple years younger! She feels her legs perfectly, as though she'd never been injured in the first place!
"I'm here to fix you. After all, what mother wouldn't move time and space to heal her child?"
The mechanical voice coming from the Chroknight armor is that of the Governess!
Statian, you are confronted with your shame, either mark a condition or shift Superior down and Danger up.
"Imagine my distress when I learned that you had been paralyzed. I failed in my mission as a mother to protect you from harm. Chroknight's time manipulation presented the perfect opportunity to keep you safe. I took over the Chroknight armor, ran through various hypotheses on Chloe Parker-Myeong, and discovered the perfect scenario to ensure that not only did you not suffer that injury, but to reduce your age to one in which I may better keep you safe."
Kzzkkzkkkhhhkkk
Statian reduces in age again, looking like a tween!
"Don't worry; you'll have friends the same age as you."
Aerel returns from scouting with an idea of where the spike stones are.
The spell description doesn't list a DC for spotting the spike stones, but I'm moving us along anyway since Aerel's perception check was so high. The map is updated.
Chloe takes hold of Chroknight's proffered hand and tries to slow time down so she could ask hard questions about their identity. However, time refuses to budge, and Chroknight's teammates are able to effortlessly hear the exchange between the child and their masked comrade.
"You're so cute," Chroknight says patronizingly yet firmly. "The timeline is exactly as it should be. I'm Chroknight, and you are Chloe Parker-Myeong." They let go of her hand and give her cheek a condescending pinch. Chloe, take a condition, your choice
Chroknight rises to their feet and turn to Andromeda and Jessie. "She probably didn't come here by herself. I'll bet her parent is worried sick and looking for her. Why don't you take her back before there's a panic?"
Jessie swallows hard and claims one of Chloe's hands, holding it firmly. "That's probably a good idea. What do you think?"
Meanwhile, Xaiara takes a long, slow breath through her nose. "Andromeda can't touch her. I'll take her," she says. The metal-winged girl puts a hand on Chloe's shoulder.
Jessie allows the young child to take her hand, the girl's urging briefly distracting her from her concern over her pet monstrous spider. Xaiara, still on edge, gives Andromeda a look and then falls in with them. She follows Chloe's small frame tugging Sam and Jessie towards the museum's exhibits where Chroknight was last seen.
Glasswing clings to Indarius's claw tightly. "I'm not really a fighter and I don't know anything about the time stream. Thanks for protecting me, but don't you think it's better if I left and tried to get as many people out of here as possible?"
Just then, Statian speaks, making it obvious that Indy and Glass had wandered within earshot of the other group. Statian listens to Indarius's previous experience with alternate timelines and puts together a brief analysis of their situation.
Statian:
Contrary to the popular theory of a multiverse of infinite possibilities in which every decision spawns a timeline in which the opposite decision is made, the general scientific consensus is that alternate timelines are in fact quite rare. The more common phenomenon is that of an "unrealized reality" in which a timeline branches off but for unknown reasons dies, eventually becoming stagnant and unviable. Unrealized realities most often come into existence following meddling in the time stream, essentially when a being utilizes time travel and inadvertently creates paradoxes.
Consequently, Sam surmises that the biggest threat is that the meddling of the time stream will send her and everyone she knows into a branching, unrealized reality that slowly dies out, eventually becoming crystallized and frozen in time without viability. With that in mind, she and everyone in the Praetorium is in great danger.
Before Sam is able to share any of these insights, she realizes she's been led by Chloe deeper into the museum. Chroknight is just ahead, studying an exhibit featuring the brutish villain from the 1990s, Razornaught.
They look up in response to a shout from the direction of the atrium. Chroknight looks up, seeing past Chloe, Jessie, Xaiara, Sam, and Andromeda to Tim Mathers and Devil Diva who are striding towards the mysterious armored hero. "There. Your teammate; your problem," Tim says to Max, then uses his thumb to activate the pocket watch in his hand. He blurs, becoming hazy and indistinct.
The masked countenance of Chroknight turns to regard the heroes approaching them. They look down at Chloe, stepping forward then kneeling so they're at eye level. "Hello, young one. I think I remember a brave little girl like you. Chloe, right? Good to see you again." They extend a hand for a shake.
"Chronomancy is stupid risky," Tim mutters while digging into his jacket and pulling out an old pocket watch on a chain. He pauses in his action when Max looks surprised at Praetoria's message, frowning. "Pretty sure that recording isn't the source. Is she--?"
He cuts himself off as if he answered his own question. "You can poke around the edges of that missing memory later. Take a look:" Tim shoves the face of the pocket watch in Max's face. The hands are spinning back and forth like a compass instead of a timepiece. "You have a time manipulator on your team, right? You might want to get their attention about this. Or, get really far away from them, since odds are they'll be at ground zero for whatever's about to go down."
* * *
Glass spins around a few times and points to the interior of the museum just before Angel Taylor appears for her speech. "What's going to happen to all these people?" she asks, stepping into his protective ward.
Xaiara shakes her head tightly. "I don't know. Something's wrong, but I can't tell."
An abrupt fanfare of bold and triumphant music echoes across the atrium and throughout Praetor Tower, ceasing conversations mid-sentence and drawing everyone's attention to the center of the grand entrance. A flap of brilliant white wings drops down out of the high ceiling and lands upon a hovering platform even above the open mezzanine level.
Video screens come to life everywhere as Angel Taylor, resplendent in a frilled white-and-gold dress, appears with her dazzling smile and perfectly-coiffed hair. Her white feathered wings flap a few times as she smiles and waves at all the people within the Tower. Even the throngs of people gathered outside are able to watch as multi-storied billboards switch over to show her gorgeous image.
A cheer erupts from the crowds both inside and out. The flesh-and-blood Angel leans over the platform to wave at those gathered inside, then turns to the cameras arrayed in front of her to wave to everyone else without a good view of her.
"Thank you!!" she says when the cheers start to subside. "Thank you so much! I'm so honored that you're all here with us, the extended Taylor Family, to join us as we celebrate the reopening of the Praetorium to the public!"
She waits for more cheers to subside. "Thank you! Thank you. You're all too kind. Thank you. You know, the Taylors have been a part of Halcyon City from its very beginnings. It might be said that this museum of Halcyon's history is a celebration of that legacy. But I don't believe that. This museum is a celebration of you. All of you. Halcyon is known as the City of Heroes, but not because of the Taylors. Not even because of the Alliance, or the Heralds, or the Crimestoppers, or any other team of powered individuals. No.
"It's because of you. All of you. A hero doesn't need a cape, or wings, or a suit of armor, to make a difference in someone's life. Every time you reach out to someone else, to make their day a little better. To improve a life, even just a small fraction. You become a hero to them. You don't need powers to inspire. To lend a hand. To lift someone up. All you have to do is care. And make an effort."
She stares deeply into the cameras, and it's like she's looking directly at each person there in the audience. "That's why you're here. We're here to celebrate you. This museum is a testament to the heroic efforts of everyone here in Halcyon City. The brave first responders. The tireless builders and, let's be honest, rebuilders." She pauses for the laughter.
Her smile becomes sad. "And we've had to rebuild, haven't we? It's not always easy. Sometimes being a hero requires sacrifice. Saving the day is painful sometimes. But because it is hard, that means we must celebrate with that much more joy!
"On behalf of the Taylor Family, allow me to express my joy at seeing you all here to celebrate with us for the grand reopening of Halcyon City's Museum of Heroic History, the Praetorium!"
Cheers again erupt, but before the doors open to the exhibit halls, Angel holds her hand up again. "I know you're all excited to explore the annals of Halcyon's history, but if you'll indulge me for a few more moments, I know you'll all love this! Please, let me turn over the floor and your attention to the one and only Praetoria!!"
Devil Diva eventually makes her way across the red carpet and inside Praetor Tower where the various heroes and VIPs exchange pleasantries in the sprawling atrium. Large, winding staircases are roped off to separate the ticket-holding crowd who are slowly filing their way into the museum itself.
Max continues to play the room as she's accustomed, looking glam and snapping selfies with various Halcyon elite. She gets a bit of deja vu when a number of people take photos with her for a second time while acting like they hadn't posed for selfies just minutes before.
The third time it happens, Tim taps her on the shoulder while looking grim. One of the wards on his suit jacket is glowing an angry red. "Devil Dear, there is mischief afoot," he whispers in her ear.
* * *
"Chronowraiths..." Glasswing mutters with fear in her eyes while she watches Indy prepare his spell.
The holds out her hands to catch the crystal. She holds it up once she's caught it and turns back and forth. "So, it'll start vibrating like it is now? Or... wait. Is this a demonstration, or did you start the spell already and it's saying we're out of synch?"
* * *
Sam directs Chroknight to a rendezvous spot while keeping hold of Chloe's hand to keep the child version of her friend calm. Before she's able to head in the direction where she told the alter ego to meet, Jessie rushes up to her in a panic.
"Sam! PanAm just changed! She used to be an eastern black widow, but now she may be a western! Or one of the other species! There are thirty-four, so I don't know for sure! What's happening?"
Meanwhile, Andromeda feels a hand reach through her sheath and take hold of her arm. Xaiara is there in the (actually very lovely) silver dress that Ava picked out for her, but her game face is on. "Something is happening," she says grimly.
Glasswing shakes her head and giggles softly. "I don't 'talk' to plants. I sense their chemicals when they're disturbed and can interpret them, usually. You know a dryad?"
Her eyes go wide when he starts talking about chronowraiths and the people possibly being in danger. She starts looking around, following him when Indarius mentions his spell component. "Uh, sand? Does decorative gravel count?" she asks, pointing at the potting material in the large planters housing the greenery in the atrium. Unfortunately, he doesn't see anything else close to what he needs.
However, he spots Chroknight moving out of the atrium and deeper into the museum.
What do you do?
* * *
The tears in Chloe's eyes are a bitter sight to Andromeda.
Glasswing flaps her wings a few times as she poses for another photographer, then moves back under Indarius's bulkier form. "Not always, but there are gossip rags that get their viewership by being outrageous. And 'shippers are everywhere."
When he mentions the air tasting strange, Glass blinks heavily. When her eyes open again, they are green and opaque. Her antennae dance while she employs her enhanced senses to survey the atrium. She shakes her head slowly while her eyes return to normal. "There are a lot of powers here. I’m not getting ozone, though. Let's move to the greenery and I'll talk to the plants."
She tugs Indy further away from the paparazzi into the elegantly arranged greenery within the atrium. "That's odd," she says after a couple moments sniffing the flowers and studying the broad leaves of the decorative plants. "This palm is older than the building, but it's never been anywhere else in its life."
She gasps and points to another exotic plant. "And this fern is prehistoric. Like, from millions of years ago."
* * *
"Tim Mathers," he expounds while offering a hand to Piney Grove. "A pleasure."
The fashionista's eyes go wide as she recognizes the name. "Devil Diva, you are peak!" she exclaims. "Look at you, slaying it on the red carpet and you caught a Mathers? Girl!"
"What can I say? I'm helpless against her charms," Tim says with his crooked smile.
Piney squeals in delight, then turns to DeeDee. "Him and everyone else! Your dress is fire! Who's your designer or did it come straight from Hell to tempt us all?"
* * *
After the initial terror that Jessie's giant spider caused, she and PanAm have become a subject of some fascination by the braver paparazzi and other guests. The crowd gathered around the oversized black widow and her controller steadily grows and soon getting a selfie with the otherwise terrifying arachnid becomes a huge attraction.
* * *
Daedalus students with public personas like Chroknight and the members of the Finals keep the attention of the media and cape watchers while others not wanting the attention slip by with only a few questions here or there. Ava, Gwen, Carlos, Ryan, amd others congregate together to insulate themselves from the media attention.
* * *
The crowd around Empyrean enthusiastically line up for selfies and the chance to hear her encouraging words. Devil Diva's fashionably late arrival shifts some of the crowd's attitude, with some blocking her off while others actively asking for joint selfies with both the angel and the demon!
* * *
Sam's instruction to the guard is met with a shrug, and Chloe is allowed through to descend the wide, curving stairs that connect the mezzanine to the ground level of the massive atrium.
Reaching the lower level for Chloe is daunting, since at the upper level she could look down on all the people. Now, her waist-height stature amidst the throngs of impeccably dressed Gala attendees and VIPs has her nearly overwhelmed. Her knowledge that she really is a teenager wars with her current age; intrusive thoughts of child Chloe wants her to run back to her father.
Sam and Angelica see panic on Chloe's face as she's looking overwhelmed by the crowd.
Chloe, take Afraid unless someone Comforts and Supports you
"DeeDeeeeeee! Mah girl! Bring it in! You are rocking it señorita! Lemme get a look atchu! What have you got for us tonight that we gonna be talking about for weeks!?!
"And who this on your arm?"
* * *
Septimus Mathers lets Max answer as he exudes cool in his black silk dress shirt with embroidered arcane sigils only visible if they catch the light right. His rakish good looks are accentuated by stylish sunglasses and shaggy bad-boy hair styled to hang just barely above his eyeline. Confident in his role as the perfect accessory to Devil Diva, he is the warlock to her demonic temptress.
* * *
"Looks like we've got our time-twisting hero making their appearance! Our Cape Watchers were wondering if the mysterious armored hero would eschew their armor for formal wear, and it looks like we've got our answer! Who needs a suit -- or dress -- when armor is always in fashion! How about a word, Chroknight?"
"Hello, Jerry. Nice to be here. Thank you goes to the Taylors for our invitation."
"Indeed! No plus one for the Chro?"
"Oh, there is someone very special to me. I simply wish to keep them safe, so I cannot say more."
"We all at Cape Watch totally understand. We want you all to be safe, and we're so grateful to you for keeping us safe."
"You are welcome."
* * *
Chloe performs the peepee dance in front of security and several hundred people, much to her mortification, but it works and she's allowed to slip ahead through the checkpoint with her father following.
He lingers outside the ladies' restroom, calling to her that he'll wait outside. To Chloe's luck, she discovers the restroom to be one adjoining two different entrances and exits, which would allow her to leave without her father seeing!
"Gail Weatherby, joined here by the Finals! Valence, Panther Pride, Pallor, and Miss Hysteria!"
"Hey, Gail!" "Hi!" "Good to see you!"
"You were once thought to be the new rivals to First Class, but now you all blew us away when Indarius joined you during that robot fight in Springdale! Are we seeing a new member of the Finals?"
"It was certainly sad to see First Class disband."
"Yeah, and it was great teaming up with Indy! We haven't talked about him joining, but who knows?"
"We'll all be watching to see what develops! Don't keep us in the dark!"
"You know it, Gail. Love you!"
* * *
Practiced in West Coast media and optics, Glasswing doesn't react to the "Dragonflies" comment except with a coy smile and a practiced pose, winding her arm around Indy's. She turns a couple times for photos, then pulls him into the museum.
"Let them talk. It's publicity. It's clickbait. You can't stop it, so might as well lean into it," she whispers to him when they're away from the microphones.
* * *
Chloe sees her ring flashing the warnings of temporal paradoxes nearby, but she's not able to do anything about it immediately, being perched upon her father's shoulders and waving down at the heroes below in the atrium.
"What about my leg? You're fine, 딸." He bounces her a little on his shoulders to demonstrate.
The line starts moving and he takes a few steps towards the museum entrance but he pauses and points down. "Oh, look! It's your favorite! Crow Night!"
As Chloe looks to where her father is pointing, she sees someone in the Chroknight armor just arriving with another group of Daedalus students. A strange memory hits her, of time spent drawing and coloring a thank you picture of Crow Night for saving the comic store from a thief. She recalls putting the picture in her Whippoorwill-themed backpack before leaving for the Gala, hoping to deliver it to Crow Night if she saw them.
She's snapped out of the unfamiliar memory by a bubble popping in front of her.
Jessie's frown deepens when Sam tells her how likely her spiders would've been slaughtered by the Effigy, but nods along and doesn’t question her analysis.
"Okay. Well, if there's something on a future mission that I could do, just let me know."
She jumps at the chance to retrieve the requested item. "Gray case. Got it." She hurries out, brushing past Empyrean and hardly gawking at all.
=====================
"...forced to rely on junior heroes and kids! The Alliance are Earth's defenders! They're gone, maybe forever, and the Taylor family is going to smile and pat themselves on their back and ignore the real situation!"
"Well said, caller. You know, folks, I've been saying this for a long time. Relying on the altruism of powered individuals to protect and defend us may have gotten us this far, but truly, how many more close calls are we allowed before the odds catch up to us? I have the utmost respect for Captain Stalwart and his team, but you see where these high-minded ideals get you? Flying off across the galaxy to deal with the problems of some other planet! We need a force answerable to the people, not their own whims! Next caller, whatcha got for us?"
* * *
"Well, Cape Watchers, it's Jerry Woodrow, back with a clean pair of pants, standing with none other than the Gal of Glue herself, Chicle! You're now affiliated with the superschool Daedalus, aren't you?"
"Indeed, Jerry. Let me just thank Taylor International for extending the invitation to our students. We at Daedalus are enriching these extraordinary young people in so many ways, and we're grateful to the Taylor family for recognizing that fact."
"They're a good-looking bunch! Our Cape Watchers have a lot of questions about Daedalus and its students! Any chance we'll get more of an introduction to what could be the next generation of superheroes? "
"We understand the fascination with the powered community, but also would hope that their rights to privacy will be respected. Daedalus first and foremost is a school. Whether our students choose to be public heroes or enter the private sector will be up to them."
"Of course, of course! And on behalf of Cape Watch and our followers, we completely respect the rights of even our most famous heroes to private lives. Twenty-eight years of Cape news and always protecting their secret identities."
"Great, thank you, Jerry."
* * *
"Love it love it love it! Piney here with the wings! Lookit here, we have dragon wings! We have angel wings! We have butterfly wings! Indarius is in da house! Looking fire, cold-stuff! And you, Glasswing! Whatcha wearing, honey?"
"Hello, Piney! This is a Terazotti original, diamonds by Vermeer. What do you think?"
"West Coast representing, y'all! Welcome to Halcyon! OMG, girl, I almost missed you! Wings of steel! What's your name, and who are you wearing?"
"Oh, um. Scythe."
"Badass name to go with them badass wings! I'm Piney Grove, chief editor for Halcyon Haute, honey! Who you wearing?"
"It's my first dress."
"And you look great, my love! You are slaying it tonight! Don't sneak away, Indarius, you gotta tell me who put you in this cool ensemble?"
* * *
As Empyrean soars over the crowd, she sees a mass of people arriving from another entrance that aren't getting the same attention by the cameras and people with microphones than the groups arriving in front of the Red carpet. Many of them gawk as she flies overhead, pulling out phones and taking pictures or videos if they weren't out already.
She spots a familiar face in the throngs, that of Ms. Trask, somehow a rock of calm amidst the sea of excited people. She arches an eyebrow at Empyrean as if to say, "be nice."
Just then, someone shouts up to her. "Empyrean! What are your thoughts about the Reverand Reibold going on record saying that you're a serpent posing as a lamb, and your acceptance of demons is proof?"
* * *
Looking around the Gala, Chloe can find nothing that would indicate the source of her temporal flashes. She feels her father's rough hand take hold of hers, offering to steady her in her heels. Even though his own old injury makes it uncomfortable for him to stand long periods, he's hiding it for her benefit.
"I think there will be a line for everything here," he says ruefully. "If you have to go, I will be here. Watching for Captain Stalwart." He winks.
Kzzkkzkkkhhhkkk
The hand holding hers is soft and smooth, but slightly moist with the sweat that she assumes came from her and her nervousness over being at the Gala with Sam --
Kzzkkzkkkhhhkkk
-- with Max --
Kzzkkzkkkhhhkkk
-- with Arshad --
Kzzkkzkkkhhhkkk
-- Something out of the corner of her eye slips into the crowd and is gone before Chloe can recognize it. She realizes she's holding her father's hand again, but he is towering over her. Actually, so is everyone else around her, making her feel tiny in comparison. Looking down, she sees she's wearing flats instead of the modest heel that had put her an inch over her father. It's not the shoes, she realizes -- she's a child! "Here, you can see better this way," he says as he scoops her up and puts her on his shoulders!
"Welcome to this special evening edition of Halcyon Today, coming to you live from the Praetorium Gala. As always, I'm your host, Gary Grumman. This evening I'm looking out across Eternia Square as dozens of heroes of today, of yesteryear, and of tomorrow are here for the grand reopening of the Taylor family vanity project -- the Praetorium. While I for one would never begrudge our brave heroes a night out where they don't have to worry about the fate of the city, I must ask the same question I posed last night in my grand exposé of the impending threat to Halcyon City -- nay, the world: With the threat of the Star Pharoah looming, and the Alliance still off-world with no guarantees they'll be back, why?
"Looking forward to taking your calls. We'll be here all evening."
* * *
"Good evening Halcyon, it's your favorite fashion femme fatale, Piney Grove! Red carpet, red capes, and red lips here at the Praetorium Gala and I'm covering it all! Look there! Ragnarok of the Heralds, in a Garta silk suit with burgundy lapels -- love it! Heeeey! Let's get a look at you! Totally fire!"
"Hey yourself. Checking out the threads, huh? Y'all drink it in, check out this drip."
"You are roking my world! Pose for the Infin-stas! Looking snatched!"
"Love you Piney! Just keep the fashion police off my girl Gothic."
"I'll give her another pass for you, Ragnarok!"
* * *
"Looks like we've got some more Daedalus students arriving. Jerry's there by the portal, so we'll turn it over to him for the deets!"
"Thank you, Gail! I-- holy dear God I heaven!!
"Oh, sorry! They said I could bring PanAm. Um, you okay?"
"... well, I'm sure Jerry will be fine after that slight scare, Cape Watchers. Let's see... oh! Is that Parkour?
* * *
Chloe
"She's beautiful, like an angel," Chloe's dad remarks as Empyrean soars past them. He thinks a moment on her question. "Well, if the Alliance was coming, I'd have to choose--
Kzzkkzkkkhhhkkk
"--still Johnny. What can I say? He's sooo hot," Beebee beams at Chloe, her fuzzy tail quivering in excitement. She turns back to the railing and looks over the crowd. She spots Johnny floating a few feet over the heads and gives him a wave. He glances up and waves back, eliciting a small squeal from her friend.
Chloe thinks back, remembering getting ready to go to the Gala with Beebee. Her father willingly give up his ticket so she could go out with her best friend.
She remembers standing at the doorway of her home in her green dress next to Beebee, her cream-colored dress tailored to account for her tail as her father snaps picture after picture on his old phone. "One more! You two look so beautiful. Like angels."
Kzzkkzkkkhhhkkk
Her father is comforting her in her room as best he can, but he doesn't understand why she's so broken up about a student from Daedalus dying on a mission. The best she could say was that Sam had come into the store a few times and they'd talked about comics. If only she could tell him that she knew Statian personally, as the superhero Chroknight, and that if she'd gone on the mission against the Effigy it's possible that she wouldn't have gotten killed.
She looks at her father's lined face, straining to find words of comfort for his daughter. "We don't have to go to the Gala. There are more important things in life. We treasure what we can, because life is fleeting. We never know how much time we--"
Kzzkkzkkkhhhkkk
"-- Yeoman. He's a funny-looking robot, and I think he would be nice to talk to," her father answers.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and cape watchers of all ages, as we bring you a front row view of the red-carpet arrivals here at Praetor Tower! Here to celebrate the grand reopening of the Praetorium and get interviews of all the biggest names and faces of Halcyon City is my co-host of Cape Watch, Gail Weatherby!"
"And with me as always is Jerry Woodrow! And what a celebration you see going on behind us! Crowds are lining the street behind us, hoping to get a glimpse of the celebrities arriving as we speak!"
"Don't look now, Gail, I think that's Behind the Mask's very own Red Hornet -- Hugo Howard!"
"It is! Let me see if he'll spare us a moment! Excuse me! Gail Weatherby, with--"
"Cape Watch, yes. I love your show. It's lovely to meet you, Gail."
"Likewise, Hugo. I loved your heroic speech in 'Measure of the Mighty.' How were you able to pull that much emotion from the scene?"
"Well, I was acting, of course, and it helps when you've got such great scripts. And credit goes to the crew, the director..."
"Wonderful, wonderful. I love your suit. Who's the designer?"
"Ah, it's a special by Zethrane."
"So handsome. It's been a pleasure. Enjoy the Gala. Over to you, Jerry."
"Thank you Gail! Look who's with me and knocking us all dead in her stunning Vertrucci gown! Rendezvous from the Heralds!"
"A pleasure. We 'ave been so busy lately, it will be nice to 'ave some fun for a change."
"Glad you're getting a break! So, no word yet from the Alliance? Rumors have abounded that they're going to crash this party."
"If zhey are, zhey did not tell me. We can only hope ze Alliance will be home soon, having brought peace to the conflict in outer space."
"Thank you, Rendezvous. Enjoy your time off! Back to you Gail! Who's that with you...?"
* * *
The procession of limousines disgorging local celebrities, politicians, and super heroes continues for more than an hour, though some decide to take a less public route and arrive via portal or aero-vehicle to Praetor Tower.
The students of Daedalus arrive with some fanfare of their own, either flying in under their own power or taking the recalibrated portal to step onto the plaza directly in front of the skyscraper that houses both the business offices of Taylor International, the living quarters of the Taylor family (and friends), and the Praetorium.
Describe your entrance, what you're wearing, and who you're with
* * *
The crowd of ticket holders first have to endure a long line to get through security, then have their tickets scanned, and then wait for the single escalator up to the mezzanine level of Praetor Tower. Chloe's father pauses at the railing to look over the giant atrium and the colorful guests pouring in from the other entrances.
"Okay, who is that?" he asks as he points to a woman in shiny silver armor. "And what about him?" he inquires about the hulking reddish form of Chitin making his way in with a contingent of Daedalus students.
There's a sudden commotion at the door to Sam's room as the door flies open. Jessie pushes her way forward and squeezes between Gui and Indarius to see her friend. Her face is splotchy from crying and new tears are already welling in her eyes. "Sam! I'm so sorry, I should have come with you! I dunno, maybe my spiders could've done the same wiring trick like with the AI or something!"
She gently takes Sam's hand and gives it an urgent squeeze. "Are you-- um, do you need anything?"
"Let's get started, then," Tim says. He takes Max's hand and guides her to sit in the middle of the pentagram. Once she's done so, he makes a brief gesture and all the candles light at once.
He pulls out a worn notebook and flips through a few pages while moving slowly around the symbol on the floor. "Okay, your job is to focus on your offering. Since you said it yourself, they're painful, but you gotta really feel them. Pull those experiences out of your memory and live in them like they just happened. Got it?"
Without waiting for an answer, Tim digs into a pocket and pulls out another runestone. He kicks the stuffed bird away from its spot on the pentagram and replaces it with the stone. "Keep it up. I'm sure you're doing great." He disappears behind Max.
What follows is a litany of Tim speaking in a strange language -- if it can be called language. It's not Latin, Max is sure of that. It rasps inside her skull, reminding her of her visions of when Violet knelt before the great demonic figure, making it difficult to keep her concentration on her offering.
The classroom grows dark and the candles sputter. Tim's voice grows distant as Max suddenly feels surrounded. The entities the youngest Mathers is entreating press upon her, see her, know her and weigh her offering in the balance against the knowledge she is seeking.
If she had breath, she'd be screaming as ancient deities root through her memories, scooping them out and laying her life bare. Faces of Max's past lovers flash before her eyes, the sensation of their bodies entwined, caresses against her skin, hard conversations, feelings of betrayal and the hurt of those she'd betrayed. The lessons learned, hard, soul-shattering lessons about herself and about life, disappear as the memories are lifted from her.
There is hardly time for regret as knowledge of Ahk'nathal the Star Pharoah pours into her. His rise during the First Kingdom of Egypt and his exile, his mastery of ancient sorcery, and his repeated attempts to conquer the world. Knowledge embodying centuries and ancient battles, cultures and peoples rising up to fight the Star Pharoah floods Max's mind, taxing it to the limits!
You now have the move draw on your ritual knowledge. Roll Superior. On a hit, you recall an important detail about Ahk'nathal that's relevant to the scene. The GM will tell you what. Take +1 ongoing while acting upon that knowledge. On a 10+, you may ask a follow-up question. On a miss, you're flooded with too much irrelevant information. Take a condition.
The ritual complete, the candles return to normal and the entities are gone. "How you feeling? You still you?" Tim asks.
Max’s tail lashes back and forth behind her. ”Well, I don’t want to forget who I was before this. I feel like that would be fundamentally altering who I am as a person. But maybe I could give up my memories of past relationships? Ones that... that didn’t end so well. Do you think that would be sufficient?”
Tim chuckles. "if they're entertaining enough, probably. I could probably swap Saraswati or Huginn for Hera or Freyja if they ended really painfully. They'll likely bite, but depending on how bad it went they might be motivated to get some revenge on your behalf. Either that or you'll end up repeating those mistakes, and they'll feel fresh."
The heroes fall back to the entrance. Likely because of the magical hazard, the gugs do not pursue.
The statue of the dwarf again addresses them. "Driven back, are you? Are you going to get more dwarves to come help? I don't think I can rest otherwise."
Sense Motive DC 36:
The petrified dwarf seems really urgent in trying to get more dwarves to come down to the vaults
1d20 ⇒ 12
Tim nods. "Pretty much. You offer your complete knowledge about something, and poof, it's gone. It's gotta be tempting, of course. Offering up your total knowledge of Baroque architecture is going to insult them -- unless I picked a really bad example and you're some kind of expert. Languages are enticing. Or, you could offer something unique and special to you. Like your memories of your growing up a boy."
He laces his fingers behind his head. "You could decide not to give something up, you know. Not offering anything is really dangerous, though. 'Lessons learned from the gods' kind of stuff."
Tim's eyebrows waggle. "A sacrifice," he says ominously.
If Max follows, he leads her to the main campus building to the wing of standard classrooms. He checks the room where the arcane studies are usually conducted and confirms that it's empty, then waves her in.
"Lock the door, please," Tim says as he starts putting candles on the pentagram etched into the floor.
"Ahk'nathal has been awfully elusive. It's time to call upon the big dogs." Once the candles are arrayed, he holds up various objects, such as a stuffed crow, a small statuette, a coin, a small book, and a small pot. He starts setting them down within the points of the star, explaining as he goes. "Huginn. Saraswati. Mnemosyne. Laozi. Ceridwen.
"All heavy-hitters in the knowledge and wisdom league. Which is what we want. The problem with these entities, to get their attention you're going to have to offer them something. Your own knowledge. In order to know all there is to know about Ahk'nathal, you would have to give up all you know about something else in exchange."
Johnny takes a step into the room, but Ava braves the telekinetic static and helps Andromeda to the floor. She gestures to him to back out. "Andromeda is taking Statian's injury hard. Thanks for reminding us of how good the infirmary is here. I'll see to her."
Johnny nods, face lined with concern. "Yeah. No problem. I, uh, next time I see Gui, you want me to-- Eh, never mind. I'm sure you'll see him soon." He hovers at the door for a few moments more. "Take care, okay?"
Once Johnny leaves, Ava's voice sounds more insistent. "My dermis can withstand this for one hundred thirty-seven seconds more before I must vacate the premises. I'd like to help you further, but I've no wish to sustain damage requiring repair.
"One hundred twelve seconds."
================
Outside the infirmary
Scythe gives Indy a dark look. "You don't know if you got any? That was my power, my life force, put in a bottle without anyone asking and you don't know?" Indy, Scythe is taking influence over you.
She turns abruptly and walks out of the waiting room.
Valence shakes his head. "Bruh. I don't need your f$$+ing apology when the four of us took down a tripod designed to kill metas. The normies are going to keep making these things, too, until they get so good we won't be able to beat them." He looks Indy up and down with a measure of disappointment. "If you find yourself choking when you're facing a drone, what's going to happen when it's a dude in power armor? Or, I dunno, some knight with a f##!ing sword?"
"Dude, come on. We won. Let's celebrate," Pallor says, trying to defuse the conversation, "after we get some painkillers."
Ne'veah doesn't say anything, but frowns at Indy.
* * *
Scythe grabs a fistful of the tattered amd bloodstained shirt, glancing down at it and shrugging. "I don't care." She lets go, seemingly not concerned with her appearance or exposed parts of her skin.
An idea seems to come to her and she adjusts her stance, looking less like she was expecting a sneak attack and stands more like she's on a runway in a pageant. "You were at the island, right? I don't remember much about that time because I was messed up, but there was... a shot. My healing power in a needle. That was the experiment we were working on. Did you take any when you fought Drake?"
Pallor appears woozy and has a trickle of blood running down the side of his head. "'M good, thanks," he grunts, wincing. "Might have cracked a rib though."
Valence blinks hard at Indarius when he apologizes. "You... have to be kidding."
Shifting back to her hybrid form, Ne'veah appears to favor her left leg. "What is this 'should have done more' b!$@!$*#? Yeah, we'd have taken it down eventually but what are you talking about? Unless you had a magic spell that could turn it inside-out that you didn't use or something?"
* * *
infirmary
As Indy stares at the doors awaiting a chance to see Sam, he hears a voice behind him. "Are you going to fix her with magic?"
It's Scythe, still dirty and with torn clothes, but looking unharmed. Her eyes are serious as she meets his.
==============
Devil Diva
Wandering aimlessly around the campus and lost in her dark thoughts, Max doesn't immediately realize that Tim is walking next to her until he speaks up.
"Rough fight, huh? If you want me to banish myself, I will. But if you're looking for something to do, I could use a Second for a little ritual I'm working on."
==============
Andromeda
"You'd have to wait to see her. There's a line forming." Ava rubs her arm again. "I'm not connected so I cannot provide regular updates. I could--"
Ava pauses mid-sentence when Johnny sticks his head in the room. "Hey, just wanted to confirm that Gui was a great help today. He stayed safe, and kicked nanite butt. Not... literally," he says with a lopsided grin.
It drops away to a somber expression. "Heard your team had a bad injury. Hope you're doing okay, but don't worry too much, if you can manage that. They'll patch her up, good as new, I'm sure."
Images fly through her mind as scenario after scenario leads to more pain. Rejection, recriminations, complex medical equipment failure when exposed to the increased entropy of her sheath's presence. One where she notices something unseen that is the key to Sam's recovery -Stupid, discarded- Having to watch Chroknight use their powers to fix everything the way they should have done in the first place. Another explosion.
"I can't go in there."
Ava's eyes flash once more. "... I see. Give me some privacy and I'll do what I can. I dislike removing my dermis in front of people. I would hope that you understand. It feels like nudity."
Assuming Andromeda gives her the requested privacy...
Ava returns after roughly an hour, having left the dorms to find an empty room in the main building to do her surveillance. She rubs her forearm. "Ms. Murphy suffered an injury to either the T-12 or the L-1 region of her spinal cord. The damage has rendered her paralyzed from the waist down."
With jaw set, Ava meets Andromeda's eyes. "It's her own fault, you know. Even she has acknowledged it. She had no business being so close to the powers at play during the fight; for all her supposed intelligence, she failed to heed the most rudimentary caution. You might as well feel sorry for the grass you stepped on." Ava is attempting to shift your Labels, Savior down, Danger up.
She needed information. She needed to be able to monitor the damage she had caused. She couldn't get close, that wasn't safe, it clearly wasn't safe.
So she'd gone to a friend.
"Ava, I need help. I can't go to the infirmary, but I need to know what's happening to her in there. Can you get me access to her files, or anything else that could help?"
[dice=Provoke]2d6+1-2
Ava gives Andromeda a long look, tilting her head inquisitively, until she finally nods in agreement. "I will see what I can learn."
She sits down at her computer and begins to work. She stays focused, making a few sounds that resemble grunts in frustration before finally closing the laptop with a click. "I would need to directly interface the system in order to bypass the network's firewalls," she announces. "They were upgraded in response to the Governess' attack."
Ava's eyes flash briefly before settling on Andromeda once more. "I've confirmed the rumors that Samantha Murphy is the one presently in the infirmary, though I believe you knew that already. If you don't mind... I'd like to know why you need to know what's happening to her."
The team members shake their heads at the use of fire or water-based powers, but Ringtone holds up one of his bells. "Would sonic work?"
The cloud coalesces and starts approaching the young metahumans as Johnny nods at Ringtone. "Nothing to do but try it! I'll get some water from the quarry lake, Chitin, see if you can get some fire going from the vehicles' fuel tanks!"
He flies off as Ringtone steps forward and projects a blast of sound at the swarm of miniaturized robots! The cloud swirls agitatedly, giving Chitin a chance to chuck the motorized equipment at the cloud! The heavy impact with the ground causes enough of a spark to set off the fuel, sending a bloom of fire and greasy black smoke billowing upwards! Moments later, Johnny comes flying back with a rowboat full of water that he flings at the rapidly dispersing cloud!
Whatever's left of the nanite swarm is countered by Ringtone, blasting sonic waves to keep it corralled! Aquarelle helps out further by throwing up confounding illusions to stop the swarm's spread and keep it within the killing zone!
After a several minutes of coordinated work, the nanite swarm disperses!
===============
Indarius
The magical dragon assaults the towering drone's legs, tripping it up with woven bands of arcane power! After a moment where the automaton tries to stay upright, it pitches over and crashes down into a bowling alley!
Valence continues to push himself, using his powers to further wrap up the meta hunter and lash it to the ground now that it's no longer upright! Ne'veah bounds along its length, looking for a purchase for her claws to do further damage to it. Eventually, a hatch pops open releasing a plume of white smoke from the bulbous body! Moments later, Pallor turns visible while standing triumphant on the defeated drone!
===============
Andromeda
After nearly a half hour of searching, Andromeda cannot locate Empyrean. By the time she returns to the scene of the battle with the Effigy, the Daedalus students have been gathered by their school and transported back to the campus.
* * *
Daedalus
The teams slowly return back to the campus, mostly triumphant in their efforts to stop the metahuman-hunting drones. All in all, a commendable effort, suggests Professor Mathers over the PA system, even though there was one injury. He declines to state who was hurt, though the crowd of students hovering around the basement infirmary knows, and word will spread throughout the school soon enough.
Max's extended hand is left empty as it's revealed that Statian is far more hurt than she had initially thought. As the emotional scene ratches up in tension with Chroknight shouting orders and Andromeda rocketing away to find the elusive angel, Max's hand is still empty.
Devil Diva, take a powerful (emotional) blow
Scythe flies back to the group, looking a mess from her repeated crashes but otherwise unharmed. Her face is concerned, but slightly confused at the everyone surrounding Statian.
Ne'veah just growls in response to his preference for her fur over the rubble pressing down on them. When he telekinetically lifts the debris, her body shrinks down and she lithely twists out of the wreckage. Her claws find purchase in the canted walls and she bounds away from the collapsed building and toward the drone.
Indy suddenly finds the rubble surrounding him to lift off of him completely! He notices the signature energy of Valence's power surrounding chunks of brick and mortar, which then catapults the debris directly at the drone! The chunks of rubble smash and shatter against the alien armor, but it still reels at the force of the blows!
Now free to climb out, Indy sees the drone under assault by Valence, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead as he exerts himself. Ne'veah returns to the fight, re-sizing herself to her giant panther form and pouncing at one of the stilt-like legs of the drone!
Indy's hope that Pallor made it inside is borne out because the drone begins to behave erratically. Whether the invisible Daedalus student can truly disable the drone is still unknown, but he's ay least given his teammates an opening!
What do you do?
Aquarelle
Aquarelle and his teammates Ringtone, Chitin, and a wolfed-out Carlos, move against the military vehicles that seem to be operating without drivers or pilots! Baiting the strange cloud with his illusion, the dark smear spreads out and engulfs the figment, buzzing like a swarm of millions of tiny insects!
Johnny and Chitin smashes the controlled tanks while Carloa and Ringtone deal with the other military vehicles.
"What is that cloud?!?" Carlos asks after ripping out the tires of a Humvee.
"Dunno! But it could be nanites! You know, microscopic machines?" Chitin guesses.
Ringtone gasps. "You know, I took classes with a microscopic superhero once. You think these are based on that tech?"
"That's from a children's cartoon," Johnny says. "But I don't have a better idea. How do you beat it? Anyone have any ideas?"
The barrage of heavy objects tossed at Indarius is too much for the dragon as he catches a chunk of masonry in his wing, causing him to spiral out of control! He puts his entire effort into stabilizing his flight before crashing! He can feel rather than see his invisible passenger clinging desperately to him as he nearly slams into the side of a red-brick town hall!
Finally in control, Indy again goes after the massive robotic menace, which had taken the opportunity to calibrate its reverse-engineered armor against Valence's powers! Indarius's classmate grits his teeth in frustration at the drone shrugging off blast after blast! Ne'veah, too, is struggling against the metal beast, as one of the cables has grabbed her by the hind leg and is holding her off the ground!
The Transformed uses his full draconic might to engage the robot, looking like something out of a kaiju flick! The bulbous body teeters on its stilt-legs like an animated water tower with a fierce dragon rending its side open! Pallor's scant weight disappears from Indy's shoulder, but he can only hope that the invisible kid has slipped inside.
The metal cables descending from the drone's underbelly take action to defend itself. Indy feels one clamp down hard on his tail and pry him away from its side! It then slams him down hard on the roof of a hardware store and then follows up by smashing Ne'veah right on top of him! The pair of impacts is too much for the building's roof and the two of them fall through, only to be crushed by the collapsing building!
Indy, take a powerful blow!
================
0 Team
Chroknight and Statian separate after the pair had barely avoided a devastating blast from the Effigy. The Janus makes their way to help Devil Diva while telling the Brain to help Andromeda, who seems to be reeling from unseen yet painful wounds!
Recognizing the transferred pain being inflicted upon her teammate, Statian's prodigious intellect is not able to find a solution before it becomes too much for Andromeda! The tightly wound and obsessive control of her powers first starts to unravel at the edges of her sheath, causing air molecules to rapidly heat!
It's the only sign that Sam gets to realize that she's too far inside the impending blast radius.
Uncontrolled POWER erupts with Andromeda at the epicenter. The explosion radiates outward, engulfing Statian and creating a crater that dwarfs the previous one created by the Effigy mimicking the Bull's telekinesis. Hurricane-force winds blast outwards, buffeting the three combatants and sending a plume of dust and debris upwards like a mushroom cloud!
Statian, take a powerful blow
Devil Diva had maintained her assault on the Effigy, and aided by Chroknight's timely intervention was able to drive past the telekinetic field and grapple with the metahuman hunter. Then Andromeda's blast of force arrives! Bracing for the impact, DeeDee's demonic strength keeps hold of the Effigy's head while the body is blasted away!
The devastation wrought by Andromeda's loss of control is everywhere. Trees are scoured free of leaves and the earth is blasted down to unliving rock. The nearby suspension bridge groans and sways under the strain of whiplashing force, and plumes of smoke and dust rise high into the air.
Grum's magical darkvision was used during the Long Walk in the Darklands. There are some magical light sources in this area because of it being a treasure vault, so I figured you would rely on that plus continual torches and light spells.
The heroes engage the babau demons with frightening efficiency, but realize that the ground has become filled with nearly invisible jagged spikes! Grum, Haela, Benedict, and Aerel all maneuvered a short distance, and felt a piercing jab in their feet.
Piercing:1d8 ⇒ 6Reflex DC 20 or suffer 1/2 movement for 24 hours or until magical healing or First Aid is applied
Aerel spots an invisible gug wearing ornate armor and jewelry duck back after having cast its spell.
Still, the heroes dispatch the demons, each of them popping out in a flash and brief but putrid-smelling smoke.
Andromeda meets the Effigy's soulless eyes as she tries to crush its copied sheath with her own. The unnerving stare coming from another robotic doppelganger has Andromeda flashing back to Ava when she mimicked her appearance! However, Ava's expression while wearing her face had been warm and reassuring while the Effigy's soulless hostility has unbidden thoughts asking which imitation is closest to the real thing!
Andromeda, take Afraid
Still, the moment is enough for Statian to act, flinging a virus designed to deny Chroknight's temporal powers from the Effigy through the competing sheaths! The pieces of armor fall away leaving a perfect copy of Andromeda! Somehow more powerful now that it's only copying one set of powers, a telekinetic wave of force crashes toward the Brain!
Chroknight fights through the phantom pain and dives to Statian's defense, pulling her away from the wave of destructive force that churns up the ground and into the forest knocking down trees in its wake!
Devil Diva pounces at the Effigy's flank, hoping that it was distracted by Andromeda, Statian, and Chroknight. The demoness' power pushes through the telekinetic sheath and her claws tear into it -- though only Andromeda feels the sensation of talons rending flesh!
Andromeda, take a powerful blow and Devil Diva, take Guilty!
Possessing near insurmountable telekinetic energy, the Effigy throws up blocks and walls! Scythe, seemingly recovered, flies at the drone again and is swatted away like a fly!
Indarius's communicator only gets hissing static back, indicative of some kind of signal jamming. Without the contact with his team and the tactical genius he usually relies on, a creeping fear takes him.
Take Afraid
"Thanks for the warning," Valence responds. Ne'veah shifts into her giant panther shape and lets out a challenging growl.
The tower drone pivots its sensors towards the group of metas approaching, pausing to do its own assessment.
Valence flings Ne'veah at the robot then follows up with a concentrated blast of electrons! Sparks fly off the chassis just as the giant panther hits with her rending claws! The tower drone shrugs off the bast and resists Ne'veah's attacks, then weapons hatches open up displaying tracking turrets!
The guns take aim at Valence and Ne'veah and start to fire!
What do you do?
Unable to do much offensively right now to help the situation, Indy weaves a inversed semi-circle of arcane energy between Ne-veah and the turrets, hopeful that Valance could throw up his own barrier.
[Dice=defend Ne'veah]2d6+2
clear afraid
"Pallor, think you could get inside that thing and do some damage if I get you there?"
The tracking guns spit a barrage of rounds that bounce harmlessly off Indy's magical shields and Valence's electromagnetic barrier. Ne'veah takes advantage of the protective sphere and swipes at the exposed equipment behind the turrets' panels, causing them to power down with a low whine.
Seeing the effectiveness of getting around the drone's ablative armor, Pallor responds to Indy's question. "Oh yeah! Tell me when!"
With the turrets out of commission, Valence tests his ionic powers against the armor one more time, strain showing on his face. The towering drone withstands the assault, then large metal cables descend from the underside and break off chimneys and HVAC units from the roofs of nearby buildings, flinging them at the team!
Valence's attack is thrown off while he defends himself, while Ne'veah ziggs and zaggs to avoid the large projectiles! Indarius is not spared, as a large marquee sign is hurled his way!
Indy, take a powerful blow!
Chroknight twists the Effigy's wings enough to send it groundward, the pair slamming hard against the pavement short of the giant suspension bridge. They feel the muffled impact of their blows on the meta-hunter, then see Andromeda surging forward and brace for more.
Statian calls out a strategy, a straightforward plan to pummel the android into submission. However, a nagging voice in the back of her mind makes her concerned that she missed something important.
Remember Statian that the tactical genius move requires you to point out a flaw in the opponent's plan
Andromeda takes heed of the instructions, seizing the chance to fully cut loose. She closes, wrapping the Effigy in her telekinetic energy and using its stolen bladed wings against it!
Scythe had taken flight again and was returning to engage when she again plummets from the air with an agonized scream! Chroknight gets the same sensation that she must me feeling as they get a horrible sense of a phantom limb being broken and twisted, then an excruciating feeling of being stabbed! Chroknight, take a condition
The Effigy suddenly blurs in Andromeda's clutches. She feels the drone go insubstantial as if she were attacking an afterimage, then the Effigy slams into her from a different angle as it veers toward drastic action! Its stolen time manipulation still leaving Chroknight and Scythe on the ground in agony, the wingless Effigy slows time enough to fully duplicate Andromeda's telekinetic might! Now looking like Andromeda wearing chunks of Chroknight's armor, it flexes its sheath, creating a crater in the ground as the force radiates outward like a meteorite's impact!
Andromeda, take a powerful blow
Indarius's communicator only gets hissing static back, indicative of some kind of signal jamming. Without the contact with his team and the tactical genius he usually relies on, a creeping fear takes him.
Take Afraid
"Thanks for the warning," Valence responds. Ne'veah shifts into her giant panther shape and lets out a challenging growl.
The tower drone pivots its sensors towards the group of metas approaching, pausing to do its own assessment.
Valence flings Ne'veah at the robot then follows up with a concentrated blast of electrons! Sparks fly off the chassis just as the giant panther hits with her rending claws! The tower drone shrugs off the bast and resists Ne'veah's attacks, then weapons hatches open up displaying tracking turrets!
The guns take aim at Valence and Ne'veah and start to fire!
What do you do?
Aquarelle
Johnny grunts as he pushes the glider out of the line of fire while Aquarelle's illusion gives the military vehicles something else to shoot at. Thundering blasts of heavy ordnance fill the area with acid smoke, but the glider is unscathed.
"I'll take out those tanks," Johnny says. "See if you can figure out what that cloud is."
Team 1 speeds along, covering ground rapidly until they come upon a small community with a quaint downtown area. Flying above the town Indarius spots the drone, a spidery-looking mechanical being with a central pod-like body and fifty-foot high extended legs propelling it forward rapidly.
When he gets closer, Indy recognizes the scintillating pattern of the spider-bot's armor as the same as the interdimensional bounty hunter Alcott!
==============
0 Team
Scythe and the Effigy battle each other in the air, sparks flying as metallic feather meets metallic feather. Then Chroknight slams into the imposter after being flung into the fray by Andromeda's telekinesis! The impact separates the identical-looking combatants, though the Effigy seems to easily absorb the blow. However, Scythe goes caroming off towards the ground as the Effigy shares the pain with the one it's copying!
Chroknight has Effigy's full attention, and they see the metahuman-hunter start to change, imitating their armor while keeping the deadly wings!
Statian observes the battle thus far. She concludes that because this Effigy model not only transfers damage to the one it's copying but also can copy multiple beings, defeating it quickly would require concentrating attacks on it while it copies a teammate most likely to endure the transferred damage!
The heroes fall back to wait out whatever spell was cast. However, three lanky demonic figures appear in a blast of brimstone, cackling with malice! One concentrates briefly and William's light cantrip blinks out, plunging the entire chamber into total darkness. The other two move up and jab their long spears at the heroes!
The heroes ready themselves for an attack, but it doesn't come immediately. The creatures are heard in the next chambers, but they don't rush into melee and the readied shots of the archers.
An odd, guttural word is spoken, but nothing happens immediately.
Spellcraft DC 27:
That strange word sounds like a high-level scroll being activated.
Statian assesses the battleground as the fight is about to break out. Without knowing the schematics of the anti-metahuman drone but assuming its purpose conveys it considerable destructive capabilities, the bridge itself is in the most danger. Furthermore, its position as the main traffic artery to Halcyon City from the north would cause massive disruption to the city's economics if it were shut down for repairs.
Chroknight's prediction about two fliers going splat ends up not becoming true, as Scythe deftly alters her trajectory just in time so she zooms past the pale figure, her bladed wings raking the humanoid drone and cutting deep sparking furrows!
Scythe pivots in air to come back around for another pass. As she does so, the pale and featureless drone suddenly takes on color and shape, altering itself into the exact copy of Scythe down to her metallic wings! The deep cuts in the drone repair themselves rapidly, and in seconds the damage is completely gone!
You're about to Enter battle against a dangerous foe as a team. Two team is added to the pool. If the leader has Influence over every teammate, add another Team.
• If everyone has the same purpose in the fight, add another Team.
• If any team member mistrusts the leader or the team, remove a Team.
• If your team is ill-prepared or off-balance, remove a Team.
Wishlists and Lists
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