Heroes of Memorial City Season 1 [Masks]

[Kymme]

“Honestly, I expected better.”

Justinian Wilhelm, sorcerer extraordinaire and human sacrifice dabbler, continued his monologue as he descended. The arcane sigils that glittered just beneath his all-black oxfords produced a slight updraft, which set his midnight blue coat billowing dramatically around him. He’d always appreciated the presentation that came with villainy, even if there wasn’t always an audience to enjoy it.

Here though, in the Dome at the Center of America, right in the middle of Memorial City, there was audience enough for any villain. With his back to his captive audience, held in their seats by ten-thousand serpents of coal and brimstone, Justinian felt like Malefactor or Calamity or Grehm - a villain par excellence, one whose every step sets the world trembling.

Compared to his magnificence, however, these heroes were somewhat lacking.

“Seriously, are you lot the best this city could muster? I’m almost offended! I’d figured the Paragons would make an appearance, but it seems the rumors about them chasing after Atomic Skull’s trail were true after all. Wait a moment - that was your doing, wasn’t it! I remember now!” The sorcerer chuckled hollowly to himself and then spoke up, to be heard over the frightened whimpers of the crowd. “You’re the ones who took down the city’s power grid and gave him the opportunity to escape their clutches, aren’t you? I suppose it all lines up then, doesn’t it? You lot go from letting supervillains escape the real heroes to depriving me of real heroes to fight against. Zeroes through till the end.”

An incredulous and dreadful smile crept across the sorcerer’s lips as five figures began to rise. Pulling themselves free of the twisted metal, torn cloth, and splintered wood that had once been a massive concert stage, five heroes rose to stand side by side before the sorcerer.

And he was almost impressed.

With a snap of his fingers Justinian Wilhelm brought forth his muscle. Landing below and beside him, between the heroes and the audience crowd, was a three-eyed lion-faced demon the size of a bus. Its eight muscular arms each held wicked weapons of Hindu design, and swirling all about the creature was a magical aura of violence and fear.

It screamed a challenge at the heroes and Justinian’s grin grew wider.

What do you do?

Spoiler: Let's Go!

Show

Welcome, one and all, to Heroes of Memorial City! It’s time for some high octane superheroics action, brought to you by our five heroes!

Kamui Zezui aka Providence, played by roko10
Tsu Yang Zhou aka Phoenix Flame, played by Zero Prime
Sarah Helmsworth aka Strikescale, played by Awful
Luana Lacuna aka Comet, played by Thanqol
Eric Federiks aka Scout, played by richmond

Now, this scenario starts with the team in a bad way: you’ve engaged Justinian to interrupt his villainous ritual and save the concert goers (possibly abandoning your expensive seats to do so) but have so far been rebuffed by his magical power and his imposing guardian beast. Never fear, though, because now it’s time to enter battle against a dangerous foe as a team! Let’s go over that move now, shall we?

1 Team at the start of every ‘session.’
+2 Team for triggering the move.
+1 Team if the leader has Influence over every teammate. We’ll assume everyone respects Phoenix Flame as a leader and is following his lead. For now.
+1 Team if everyone has the same purpose in the fight. You’re all here to defeat Justinian, so this one is a gimme.

That brings you all up to 5 Team. Use it well!

Now, for our first round of posts I’d love to hear everybody describe their character’s appearance and the way that they’re standing - imagine this is a big splash page or wide shot to show off the whole team in their costumes and signature poses. Then, if Phoenix Flame wants to, he can start suggesting a plan of attack and we’ll go forward from there. If not, however, I’m good with some trigger-happy antics as well. You are a superhero team of hormonal teenagers, after all.

[Thanqol]

Luana sat raptly in her seat, hands folded under her chin. It wasn't until a good few seconds until after the lion had roared that she snapped out of it. She'd been so caught up in the show - she couldn't help it! She had never, never ever fought a supervillian anywhere near this cool. She didn't know they got this cool! And that music - she could dance to that. This was way better than the german singing.

Luana had to admit, she'd been a bit skeptical when Kamui had taken them to the opera. Now she got it. Not only were they getting the greatest show in the world but they were also going to thwart a supervillain. She'd planned this, hadn't she? Wow.

It took a long moment for her to realize that he'd been talking directly to her. That he knew who they were. She put her hand over her mouth to stifle a fangirlish giggle. This was like something out of a dream! She bit her lip, tried to focus - she had to say something. She had to - had to do something to be even, like, half as cool as he was.

She stood in the spotlight, facing up to the lion without fear as she racked her brain for the words.

Her dress was black and orange and sharp, like a fire at midnight. Her hair had been tamed for the occasion at the cost of many brave combs. Her eyes glittered oceanic green and her hand strummed against her hip, off-beat to the music - a constant, flowing pattern that ran through her mind and out through her fingers - scarred and bruised, but with nails painted red. She pulled the yellow ribbon from her neck, flowing, to get it out of the way as the change began to take her.

Crackling golden lines of energy ran across her skin. Cubes like the broken polygons of reality crackled into being, starting from the tip of the ribbon and slowly passing down it. When they were done it was replaced with a severe long blade of raw energy, lightning yellow, and still the line of transition kept moving. It crossed her wrists, leaving reinforced nanomesh gloves and soft and flowing fabric. Armor plates like the shields of alien warlords fastened into place around her shoulders. Impossible circuitry lit up all about her - some mighty science standing in peer to mystic power.

She could have made that change as quick as blinking but... just for once, she wanted to enjoy the moment.

Luana stepped from the stage as Comet stepped onto it. She raised her hand to deliver her rebuke to his monologue. The moment was perfect. The air was ready for it.

[Rejecting his influence: 5]

"Can I get your autograph?" said her dumb mouth.

Crap!

Crap!

Go directly to violence!!

Before anyone could think too hard about what she'd just said she was gone, running at full pelt towards the enormous lion monster.

She could think of a better one liner while she was fighting it.

Spoiler

Show

Failing to reject his influence shifts my Superior down and Mundane up. Also marking Potential and a Condition - I believe Insecure is the most appropriate. Let me know if I've assumed too much in any direction, I'm not used to your MC'ing style yet

Labels:
Danger: +3
Freak: +1
Savior: -2
Superior: +1
Mundane: 0

Conditions marked: Insecure
Potential: 1/5

[Zero Prime]

Phoenix Flame
Conditions: None.

When Claire, eager to bring her sister to see the ginger-haired pop folk guitarist sing at the Dome, had approached Zhou about attempting to lift Sarah's spirit, to provide her with some semblance of normalcy in her life, he had agreed. He'd even approached the others to, in a rare show of solidarity, attend the concert. However, Sarah concerned about appearing in public, and with Scout's concern for keeping his civilian and heroic identities separate would not consider going incognito, so the Zeroes had attended in their work attire as it were and while there were some supporters and those who sought out photos and selfies with the crew, there were a number of vocal detractors, at least until the red-haired musician began the first chords of his opening set.

As Wilhelm spoke, Zhou couldn't help but agree with him, and given the fact the concert was being broadcast live it was likely that an AEGIS Unit was en route, and that meant another uncomfortable encounter with Lt. Mylnarz. Zhou's concern was palpable, they needed to be cautious, there was the crowd to consider, and Claire, Sarah's sister. As Luana approached the summoned creature, he nodded towards Providence and Strikescale. Whispering in a voice lowered for their ears, "You've got this Comet, cut lose, engage the outsider, we've got you." He spoke because he noticed the impact of Wilhelm's words on her, and even as he did he knew he was being overly cautious, but irregardless he was committed. "Strikescale, Providence, back her up make sure the combat is contained." He nodded towards Scout, indicating the crowd, "Let's move."

He took a step, knee's bent, body held low, his breathing was controlled, calm, and as he exhaled, lowered his chi, centered himself, he slipped through the rubble, and the restrained crowd, circling away from the confrontation between the leonine demon and the Zeroes heavy hitters. One foot ahead of the other, stepping with a lightness of spirit and breath he moved quickly, silently, circling around Wilhelm as the villain watched the other's begin their assault on his guardian.

OOC:First off, if he's actually Exerting Influence, I will accept what he's saying, we *are* dangerous, our decisions *did* get people hurt, and Zhou's determined not to let that happen this time, so he's going to carry on. 1st, he's going to Comfort & Support Comet by showing faith in her abilities when she, herself, is feeling Insecure. Rolling Mundane of -1, with a +1 due to Influence, net 0. (2d6+0)[7]. I am then using Chi manipulation to make myself seem less of a threat, and circle around Wilhelm, hoping Scout follows suit.

[roko10]

Providence
Conditions: None!

Kamui wasn't having a good day.

It all started innocuously enough; she had to watch at least one theater production and write a paper on it for Drama (which she honestly didn't know why she picked it), and Dr. Singh was kind enough to supply her to two (VIP!) tickets for a weird folk pop musical featuring a popular artist that's apparently getting rave reviews, and even offered to go with her. Sadly enough, he had "sudden appointments" to go to, and with Zhou, Sarah, and Scout (-I swear, I'm going to learn his name one day-) planning an outing of their own, she ended up inviting Luana to go along with her. Not in the date sense. As friends. Not lovers. Just friends. Nothing more.

Then another issue popped up; namely, that the rest of the Team (she refuses to call them Zeroes) also went to the same musical. Or opera, as Luana insisted on calling it. Needless to say, this made things quite a bit awkward for the two of them, especially when it turned out the play was complete and utter nonesense. Last time I'll trust any critic, I guess...

The fact that out of the sudden a two-bit sorcerer popped out and summoned an army of snakes was honestly kind of relief, had he not followed it up by lambasting her and the team. Kamui nearly tugged at her dress in frustration; had those words came out of the mouths of anyone else, she'd be forced to give them right, no matter how she'd present himself. She did screw up. However, the "stubborn genius" part of her refuses to swallow what remained of her pride; if they didn't capture the Beast, there would be more death and destruction than the Atomic Skull would ever do.

The rant being given by a smarmy man whose greatest accomplishment was getting beaten by Alexis Moore didn't help matters, either.

As Phoenix Flame gave the team orders, Kamui piped in via the comms. "Hey, Phoenix! I think Scout's better off trying to teleport into punching range of Smuggy McMagicPants and deck him in his face. Don't worry about the serpents-"

As she says so, she put on the BT Driver and inserted the Phantasm Drive in it. [PHANTASM ON]

"-I'll deal with them."

"HENSHIN!" Kamui shouted as she pulled the lever on the BT Driver, causing armor to form around her.

["FADE INTO THE MISTS! PHANTASM!"], the BT Driver announced, as armor formed around her, darker and more stealthy than Phoenix, at least relatively. She then pulled the Driver's lever twice-

["GREAT PHANTASM BURST!"]

-and blinding, irritating pitch black smoke billowed from the Driver, expanding at a alarmingly rate until it consumes a good chunk of the stadium. At least, that's how it appears to Wilhelm and any of his allies from deep under. For Providence's teammates and any civilians, the fog is almost completely transparent and even somewhat soothing, giving them a huge advantage over their captors if they would escape. If.

"You're all safe now, go!"

Spoiler: Unleash Your Powers

Show

Spending a Gadget to use Superior.
(2d6+2)[8]
(Forgot to add +1 to the roll, making it a 9. A team would be greatly appreciated right now.)

[Awful]

Strikescale aka Sarah Helmsworth
Conditions: None

Strikescale rose from the debris, shaking rubble off her back like a dog. Her mighty claws scored deep grooves in the stage as they dug in for grip.

This had been a nice day out. Sure, she hadn't fit in the seat, so she'd had to sit in the aisle. Sure, she'd had to bear the muttering and stares of gawkers seeing not just her but a whole bunch of (wanna-be, at least) heroes. All of that had settled down when the show had actually started, and she'd happily got lost in the music for a while.

Until this jackass had come along.

And now Claire was in danger. A nervous feeling churned in Sarah's- no, she had to be Strikescale right now - guts, mixing with anger. He'd interrrupted the show, threatened these people, and was now lecturing them over a past close-enough-to-success? She whipped her tail in irritation, and fought down the urge to look behind her when she accidentally cratered the stage with the heavy bone clubs on the end.

She inclined her heavy horned head towards Phoenix as he spoke.

"Alrrright," she rumbled in reply, a deep growl that shuddered your sternum and distorted her words with inhuman vocal cords, and began to bound forward, teeth bared and horns lowered to ram.

Strikescale wasn't the fastest, and she'd had barely any combat experience. She'd never been in so much as a playground fight before this whole dragon business. But she was big and she was strong. Like a forgotten friend, in battle she could feel draconic instincts beginning to awaken, unfurl into a terrible beast.

Unfortunately, the lion-demon-thing (what even was that, really?) was bigger, just as strong, and a lot more experienced in violence. They crashed together, a storm of gouging claws and flashing teeth before a pair of burly arms grabbed her horns as she snapped her jaws, leaving her biting nothing but air. The monster's blades scraped along her chest, failing to penetrate, before she was shoved away, scrabbling back to her feet. She backed up, circling, making herself an obstacle blocking the monster's way to the civilians.

[richmond]

Scout
Conditions: None
Potential: 0 / 5


It had been a bad idea from start. Going to a concert in costume, drawing much more attention than he was comfortable with and everything. If they weren't doing it for Sarah, he wouldn't have gone, but the girl really needed some normalcy. He could relate, sure. But as he was laying there under the rubble, his whole body hurting like hell, he was more certain than ever that it had been a bad idea.

He rose to his feet with the others, pushing through the pain mostly because of the magician's monologue. It had struck a chord and, oh, how he'd like to make him swallow that smugness. He didn't have much time to fantasize about it though, because the team was already acting and the leader gave him a very clear course of action: rescuing the hostages. He started moving behind Phoenix before his body complained a bit more and he decided to try something he had been practicing exactly for a moment like this. Pushing his consciousness out, he took control of his Astral ally and the pain immediately phased out. One of the advantages of having two bodies, although walking was much harder when your vision came from a different set of eyes. He didn't stop moving, though, his steps ungraceful and clumsy as he followed Phoenix towards the spectators.

At that moment, Providence suggested a different course of action, and Eric only heard it because the Astral self was right next to Phoenix, his enhanced hearing capturing the idea. He was about to answer when the smoke started spreading through the stage covering everyone, and a smirk came across his face. Not that anyone could see it through the mask.

"Oh, I can take him anytime now if he can't see me," he shouted over, preferring not to use the comms. "I'll TP past the monster and knock him out. He doesn't stand a chance if I get close." The villain had seen them as amateurs, so the best way to deal with this was letting him believe so. Shouting his plans out loud would be an obvious mistake caused by inexperience, so he hoped the magician would believe he would actually try to teleport nearby and be cautious of his surrounding instead of paying attention to the rescue attempt.

He hoped the team would also understand his plan, knowing he would not engage a villain head-on like the others could do. Instead, he started switching places with his other self, a series of short-range teleportations taking him closer to the innocents. Appearing between the crowd and the fire snakes, he starts gesturing for the civilians to move towards the back, as he whispered through the comms: "Phoenix, can you open a path in the back?"

He was already in control of his Astral self again, keeping an eye on his real self still trying to make people move while he leaped towards the back wall, looking for a place Phoenix could create an exit. He was nervous to be this close to danger, but he hoped his leather costume would be a better protection against the magical heat than the fancy clothes the hostages had.

Actions

Spoiler

Show

Scout is trying to provoke Wilhelm into becoming more defensive and not paying as much attention to the hostages.
Provoking Someone: (2d6+1)[8]

EDIT: I forgot I had a +1 forward from Refusing his Influence. It should be a 9, then. Maybe someone can help with a Team?

[Kymme]

The great lion-headed demon met Comet’s charge, striking forward to parry her sword with one of its wicked blades. The creature’s strength was a match for Luana’s fabricated armor, but with a simple shift of its bulk she was sent skidding away. Her sword’s blade bit the floor and Comet came to a sudden stop, glaring at the demon with surprise and delight.

Before Comet could redouble her efforts, however, eight-hundred and eighty-eight pounds of bright red and gleaming horns ripped through the air beside her as Strikescale joined the fray. The dragon and demon met each other in ferocious melee, upending bits of flooring and showering the nearby heroes with bits of rubble. Both titans quickly discovered that their attacks were fruitless, with Strikescale unable to land a solid hit and the demon’s many solid hits glancing off her hide. Breaking off, Strikescale circled around her opponent, distracting the monster’s attention as Providence began to unleash her powerful named attack.

As smoke filled the interior of the Dome Justinian Wilhelm’s smile became a ferocious sneer. He hadn’t so much as spoken a word when that strange girl with the sword asked for his autograph, and now with all this smoke he couldn’t see a damn thing! He coughed, spilling his attention between his magic and his senses. Behind him some of the serpents began to fade away, their bindings released.

Under cover of smoke, Scout and Phoenix Flame made their way up through the crowd, breaking bindings and helping people to their feet while the villain was otherwise distracted. As Scout’s voice rang out Wilhelm chortled to himself before calling back a challenge. “You stupid boy! Why would you call out your plans like that? Really? In any case - “ His voice was warped and distorted as he spoke the words of some eldritch incantation. Through the translucent smoke the heroes (Zeroes) saw a network of strange broken runes begin to wind their way around Justinian - words of power and defense.

With his attention fully divided, Scout and Phoenix flame watched every serpent-binding in the stands dissipate one by one. The faces of the audience - young faces that only an hour ago had been asking for autographs and old faces that had borne seething judgement and distaste - all turned towards the heroes with one single unspoken request: save us.

As power gathered around Justinian the sorcerer’s laugh rose in intensity. He muttered another reversed incantation and great spiraling runes began to sizzle in the air before him. He was gathering energy for some destructive spell, no doubt an indiscriminate attack to strike the heroes through the smoke.

Scout and Phoenix Flame shared a look. They could work together on saving the civilians and let Justinian get off his attack, or they could divide their attention to fight on both fronts.

Scout and Phoenix Flame, what do you do?

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

On the ruined stage Strikescale felt her draconic instincts overcoming her reservations and she lunged for the demon. Their flurry of attacks was rapid and fierce, sending cracks running through the flooring and shifting the shape of the rubble around them. This time, however, the demon tried a different strategy. It struck at Strikescale with an empty palm, driving directly into the scales of her chest. The force of the attack meant nothing to Strikescale - compared to that truck this was like a butterfly kiss - but force wasn’t the demon’s intent. The flickering aura that had sheathed the monster flashed with rusty red light, running down the demon’s arm and into Strikescale. Immediately the dragon-girl felt fear coil itself around her heart and she faltered.

Strikescale, mark Afraid.

Which was the exact opening the demon needed. With another one of its open hands it seized Strikescale’s tail and heaved, pulling her off the ground and spinning her through the air. Acting quickly, the demon shifted its stance and swung Strikescale up towards the ceiling before bringing her down like an improvised club upon Providence.

Swatting aside a piece of rubble, Comet watched as Strikescale went up and then came down. Time seemed to slow under her battle-hardened gaze, and a great torrent of thoughts rushed through her head. Strikescale would be unharmed by this attack - her hide was too thick and her body to bulky for a simple throw to do anything besides dizzy her. Providence, on the other hand… her armor might hold up, but even the best-case scenario ends with a severe concussion.

Comet, what do you do?

[Zero Prime]

Phoenix Flame
Conditions: None.

Zhou watched as Wilhelm began to draw arcane energies to himself, however, the movements were not unfamiliar to the young man. They were reminiscent, in many ways, of the ancient forms or patterns studied by the Masters of the Vale. Drawing energy from the universe, centering it within one's chakra, inhale, exhale, breath in, breath out, power and control. It took incredible focus, and required prodigious concentration, something the man before them had in spades, considering the utter chaos of combat that surrounded him.

The combat?! The battle had shattered the concrete foundations of the arena, exposing the earthen floor ... dragon lines! Called ley lines by the new-age mystics that hawked crystals and incense in the downtown core, but they were not far wrong, they acted as conduits, of energy both spiritual and mystical, energy that it was whispered the ancient masters could tap into, could utilize.

"Scout!" The young martial artist yelled over the chaos, "The mystic is preparing some spiritual assault! Get them out of here!" He nodded towards the crowd of freed hostages that swarmed around them, desperate to leave the vicinity of the combat raging between Strikescale and the otherworldly leonine warrior.

He moved with speed and grace that defied the the crowd's comprehension, vaulting from the ruined stands, to a catwalk that contained lightning equipment in various stages of disarray. From there he leapt, landing on the bare earth and sinking deep into Horse stance, knees bent, thigh's parallel to the ground, a powerful stance, immobile, impassive. "Shall we begin Master Wilhelm?" He asked, cordially, and with a manner of respect, "Your magic against my spirit," and even as he spoke, he drove his hands forward from his shoulders, his hands rapidly moving through a series of movements, until their final position the bottom of his right fist facing his opponent, his left, palm open covering his knuckles.

As he exhaled, he drove his foot deep into the earth, drawing upon the power of the dragon lines, preparing to channel his own chi into the earth itself, grounding out the mage's arcane assault.

[b]OOC:{/b] I am attempting to use the presence of ley lines that run beneath the Dome to essentially ground out the mystic energy that Wilhelm is gathering to power whatever spell he's preparing. Rolling Freak, +1, to Unleash my Powers, (2d6+1)[4]. Let's hope for something good folks!

Ohhh! Tapping into a Ley Line and blow my roll, this could be fun! I think this counts as exerting my powers, and so I'll mark a Doom Track and wait to see how this explodes in my face!

[Thanqol]

As Wilhelm spoke, Zhou couldn't help but agree with him, and given the fact the concert was being broadcast live it was likely that an AEGIS Unit was en route, and that meant another uncomfortable encounter with Lt. Mylnarz. Zhou's concern was palpable, they needed to be cautious, there was the crowd to consider, and Claire, Sarah's sister. As Luana approached the summoned creature, he nodded towards Providence and Strikescale. Whispering in a voice lowered for their ears, "You've got this Comet, cut lose, engage the outsider, we've got you." He spoke because he noticed the impact of Wilhelm's words on her, and even as he did he knew he was being overly cautious, but irregardless he was committed. "Strikescale, Providence, back her up make sure the combat is contained." He nodded towards Scout, indicating the crowd, "Let's move."

Cut loose?

That was not what Comet was expecting to hear at that moment. Did - did Zhou know what cutting loose really meant? There were still people around. She could bring down this whole stadium down.

Comet was honestly kind of tuned out of the fight at first. As soon as the blows started falling her thoughts started wandering, chewing over Zhou's words. Was he saying that she could go all out and they'd devote themselves to shielding people from the collateral damage? Was... that could be a thing? He was actually humble enough to spend a fight this cool on picking up after her stray explosives?

She frowned absent-mindedly as she pirouetted away from a bronze sword and opened an oversized vein with her counterthrust. The alternative was that he wasn't being humble, he was just being lazy and thought it would be easier to clean up after her than actually contribute to the fight. Yes, that was much more likely.

But the idea of using a team in that way stuck in her mind. That she might... not have to become perfect if they could cover for her weaknesses. That she might be able to double down on what she was already good at and leave the consequences to them. Could that be the edge she needed?

[Marking Potential. 3/5]

The great lion-headed demon met Comet’s charge, striking forward to parry her sword with one of its wicked blades. The creature’s strength was a match for Luana’s fabricated armor, but with a simple shift of its bulk she was sent skidding away. Her sword’s blade bit the floor and Comet came to a sudden stop, glaring at the demon with surprise and delight.

...

Which was the exact opening the demon needed. With another one of its open hands it seized Strikescale’s tail and heaved, pulling her off the ground and spinning her through the air. Acting quickly, the demon shifted its stance and swung Strikescale up towards the ceiling before bringing her down like an improvised club upon Providence.

Swatting aside a piece of rubble, Comet watched as Strikescale went up and then came down. Time seemed to slow under her battle-hardened gaze, and a great torrent of thoughts rushed through her head. Strikescale would be unharmed by this attack - her hide was too thick and her body to bulky for a simple throw to do anything besides dizzy her. Providence, on the other hand… her armor might hold up, but even the best-case scenario ends with a severe concussion.

Comet, what do you do?

Comet was lost in her own thoughts. Her reflexes were crackling one after another, perfectly judging distances, speeds, momentum and danger - and honestly, she was fighting entirely on autopilot. As cool as the introduction had been this was not a battle that required her full attention. She'd give the others a few minutes to get the civilians out of the blast radius and then she'd burn this stage to the ground.

The lion grabbed Scalestrike, swinging her around and Comet started to smile. This was the opening. There was no way he'd hit her with that and she'd get in under his arms and put a sword through his body before anyone could blink. All that was left to do was to think of an actually good one-liner.

She tensed to dive - but something in her chest wrenched at her. She started, stumbling, as something overruled a combat instinct that ran right to the heart of her being. She took a step in the wrong direction. Her mind raced to catch up with what she was doing. Why - where am I going?

It wasn't until her head came around and she made eye contact did she fully realize it.

Oh, thought Comet. I'm going to save Providence.

She dove. She shoved Providence out of the way. She'd given up all the initiative and stood, flat-footed, as Scalestrike's armoured bulk started to come down towards her.

Comet had stared death in the face plenty of times. She'd gone over her mistakes in that final second of adrenaline plenty of times.

The was the first time she couldn't think of anything she'd do differently.

[Defend: 9. I am exposed to danger unless someone saves me via Teamspends.

I'm using There when it matters to hold 1 over Providence instead of choosing one from the list.]

[richmond]

Scout
Conditions: None
Potential: 1 / 5 (I marked Potential for acting to prove Wilhelm was wrong, but I'm not sure that was enough.)


"Holy freaking sh*t, did Phoenix just left me to handle all these people?" Scout thought as he saw the leader of their team leaping into the fray. The hostages immediately turned to him with pleading eyes, and he tried to sound calm as he starts ushering commands, somewhat succeeding.

"If you're free, hurry to the back and leave the area immediately," he says, switching place with the Astral self who was next to the exit. "This way! The snakes are gone, so just move orderly," he says, switching back to the previous spot. "If you see someone who can't move on your way out and you're in position to help, do so. If not, call me and I'll be there in seconds. We've got time, just stay calm," he says in a cool voice, although he wasn't so sure after seeing how the battle was going.

He then immediately starts releasing as many people as he can, hoping some of the hostages are feeling courageous enough to help. He pushes his Astral self closer to his friends, but he cannot place it too far because he needs his eyes here, rescuing people. That was the mission Phoenix gave him and he WILL do it. But he was looking for options in case the energy was really released.

Actions

Spoiler

Show

Scout would like to Assess the Situation.
Assessing the Situation: (2d6+1)[12]

EDIT: Good RNGods, these rolls are nice today. I'd like to ask:

• What here can I use to protect the civilians?
• How can we best end this quickly?

[Awful]

Strikescale aka Sarah Helmsworth
Conditions: Afraid

As the demon struck her chest, it felt like her guts dropped out, replaced with a sticky cold fear.

This was insane. She was a teenage girl, body notwithstanding, and that was a monster. Why would she ever be able to win-

A hand wrapped around her tail, the bone clubs traitorously providing a firm grip, and a dizzying flash of motion showed her in the air. She futilely flailed her limbs as she was swung up towards the ceiling and then down-

[Kymme]

"Shall we begin Master Wilhelm?" He asked, cordially, and with a manner of respect, "Your magic against my spirit," and even as he spoke, he drove his hands forward from his shoulders, his hands rapidly moving through a series of movements, until their final position the bottom of his right fist facing his opponent, his left, palm open covering his knuckles.

As he exhaled, he drove his foot deep into the earth, drawing upon the power of the dragon lines, preparing to channel his own chi into the earth itself, grounding out the mage's arcane assault.

A gap opened up in the inky black Phantasm smoke, enough for the hero and villain to lock eyes. Justinian whistled appreciatively. “Finally, a showman takes the stage! Phoenix, wasn’t it? Don’t disappoint me now, boy!”

All at once the runes sizzling about his hands coalesced into a churning javelin, thin and short and stake-like. Wilhelm shouted and hurled the glittering weapon towards Phoenix, projecting it like a beam of energy.

The spear met Phoenix’s stance and stopped, spinning like a drill against the wall of the young man’s spirit. Only, it… didn’t dissipate. Phoenix struggled with all of his might, drawing up energy from the earth with enough effort to break a blood vessel in his eye, but the javelin refused to vanish - refused to be overwhelmed by the stabilizing power of earth.

Then Phoenix Flame saw Justinian slowly and deliberately curl all the fingers of one hand into a fist, and the spear exploded.

Phoenix Flame, take a Powerful Blow.

The was the first time she couldn't think of anything she'd do differently.

The force of Comet’s dash carried her and Providence clear from the demon’s attack. The sheer magnitude of Strikescale’s impact caused them to stumble for a moment, but they quickly regained their footing and turned to face the demon together.

Strikescale, dazed and winded on her back, saw the demon turn away from her. The monster roared a challenge at Comet and Providence, and as it screamed its third eye began to blaze with piercing light. It’s roar rose in pitch to a shriek and charged them, weapons raised to launch eight simultaneous strikes.

Providence and Comet, what do you do?

He then immediately starts releasing as many people as he can, hoping some of the hostages are feeling courageous enough to help. He pushes his Astral self closer to his friends, but he cannot place it too far because he needs his eyes here, rescuing people. That was the mission Phoenix gave him and he WILL do it. But he was looking for options in case the energy was really released.

As Scout began to usher the civilians to safety he was surprised to see their willingness to follow his instructions. So long as he costumed and confident, at least outwardly, these people were more than eager to obey his every word.

The primary entrance to this section of the stands actually lie at the bottom of the seating section, perilously close to where the crazy superpowered battles where happening. Even with the smoke keeping Wilhelm’s attention off them, it was still to close for comfort. Glancing around, Scout noticed that at the top of the bleachers, where they met the back wall of the Dome, there were four emergency exits. Those would no-doubt lead to long staircases and a quick egress from the building - perfect!

As the crowd changed direction Scout allowed his thoughts to drift back to the battle. His team were doing their best, but none of them were professionals. One look at the devastation already wrought across the stage and arena floor made that clear. AEGIS was on its way, and would no-doubt be here soon. Maybe if the team could just disengage Justinian and flee with the civilians they could leave him to AEGIS, that way none of them would get hurt -

His thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Phoenix being swallowed by a massive explosion of fire.

Take +1 forward to act on the answers to your questions. Also, Scout, what do you do?

[roko10]

Providence
Conditions: None

Providence found herself being so caught up in helping both Phoenix Flame and Scout freeing the civilians, that she didn't notice Strikescale being used as a club to smack her until it was too late. Fortunately enough, Comet tackled her out of the way. Ohwowshessogreat-

"Heh, nice safe," Providence said to Comet, grateful that the helmet doesn't show her goofy smile behind it. "So, what do you say to-"

Before she could finish, however, she was interrupted by the roaring of the beast that was poised to strike them both- yet the only thing Kamui could feel is her smile twisting into a small, devious smirk.

Oh, it's on.

Without another word, Kamui pulls out the Phoenix Drive and replaces the Phantasm Drive with it -[PHOENIX ON], and pulls on the BT Driver's lever once more, transforming into Phoenix States.

"FLARE UP AND BE REBORN! PHOENIX!"

"I'll distract it, you go do what you do best!" Providence said to Comet before dashing up to the monster and shooting fire at it, blinding it, before jumping up and side-kicking it in its third eye, in the hopes that she throws off the monster's guard enough that Comet can capitalize on it.

[Zero Prime]

Phoenix Flame
Conditions: Angry, Insecure.

Shaoqing, the Resplendent Phoenix, had once placed a heavy iron chain in the embers of a fire, leaving it there, ominously, as she continued her philosophic discourse on the weakness of the human body, the frailness of the flesh. The embers died, however the chain had grown to near white-hot, as she instructed Zhou to pull the searing chain from the brazier, and to rapidly slide his hands down it's length to absorb the heat, cool the chain, and in so doing burn the flesh from his palms. The burns had healed, but the lesson stayed with him, while flesh was weak, the spirit was stronger.

The whoosh of the flame enveloped him, his vision was cloudy from channeling the earthen energies from the dragon lines that criss crossed Memorial City, he could feel the almost familiar pain of his chi, coursing through his veins, carrying his sister's poison to his heart. He recoiled from the fire, landing in a balanced cat stance, rapidly he struck the remains of his silken jacket from his chest, his mask was charred, his hair smoldered. And the dragon and phoenix tattooed on his chest seemed to writhe in anticipation of the looming confrontation.

FOCUS! He silently chided himself, it is merely pain, and your opponent yet stands. His vision narrowed, he concentrated solely on the arrogant man who stood before him, he struggled, wavered as pain wracked his body. He had engaged too quickly, had not assessed his opponent's strengths, weaknesses. Foolish.

However, he had been successful, the release of energy had been directed at him rather than the innocents that Scout now led from the immediate vicinity. Their safety purchased by his own recklessness. "Again Master Mage," he drew a hand across his mouth, his lips cracked and raw from the heat. "I've not yet learned the measure of my opponent."

Resolve flowed through him as he sunk into a soft, rooted stance, prepared to move in any direction, but one that aligned his spine and his crown chakras allowing him to draw in the ambient energy that coursed through the Dome, use it, focus it, channel it.

OOC: With a 9 o my Power Blow check, I will chose the option of struggling through the pain, marking Angry & Insecure.

[Thanqol]

The force of Comet’s dash carried her and Providence clear from the demon’s attack. The sheer magnitude of Strikescale’s impact caused them to stumble for a moment, but they quickly regained their footing and turned to face the demon together.

Strikescale, dazed and winded on her back, saw the demon turn away from her. The monster roared a challenge at Comet and Providence, and as it screamed its third eye began to blaze with piercing light. It’s roar rose in pitch to a shriek and charged them, weapons raised to launch eight simultaneous strikes.

Providence and Comet, what do you do?

It took Comet a second to process that she hadn't been hit. There had been a shockwave from the stage and the demon hadn't adjusted for it, like, at all. She glided out of the way with absurd ease and almost laughed. She kept forgetting that this world was so... safe. So slow.

So fragile.

Golden lightning crackled around her fingertips.

"Heh, nice safe," Providence said to Comet, grateful that the helmet doesn't show her goofy smile behind it. "So, what do you say to-"

Kamui didn't finish but she didn't need to. This - this they had practiced.

"FLARE UP AND BE REBORN! PHOENIX!"

"I'll distract it, you go do what you do best!" Providence said to Comet before dashing up to the monster and shooting fire at it, blinding it, before jumping up and side-kicking it in its third eye, in the hopes that she throws off the monster's guard enough that Comet can capitalize on it.

She snapped the sword up into the air. Two waves of light ran along it - one revealing its form as a yellow ribbon, and one replacing it with a different weapon all together. "Ascending to the stage, fighting a war for the sake of music -" she said.

She snapped her fingers. The weapon doubled, splitting perfectly in half. "Seeking the strength to save the world!"

She drew out her hands, fingers dancing in the air like she was playing an invisible piano. The weapons doubled again. "Symphony of battle, ready!"

One last cocky, confident grin. One more split. Eight weapons stood before her.

They were all missile launchers.

"FINAL ATTACK!" yelled Comet, totally into the moment. "BURNING HARMONY, GO!"

They all fired at once. Each missile went into a different hand.

[Directly Engage: 10
- Resist my opponent's blows
- Impress the opposition
- Create an opportunity for my allies - particularly thinking of distracting Justinian through the abrupt missiling of his minion.

Third choice made at the cost of causing significant collateral damage.]

[Kymme]

"I'll distract it, you go do what you do best!" Providence said to Comet before dashing up to the monster and shooting fire at it, blinding it, before jumping up and side-kicking it in its third eye, in the hopes that she throws off the monster's guard enough that Comet can capitalize on it.

And distract it she did! Providence’s flames and fists glanced off the creature’s hide harmlessly but her kick sent it reeling. In midair, however, at the apex of her jump, Providence had no way to dodge the creature’s counterattack. It lunged with an empty hand and caught her by the leg, squeezing tight enough to strain her armor. With a ferocious roar it twisted its hips and hurled the young heroine into a pile of rubble, sending up another shower of debris.

Providence, you were unable to avoid the demon’s blows. Mark a Condition.

Satisfied with its brutality the demon turned slowly and cockily to its final opponent.

"FINAL ATTACK!" yelled Comet, totally into the moment. "BURNING HARMONY, GO!"

They all fired at once. Each missile went into a different hand.

Through the bright glow of the missiles in flight, Comet thought she saw fear in the demon’s three eyes. Then her attack landed and the demon was entirely obscured by the smoke and flame and shrapnel. The explosions harmonized together into a devastating conflagration that shook the whole structure of the Dome. The heroes all felt the ground shudder as some piece of the building’s foundation gave way. What was left of the stage began to buckle and tilt as the floor beneath it crumbled.

Justinian, aloft as he was, didn’t feel the shifting floor. What he did feel, however, was the blowback of the explosion. Peeling his eyes away from where Phoenix Flame still stood - singed but standing - the sorcerer looked at Comet with something close to awe. “You… you can just do that, can’t you? Heh. Perhaps I underestimated you lot.” His face darkened and his smile grew thin. “But you’ve underestimated my servant.” His voice rose in intensity. “PUT THEM DOWN ONCE AND FOR ALL, BAKASURA, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY!”

An affirmative roar boomed louder than the sounds of the crumbling floor. The smoke of the eightfold explosion parted, revealing the lion-headed demon, his aura tempered by rage and unrelenting violence into a ferocious rust-red flame. Seven of his hands were gone, burnt away by Comet’s attack but one remained.

Letting loose another roar the demon lifted its final hand and focused its aura. A ball of red light appeared in its palm and quickly grew into an immense sphere of violent energy. With quiet hate boiling in its eyes Bakasura, the lion-headed demon, brought its arm down to slam the sphere into the ground and turn whatever meager foundations held up the Dome’s floor into dust.

Strikescale, you’re standing right next to him as he does this. What do you do?

Resolve flowed through him as he sunk into a soft, rooted stance, prepared to move in any direction, but one that aligned his spine and his crown chakras allowing him to draw in the ambient energy that coursed through the Dome, use it, focus it, channel it.

Justinian was impressed. This kid had managed to take one of his go-to offensive spells directly to the chest and made it out with little more than a burnt jacket. “Your spirit’s no joke, kid, but it’s foolish to expect it to carry you past the limits of your skill.” Three more burning javelins materialized in the air before the sorcerer - packing little in the way of explosive power but easy strong enough to burn a hole through whatever they hit. “Think you can make lightning strike twice?”

With a wave of his hand Justinian sent the javelins lancing towards Phoenix Flame.

Phoenix Flame, what do you do?

[richmond]

Scout
Conditions: None
Potential: 1 / 5

Scout sighs in relief as soon as he notices the emergency exits. He moves the Astral self in that direction, switching places when he's next to the doorways. "This way! Take the exits and leave calmly, we have this under control," he lied as he sees Strikescale being used as a flail. "You are already safe, just keep moving."

He tries not to pay much attention to the battle and focus on the hostages, but it's hard not to look at his companions. The moment he sees Phoenix being hit by an explosion he panics a bit, but the young hero emerges from the flames mostly unscathed. They need to end this fast.

He takes control of his second self when the last civilian goes through the emergency exit, moving the monster through the walls to take a look outside. Given the time they had been fighting, he was expecting a sign of response from the authorities, so it didn't surprise him to see an AEGIS carrier in the distance, just as another massive explosion comes from within the Dome, the whole structure shaking. He immediately activates his comm.

"Guys, we have an AEGIS team inbound, try not to destroy anything else," he says, hoping the blast came from his own team. "Phoenix, hostages are safe. I think you should call a retreat," he says, pretty aware some of the others might disagree. He returns to his body, taking a look at his teammates. "We don't have a safe way to take him in, and we should try not overstepping AEGIS jurisdiction again. We're still under watch..."

He could only hope everyone would be reasonable.

[Zero Prime]

Phoenix Flame
Conditions: Angry, Insecure.

Zhou watched the arc and trajectory of the fiery spears, his body moving even before the Magister's hand began tracing the intricate pattern that allowed Wilhelm to propel the flaming shafts of fire at the young emissary. He leapt forward, throwing his body at the oncoming spears, however, at the last instant he tucked his legs, and spun his torso, able to feel the heat of the weapons as they passed within a hairs breadth of his body. He landed, tucked, and ended behind the conjurer, "Parlor tricks Wilhelm, a true practitioner trains mind, body and spirit, masters each, one before the other."

As he spoke, he delivered a series of finger tip blows to pressure points along his back, culminating in a particularly vicious strike to the nerve cluster located at the base of the skull. Even as he made contact, he rolled, back, taking a defensive position a low crouch, his weight centered over his rear leg, his lead leg floating an inch above the floor, ready to shift and move in anticipation of his opponent's action.

OOC: Zhou is going to Directly Engage, and hopefully the dice like me this time. Rolling Danger, +3, and let's see whats what! (2d6+3)[6].

Or not! At least it's another Potential!

[Kymme]

"Parlor tricks Wilhelm, a true practitioner trains mind, body and spirit, masters each, one before the other."

As he spoke, he delivered a series of finger tip blows to pressure points along his back, culminating in a particularly vicious strike to the nerve cluster located at the base of the skull. Even as he made contact, he rolled, back, taking a defensive position a low crouch, his weight centered over his rear leg, his lead leg floating an inch above the floor, ready to shift and move in anticipation of his opponent's action.

Justinian didn’t even have the opportunity to recoil before Phoenix launched his onslaught. With every strike the sorcerer made a choked sigh and with the final hit he stumbled forward numbly. Phoenix saw the sorcerer stumble, his upper body sagging, his knees quivering and then…

“No.” The runes of protection blazed forth brightly around Wilhelm’s body as he straightened. He brought up his left hand and curtly snapped his fingers, and the three javelins whipped back around. They clipped Phoenix Flame, striking his right shoulder and both of his legs mid-thigh. The pain was momentarily blinding and the young hero fell to his knees as Justinian turned and fixed him with a hateful glare. “You’re not getting the better of me that easily. I’m through being lectured by heroes on the nature of magic and chi or whatever you’re calling it these days! I’ve earned my power, loathe as people like you and that Moore bitch are to acknowledge it!” He leaned forward, sneering through gritted teeth. “I’m better than you, and none of your pomp and circumstance will ever change that.”

In the heat (ha!) of the moment, Phoenix Flame, you believe him. Mark Hopeless.

He tries not to pay much attention to the battle and focus on the hostages, but it's hard not to look at his companions. The moment he sees Phoenix being hit by an explosion he panics a bit, but the young hero emerges from the flames mostly unscathed. They need to end this fast.

The last civilians to filter out were an elderly black couple, grey-haired and grey-eyed. One of the two men noticed Scout’s body language when he glanced back at the battle below. He placed a hand on the young hero’s shoulder to get his attention and spoke softly to him. “Thank you, young man. It’s people like you who bless this city -” he inclines his head to the exit, perhaps referring to the other civilians who had been glaring at the heroes during the play “- not them. You do us proud now, y’hear?” His husband, eyes turned towards the battle, pulled on his sleeve and the two vanished through the exit before Scout could offer any response.

Scout, shift your Savior up and your Freak down.

He could only hope everyone would be reasonable.

Turning back to the battle at hand, Scout saw Phoenix struck by Justinian’s attack. He heard the villain's hateful rant. Then, as the sorcerer raised his left hand into the air, pulling the javelins back to hover over Phoenix Flame’s head like the Sword of Damocles, Scout watched him begin to close his upraised fingers into a fist.

Scout, what do you do?

[richmond]

Scout
Conditions: None
Potential: 1 / 5

Eric is touched by the old man's words, but his brain simply whites out. This was really unexpected and, in the chaos of the moment, he just stood there with a red face under the mask. He saw the two men leaving, but wasn't able to articulate anything, before a big blow was heard from the center of the Dome again. He turns around, able to fully focus on the battle now that the hostages are safe, and can't really understand what's happening. "Why is Phoenix taking the offensive when I cleared explained why we have to leave?" he thought, as he takes control of the Astral self and rushes towards the battle to take a closer look.

And almost immediately Phoenix is hit by the sorcerer's attack. He rants about with hatred, and momentarily Eric feels the same. "This is exactly why I told you to leave, so why hasn't you listened? Do you really think I'm that less heroic to ignore me mid-battle?" he thinks to himself, angry about the sudden feeling of betrayal. He watches as Wilhelm moves the spears, ready to make them pierce Phoenix again, the heat visible in the air and he knows he has to act.

He leaps in his Astral form, knees bent and a slight rotation on his body, a side-kick to the villain's head - just powerful enough to make him lose control of the weapons. He switches at the last moment, his own body maintaining the impetus as he hits his leather boots to the face of the magician, and quickly switches back to his former place. He had learned using the Astral body to start the moves was far more effective since he was out of danger until the right moment and, for the small price of being blind and deaf when he hit, he could keep his Astral self on the origin point to have a place to quickly go back. He wouldn't feel the pain on his foot until he returned conscience to himself.

"F*ck! I told you we have to leave," he says through the comms. "He's escalating and I do not want to get hurt, I'm not invulnerable like you! AEGIS is gonna be here in 3 minutes or less, it's time to retreat. Phoenix, we need an out NOW!" He wants to wait to see the others' reactions, but if they want to keep this going, he isn't sure he'll follow.

Actions

Spoiler

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Scout shifted labels according to Kymmes' post.

I don't think Phoenix is considered a "loved one" to use the I'll Save You! move.
If he is(unlikely), then this roll is a 12+, an automatic hit and I'll mark the Angry condition.
If no, then I'll try to Defend Someone: (2d6+2)[11]

EDIT: Sorry, my Savior is +1, so it should be 2d6+1, but it is a success either way.
I pick the option to Take Influence over someone you protect: Phoenix Down.

[Awful]

Strikescale aka Sarah Helmsworth
Conditions: Afraid

Dust and debris had rose in a vast cloud as the demon had smashed the dragon into the ground. She was still for a moment, dazed, before she scrabbled to her feet, shaking her head to regain her wits. Inside her scaled chest, her heart beat like molten metal. She could still feel the sickening panic the demon had placed in her, and she took a involuntary step back, then two away from the beast as her companions assailed it.

Smoke and fire bloomed like deadly flowers as missiles impacted the lion-monster, blasting away almost all of his hands. It wasn't enough. The demon began an ultimate attack, and for a long second Strikescale was frozen. What was she supposed to do? She wasn't a hero, really. Where the civilians safe? Was Claire? Scout had said something like that? She wasn't sure.


...He's escalating and I do not want to get hurt, I'm not invulnerable like you! Scout's voice came over the tiny electronic device on one of her tympaniums.

He's not. She was. If she didn't do anything... she forced her limbs into movement.

"Backkk..."

The demon brought down the glowing sphere, bellowing. She tensed her muscles, sprang forward under where the attack was descended in a single heavy bound. She saw the demon's eyes, narrow with fury, widen just slightly in surprise.

"...Offf!"

A bestial roar was torn out of her as she swung her body, her tail lashing out to crash into the magic sphere, her body blocking the blast from her comrades.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Unleash my powers of being really, really tough with a 7.

[Kymme]

He wants to wait to see the others' reactions, but if they want to keep this going, he isn't sure he'll follow.

Scout’s attack totally blindsided the sorcerer, striking him firmly and throwing off his aim. The three javelins struck in the ground in a triangle around Phoenix Flame, burning deep holes into the ground before fizzling out.

Justinian swiped back with a glowing hand but Scout was gone, having already swapped places with his Astral self. He let out something midway between a groan and a shout and leapt into the air, runes appearing beneath his feet and holding him aloft. “That was a cheap shot, kid. I won’t let either of you get another! Three minutes, you say?” His right hand moved in a fashion that was more mad spasm than deliberate gesture and a series of small reddish disks appeared in the air around him, their rims humming with heat. “In that case, all I’ve got to do is dispose of you children and make my escape!”

He let loose another volley of magical projectiles and the battle resumed!

Phoenix Flame and Scout, what do you do?

A bestial roar was torn out of her as she swung her body, her tail lashing out to crash into the magic sphere, her body blocking the blast from her comrades.

Strikescale’s tail intercepted the demon’s attack and for a few agonizing moments it was a contest of strength. The demon frothed from its jaws as it pushed down with all the weight it could muster, and the dragon’s claws cracked the ground as she pushed up with all of her might. The sphere, originating from the demon’s aura, could not permeate Strikescale’s skin and so the two were evenly matched.

Strikescale, mark Angry.

Then the fury in Strikescale’s heart burned away her dread, and she won. The sphere shattered in a burst of soundless energy and her tail continued upwards, swatting the demon’s hand away.

The shockwave struck afterwards, knocking Strikescale onto her belly and sending the demon staggering away. The demon regained its footing and looked with disbelief at its last hand, now broken by Strikescale’s tail. It’s three eyes drew up from its hand to gaze across the battlefield, at the three heroes who opposed it. No defiant roar could reach its lips.

Providence, Comet, and Strikescale, what do you do?

[Thanqol]

The shockwave struck afterwards, knocking Strikescale onto her belly and sending the demon staggering away. The demon regained its footing and looked with disbelief at its last hand, now broken by Strikescale’s tail. It’s three eyes drew up from its hand to gaze across the battlefield, at the three heroes who opposed it. No defiant roar could reach its lips.

Providence, Comet, and Strikescale, what do you do?

Comet just smirked up at him. He wasn't a threat to them any more and they all knew it. "You guys clean up here," she said daintily, turning on her heel. "I'm going to get an autograph."

*

"Scout's right," said Comet, stepping up alongside Phoenix. She gave him an unreadable look, then just moved on, locking eyes on Justinian. "You guys need to get out of here. I can take him by myself if you're not in the way."

She walked out into the open. Tossed her hair back. The initial nerves had faded and now she just felt effortless. Her blood was up, her instincts were singing, and everything was familiar. This was what she knew.

"Hey, I hear we've got three minutes," called Comet out to Justinian. "It took me about that to take down your boy over there. I reckon I can do you in half the time, what do you think? Unless you've got some actual skills you've been hiding all this time."

[Provoking the Wizard: (2d6+1)[8]

Specifically I want him to go all out against me to the point of dropping any shields/any spare power for backup tricks. Given that I impressed him a moment ago I think he's susceptible to my words.]

[Zero Prime]

Phoenix Flame
Conditions: Angry, Hopeless, Insecure.

Scout's words hurt, he wanted to cut and run, wanted to wait for AEGIS, for the Paragons to wrap up, to resolve the situation. Is that what they were? Was Duggan right? Were there actions harming more than helping, even as Comet moved to engage, her very words compounded the situation with insult and disrespect. Is that what he was to do, to ask his friends to run?

"No," he paused, pushing his feelings down, drawing on his training, his chi, he moved counter clockwise, forcing Wilhelm to watch three opponents from three different angles, "NO!" Another pause, another step, "I know you're scared Scout, but you saved an entire stadium from this guy, YOU did that, despite the fact that people like ASEGIS, like the Paragons, like this guy here, think that we're nothing. We're not. We're a team."

He paused, glared at Comet, "We're Zeroes, and we stand together. We're not cutting and running, we aren't leaving one of our own behind. We're better than that, we're better than them. We have to be."

OOC: I'm Provoking Scout to stay and fight, as a team. Rolling Superior, -1, however as I have Influence over him I gain a +1, bringing me to net 0. (2d6+0)[7] If he chooses to stay & fight he would add one to the Team Pool.

[richmond]

Scout
Conditions: None
Potential: 1 / 5

Scout easily dodges the next volley of attacks from Wilhelm, his Astral self - much faster and more agile - always in position for a quick switch. He stands ready to dodge again, but is instead surprised by Comet suddenly approaching the villain. Taking control of the Astral Self he joins his companions, although they can't really see his monstrous self next to Comet. He hears her offering to stay in their place, and tempting as it might sound, that's not really what he was suggesting. He was about to say something when Phoenix gave his own answer in a kinda corny, but very leader-y way.

"Agreed!" he says over the comms using his real body, knowing Wilhelm and his teammates were too far away to hear him unless he shouted, which he didn't want to do to reveal his position. "No one left behind. We compromise: keep Wilhelm contained until AEGIS is here, and then leave it to them. Deal?" he says, fully aware it's not the best outcome but it's apparently all he'll get today. He would have to talk to them later about that. "This means no more damage than absolutely necessary, Comet. To the Stadium, at least," he adds at the last second, a smirk forming on his face.

Hoping his allies would be able to keep the magician distracted in melee, Scout focus his attention on the villain's actions to anticipate what he'll do next. He pays special attention to his hands, as it seems he needs some sort of magic gestures to call on his powers.

Actions

Spoiler

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Scout will do as Phoenix provoked. One Team for the pool.

He will then try to pierce Wilhelm's mask.
Pierce the Mask: (2d6+3)[10]

EDIT: Oh, these rolls are on point! Here are my questions:
* What do you intend to do?
* How can I get you to recognize we are real heroes?
* How can I get you to turn yourself to us?

[Awful]

Strikescale aka Sarah Helmsworth
Conditions: Afraid, Angry

Strikescale was left looking at the crippled demon as Comet headed towards the evil magician. The dragon resumed circling the creature slowly, looking for an opening.

Anger and fear boiled in her insides until it felt like they could combust, until at the slightest opening she might pounce forwards, attempting to batter down the wounded demon and finish it off.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Assessing the situation:(2d6)[7]
On 7-9:
• how could we best end this quickly?
On a 10+, also have:
• what here can I use to prevent Wilhelm's escape?

[roko10]

Providence
Conditions: Angry, Afraid

The blow hurt, even with the armor on. Providence was left seeing stars for a good while, all whilst seething in anger, completely tuned out from the battle around her.

Then she hears the glorious sound of a salvo of rocket-launchers, before finally being able to see straight again and seeing that the demon has lost basically all its limbs. That almost overshadowed the sting of her being unceremoniously swatted out of the air. Almost.

Before she could rejoin the others with a witty rejoinder however, she saw Comet walking towards Justinian, taunting him into giving all that he got. On one hand, Providence couldn't help but admire Comet's sheer audacity, as usual. On the other, however, she very much doesn't want her to be burnt into a fine crisp- or worse, and Justinian is very unlikely to go soft on her now.

"You idiot," Providence whispered under her breath as she pulls out yet another Drive -[BALHANNOTH ON]- and transforms.

[CANTRIP FEEDING FRENZY! BALHANNOTH!]

Providence holds one of her hands close to the lever, with the other outstretched towards the sorcerer. Like Phoenix Flame, she's trying to negate the spells cast by the sorcerer; unlike in his case, however, the magical energy would go straight to her, after which she'll have to discharge it in one way or another.

She'll worry about that later, however. For now, it's a question of whether Balhannoth actually works.

Spoiler: Unleash your Powers

Show

Marking a Condition and spending a Gadget to use Superior.
(2d6+2)[14]

[Kymme]

"Hey, I hear we've got three minutes," called Comet out to Justinian. "It took me about that to take down your boy over there. I reckon I can do you in half the time, what do you think? Unless you've got some actual skills you've been hiding all this time."

Justinian whistled in mock appreciation. “You’re certainly bold, aren’t you? My skills have been working well so far, but if you’d like…” His eyes darkened and raised his right hand. “...I suppose we could move on to the finale.” His ring, middle, and forefinger gathered together in a point and descended in unison to touch his thumb. As the digits spread apart a small red gemstone appeared between them, grasped lightly by all four digits.

Hoping his allies would be able to keep the magician distracted in melee, Scout focus his attention on the villain's actions to anticipate what he'll do next. He pays special attention to his hands, as it seems he needs some sort of magic gestures to call on his powers.

Spoiler: Scout's Intuitions

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Justinian is proud, incredibly so. His intention in attacking this concert was to terrorize people and cause enough of a scene to get the attention of some ‘real heroes,’ like Alexis Moore and the rest of the Council of Heroes in Halcyon. He wasn’t counting on you guys being here. His intentions haven’t really changed - he still wants to terrorize the people, fight some heroes, and make his getaway. As far as getaways are concerned, he has to have had some kind of contingency. How else did he expect to get away from the Paragons?

He’ll accept the Zeroes as heroes if they show him a good time and really give him a run for his money. So far the team has failed to directly engage him, so he hasn’t had much of any reason to take them seriously.

Justinian probably considers the idea of turning himself in to you all laughable at best. However, if the team takes him down a peg and has him at their mercy, he’ll probably submit.

Anger and fear boiled in her insides until it felt like they could combust, until at the slightest opening she might pounce forwards, attempting to batter down the wounded demon and finish it off.

Meanwhile, Strikescale found her opening and struck, driving her horns into the demon’s chest. The beast’s mighty breast heaved once and then it perished. As rust-red dust scattered around her, Strikescale caught sight of a gemstone, hovering in space where the demon’s third eye would have been, appear for a moment and then vanish. As she turned, she saw where it had gone.

Justinian lowered his arm and placed the stone on the center of his forehead, were his grey defensive runes materialized and locked it in place. “This, children, is the Tigereye of Durga. Shall I demonstrate its use to you?”

Without response Justinian placed a finger against the Tigereye and opened it. The eye shuddered as its lids receded and began to glow brightly, as it had when it was set into the demon’s forehead. Then, hovering in the air about the sorcerer’s shoulders, appeared six arms of translucent red stone. Each hand began to gesture separately and the Zeroes could feel hostile and powerful magics beginning to swirl inside the Dome, drawn to the sorcerer and the artifact adorning his brow.

Spoiler: Strikescale's Intuitions

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Before this, your best bet was taking down Justinian and hoping that his monster vanished with him. Now, though? You aren’t totally certain. That artifact definitely seems to be the source of his newfound strength - taking it away would bring Justinian back down to his previous level.

Here, demonstrating his incredible power, Justinian decided to indulge himself a little. He began to laugh, loudly and with villainous glee, as the power swirling around him condensed into the Tigereye and -

She'll worry about that later, however. For now, it's a question of whether Balhannoth actually works.

- disappeared? Turning frantically the sorcerer looked for the source of this interference and found it in Providence.

“Huh. Didn’t see you there, kid.” Turning his back to the rest of the Zeroes, the sorcerer regarded the powersuited heroine with curiosity. It was short lived.

“Well, when life gives you lemons -” He snapped his fingers. “- why not make them combustible?”

Providence could feel the magic in her Drive, overwhelming and terrible, shift slightly. Looking down at where the cartridge met her belt, she saw it begin to pulse with violent light. Slow at first, but then faster. It was about to explode.

Everyone, what do you do?

[Thanqol]

Time seemed to stop.

Not out of fear. Not because her life was flashing before her eyes. Not because Kamui was doing that thing where she ran both hands through her hair at the same time - she knew all those moments, this wasn't that at all.

This was something different. All of her instincts turned up to a billion. Reflexes overflowed into her brain and she could see what she had only ever felt. It was a galaxy of lines and connections and variables and - and - and stars. It was sheer understanding. Of herself. Of everyone around her. So much data was pulsing through her mind and this was the first time she had ever become aware of it. Everything really, really was...

She turned to look Kamui in the eyes.

"Just according to keikaku," she said.

[Spending the There When It Matters hold to arrive, ready to help]

She took the Drive from Kamui's belt with her right arm.

Her left arm was conjuring a long, sleek magnetic rail rifle.

She slotted the glowing Drive into the breech of the gun. Aimed it directly at Justinian. The crosshair smoothly hovered over his forehead.

She adjusted. Aimed it directly at the gemstone.

"Balhannoth," she grinned. "Lemon feeding frenzy."

She fired the exploding cartridge, the projectile shattering into a cascading, overwhelming detonation of magical energy as it flew.

[Directly Engage: 13
- Resisting my opponent's blows
- Taking something from him
- Causing collateral damage to impress him even harder]

[Kymme]

The Drive cartridge, radiating mystical energy, broke apart as it soared through the air. Faster than a bullet, propelled not only by the electromagnetic force of Comet's rifle but also by the blastwave of magical energy, the largest piece struck Wilhelm in the center of his forehead. If not for the protection runes surrounding him he would have been killed instantly. Instead, a thin crack ran across the perfect surface of the Tigereye, as the last breath of magical energy was released, and the explosion send him and his artifact flying backwards into the stands. He flipped end over end in the air, unconscious, not unlike a fragile animal handled with too much force by a child that didn't know its own strength.

Whatever final piece of foundation still supported the Dome's floor was overwhelmed. The entire center of the structure began to fall in on itself, taking large sections of the stands sliding in with it. The heroes felt the ground under their feet begin to give way, and they heard the structure of the Dome itself begin to creak and buckle as its support structure turned to dust. If they didn't escape from the stadium's imminent collapse they would be trapped beneath the rubble.

And all the while the sorcerer Justinian's unconscious body lay draped across a row of seats, quiet and still.

Providence, your Balhannoth Drive has been destroyed.

Everyone (except maybe Comet, I dunno), what do you do?