Masks: Halcyon Rising

[Wondertainment]

SESSION 0

Spoiler: READ ME

We're now going to fill out the "Relationships" and "Influence" and all those parts of our playbooks. Usually you would do this in OoC conversation, but since we're using forums I figured it'd be more exciting to do it in-character. In other words, this is the session where you guys all meet each other and decide to form a team. You don't necessarily need to meet and greet right away - after introduction posts, there will be an inciting incident.

It's a noisy afternoon in Halcyon City. School's out, so all you teenagers are out and about, doing your various young'un things. For one reason or another, all of you are hanging around the nearby Moonbeam Cafe, where a lot of affordable coffee and snacks are to be had.

Describe what you look like, and why you're here.

 

[EbonChevalier]

When your a wrestler/ holy warrior/ superhero you don't have a lot of personal time to spend as you please. Adding in school, relationships and other obligations leaves your schedules swamped with shit to do. But fortunately for Jose it was the weekend so that meant he could cut out everything involving school out of his schedule for a couple of days. He still had to go on patrol every other night hit the gym every other day and deal with a whole slew of other stuff. But, there were times between his duties that he could spend doing as he pleased. Right now he was getting lunch Nick, after busting up those skinheads last night he felt he deserved a reward. On a day like this he couldn't think of anything better than spending time with Nick and slurping down a Moonbeam Mocha Melt.

Jose took more after his mother than his father so his skin was pretty dark. His hair was still short but it grew fast so he'd have to get a haircut or deal with his mask matting it up. He was growing a goatee but it was still pretty short and wispy. With it still being a bit warm he wore white cargo shorts and a green tank top. But, while he was dressed for leisure on the outside he was always ready for action. He wore his wrestling trunks under his cargo shorts while his mask and feather bands were in his back pockets. On his feet he wore a pair of green sneaker like wrestling boots. If anything did go down Nick knew the drill run somewhere some private and keep a look out while he suited up.

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

Alex was sitting in the corner, drinking a cup of black coffee, black like his soul....then he grimaced 'Yeah, not going to get used to that' he thought as he reached for the sugar. With a good level of sweetness added to his coffee, he was much happier. So his soul was less black then, especially after he added the cream.

Silly thoughts aside, he was actually at this cafe to meet someone, though he didn't know who exactly. He was playing the part of a liaison between his alter ego and this contact. He closed his eyes as he relaxed, idly reaching out his senses to the various metals just in the Moonbeam Cafe alone. Spoons, Forks, Knives, the various machinery being used to cook.

Outside, he could feel his suit and mask locked up in his car trunk. Though it seemed far away, a good pull and it would be yanked towards him...if he needed it.

Opening his eyes, he pushed a few strands of his black hair out of his face and glanced at his entirely black attire. It was a calculated look, one that he enjoyed, meant to make him appear normal through abnormality. The number of teenagers who were going through a goth phase were quite high. He got one of three reactions at any given time. Annoyance, because he didn't match everyone else. Pity, because obviously he must have family issues 'Not that it isn't true' he thought. Avoidance, people didn't like people different from them and just...looked the other way. They certainly wouldn't mind him running away in a dangerous situation.

Alex preferred the Pity part. He got free stuff that way. Coffee, food, phone numbers..though that last one was more because they thought he looked good.

His eyes turned towards the waitress as she moved about and grinned at her. If this contact didn't work out, at least it wouldn't have been a complete waste of time.

 

[Manant]

For Tom today was a good day. Finn was off playing with some of his friends, there was no schoolwork to take care of, and what could have been a long and exhausting patrol last night was expedited by some good Samaritan beating up a bunch of skinheads before he got around to it. Probably still getting added to his rap sheet.

He was there for a flat white. Tom liked them since the last and nearly only family vacation at Sydney a few years back. It turned out to be difficult to find good ones in America (and he was a bit self-conscious about going into coffee shops on his own back when he was 12, but the need for caffeine had only grown greater since). He'd found the Moonbeam recently. So this was a favorite spot of his: a normal cafe, with normal staff, always filled with normal people. Good coffee, too. He almost forgot about the lizard suit and goggles in his backpack.

Tom wore a dark green hoodie, some jeans and a pair of oval sunglasses to hide his eye bags, although he also liked to think they were stylish. He somehow looked paler than the average redhead. He stood in line absentmindedly.

 

[SP3CT3R]

Focus on what's important, Moonbow. You're here on this miserable rock right now because your kingdom is doomed and your mother is perfectly fine with being the queen of rubble. Like it or not, this is your burden to bear. Find the relic, stop the Darkness, save your people. That's just three things. You'll be back home in a week.

No matter how important Moonbow's mission was, it was hard to ignore just how dreary life was on Planet Sadness, or "Earth" as the locals called it. Human cuisine was bitter and almost toxic; sugar wasn't even a regular part of their diet and was mostly eaten on special occasions, so Moonbow had been eating lunch at the same café for three days in a row. The flowers didn't sing or glow or wave, it rained for a whole hour at one point because humans had no way to control the weather, and although they were admittedly miles ahead of Sparkletonia in the mens' rights department, there was a weird social stigma against human men wearing bright colors. In fact, there was a human around Moonbow's own age sitting at that same café who wore nothing but black.

Luckily, no one bothered Moonbow himself for breaking that unwritten rule. He'd ditched his Sparkletonian attire only to use magic to dye his newly-bought Earth clothing to better suit his tastes; he'd added rainbow accents to his white sneakers, lightened his hoodie to a periwinkle that better matched his hair, and placed the image of a unicorn - the Starsprinkle family crest - on his shirt. The only clothing article he hadn't modified was the pair of jeans. Moonbow thought they looked good, even after he tore a hole in one of the knees on a branch.

 

[RisenFromAshes]

The nip in the air was a constant reminder that they were in the twilight of summertime. Soon the vacation season would end, and the grind would begin: seven hours, five days a week, every week for another two semesters. Even more so if classwork started to pile up. Under these conditions, the traditional teenager would be trying to maximize what time they had left. So what was Charlie Fletcher, a teenager with one of the most packed schedules in Halcyon City, up to?

Well, Charlie Fletcher was busy being bored.

But that was perfectly fine. He didn't get to be bored nearly enough anymore. The life of a superhero was so full of excitement that it made dull moments like these exciting in their own way. Unlike most of the folks at the cafe, he wasn't here for the drinks. Instead, he was here for the fresh baked goods and the free wi-fi.

For the most part, he blended in well with the crowd. Charlie Fletcher had never been one for fashion, except when it came to how he styled his short, dark brown hair. Maybe it was a holdover from when he couldn't afford better, but as long as everything important was all covered up and didn't make anyone's eyes bleed, he didn't see the big deal. According to his associates, his apparent style of choice was called "normcore". He just called it "whatever's not dirty today". Today that was jeans, a black t-shirt featuring the logo of a popular sci-fi franchise about space samurai, and a varsity jacket from his high school to top it all off.

 

[Wondertainment]

While you all relax or people-watch, the more perceptive of you notice the noise of a crowd. You can't really register what kind of noise it might be - probably shouting? Some of you may even be curious enough to turn around to see what it might be.

The noise starts get closer and your various glasses start to rattle a bit. Everyone around you starts looking around nervously. All of you have lived in Halcyon City too long to underestimate slight rumbles.

And just like everyone expected, a supervillain. A single, grimy fist erupts from beneath the asphalt. It smashes into the front of a car from below, causing the car to suddenly jerk upwards. After a tense pause, which is filled with the screams of horrified bystanders, the car fully falls backwards, upside down, with a sickening crunch. As the other cars on the street careen to the side to avoid the carnage, the rest of the monster emerges.

It's humanoid - but that's about the only human thing about it. Its goliath size is definitely not human, possibly reaching up to 11 feet in height. It has squishy, but leathery pale skin that seems to nearly burst from the muscle inside. Its head, unlike humans, is more wide than it is long - its mouth stretches along the entire width of its face. It has two, small, round nostrils, but no nose - very lizardly indeed. It has three coral-like antenna protruding from each side of its face, which writhe and squiggle in unsettling ways. For those of you who know about exotic animals, this creature almost looks like the cross between a man and an axolotl - a Mexican amphibian.

But the most horrifying thing is its eyes. It has human eyes, and they are positioned... you'd almost want to say "normally" on the creature's face. As you process this information, you realize with horror that the axolotl features are like tumors, growing and pulsing on a regular man's body.

It scans the horrified faces of the people near the Moonbeam Cafe. It notices Alexander Ferric. The creature points at him with its webbed fingers, which inexplicably have sharp claws on them.

"FERRIC" it weeps, its face contorted in confused fury, "I HATE YOU"

The creature roars, and the feelers on its face writhe again, revealing several tendons covered in small needles. A shiver falls down Alexander's back. He knows this voice. Jonathan Derrings.

"DERRINGS HURTS" the creature roars, "DERRINGS KILL FERRIC"

And with that, the creature lunges at Alexander.

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

"Shit" Alex said before diving to the left to avoid the creature. There was nothing worse than someone who didn't let something go. Jonathan hadn't been able to beat him in the past, he certainly wasn't going to get the chance now...

Of course, he couldn't just throw his powers around freely. He didn't need the attention that would bring. He also had to keep this thing from attacking innocent bystanders...at least until an opportunity presented itself to run and get changed. Fortunately, all the enemy attention was on him for the time being "Hey Johnny" he said grinning "Long time no see, looks like you went through puberty finally, good on you, they probably make a cream for those needles" provoking an already angry enemy wasn't the smartest of ideas, but it'd worked before and Jonathan was less than articulate. His size and strength may have changed for the better, but it didn't seem like his intelligence got the message.

'Next time he lunges, I can go over the railing and hit the pavement to around the back. Less observers there, a few dumpsters. Note to self, park in the back next time' cause who was he kidding? This was just going to keep happening now that he'd made the choice to switch to the hero side.

Wondertainment

9+1=10

 

[EbonChevalier]

In the chaos of bystandards rushing to leave the crowded cafe Nick and Jose run out the back door. In a empty alley Jose changes into his lucha gear while Nick keeps watch with a somewhat nervous look on his face. "Jose be careful that guy seems more dangerous that the jackasses you usually fight." Jose smiles while slipping on his feather bands. "Nick don't worry about I take on metas all the time I'll have him down for the count in like 10 minutes." Nick's frown deepens. "Just.... don't hurt out their Ze." He smiles a bit "cause otherwise I'd have to murder that walking salamander." Jose smiles "You won't have I'll be back in time for us to finish lunch." He pecks Nick on the lips pulls down his mask and runs out of the alley. Seeing the creature lunging for the store front he holds his arm out for a clothesline. "Have a taste of El Aguila's wing!"
Roll(2d6)+-2:
5,1,-2
Total:4

 

[Manant]

Tom picked up the vibrations with a few seconds of anticipation, just enough to excuse himself to the restroom. Scale-patterned jumpsuit, check, oversized yellow goggles, check, green cap, check. The giant axlotl-man smashing through the building should be a good diversion for his entrance. By the time he's out there's some kind of luchador taking a swipe at the damned thing and at least one customer has decided to stand his ground by staying seated. Wait, did he call the axlotl-thing by name...?

Matters to worry about later. He crawls over the ceiling and swings down to give it a solid kick to the face.

 

[Wondertainment]

If you have any questions on mechanics, PM me or ask on the OoC thread! This fight is happening OUTSIDE the cafe.

Seraph Darkfire The Axolotl creature reorients itself. Derrings listens to what you have to say, then howls at your taunting words.

"HATE YOU" it screams again, smashing a nearby table.

Spoiler: Mechanics

That’s a weak hit! The Axolotl overreacts, giving you Influence over it.

EbonChevalier As one of the other kids taunts the Axolotl, Jose comes flying through, arm outstretched to clothesline the beast. You flop a bit unceremoniously against it, but the Axolotl has definitely noticed you. It decks you with its gigantic fist.

Spoiler: Mechanics

That's a miss. I'm going to need you to take a Powerful Blow. Roll 2d6+the number of Conditions you have.

Manant You launch yourself off the ceiling through the window, and land a startling kick into the creature's face. It stumbles back, then makes a roar at you, its face-feelers writhing again. One of the feelers lash out at you, cutting your leg a bit - that's before you kick it again.

Spoiler: Mechanics

That's a hard hit! Pick two of the following:
• resist or avoid their Powerful Blows
• take something from them
• create an opportunity for your allies
• impress, surprise, or frighten the opposition

A reminder, any time you Directly Engage a Threat you also have to Take a Powerful Blow (unless you choose the first option and resist)

 

[Manant]

Tom had catapulted himself through as hard as he could for a little surprise factor. That's a "technique" he often used to break up illicit meetings - the hope was that at least half of the people ran before noticing he'd gotten glass all over his face. This time he'd followed that with a blow straight at the base of the feelers, hoping to daze it for a few seconds. He turns to Alex. How should he address someone about his own age while in costume?... Let's go with a standard superhero voice and go back to the fight:

"Citizen, this could be dangerous. Me and, uh, the person over there can handle the incident. If you know who this is, I suggest you report that at the police department. But don't tell them I was here."

Spoiler: Mechanics

i pick "create an opportunity for your allies" and "impress the opposition". I'd actually forgotten about taking a powerful blow, but that definitely makes the Move more interesting hahaha. Roll for that coming up.

Well, an 8 is pretty good. Let's go with "giving ground".

 

[SP3CT3R]

Another thing about Planet Sadness: the ever-present absurdity that made finding an ancient, prophecied relic akin to searching for a needle in a haystack... made of needles. Even with the planet's advanced communications technology, Moonbow's ran into false lead after false lead. Even now, a large amphibian creature was interrupting his lunch out of the blue. In Sparkletonia, it would've been a dead giveaway that something of importance was nearby. On Earth, it was Tuesday.

Two humans in costumes were already attacking the creature by the time Moonbow's horn was warmed up, indicated by a soft pink glow. His wings fanned out wide and carried him into the air, directly overhead. From there, Moonbow fired a multicolored ray of light from his horn that started to form a rainbow barrier with the intent to corral it in.

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

Alex grinned. What luck. Heroes had been nearby...probably chilling out like he had "Hey, thanks Hero" he said "I'll go do that just now" he grabbed the railing and jumped over the edge "Catch you later Johnny" he said with a wave before heading towards the back of the cafe, just as a rainbow flash of light shot from another of the cafe's patrons.

'Yeah, like I'll go to the cops. They probably don't have my face on file, but there is no reason to give them an excuse to look into my background. Now I can just get out of here and leave it to the Heroes...shit'

He was a hero now. He couldn't just leave a rampaging monster alone, even if there were others there. Besides, it had been after him. He was at least partially responsible for Jonathan's attitude. Looking around to the front of the cafe once again, his eyes locked on his car. It wasn't particularly hard to get his suit out of the trunk. It was deadlocked, but to him, it was simple enough to twist his fingers and pop the trunk open. The monster, rainbow light, and costumed heroes were a good distraction as his suit and mask flew low to the ground, pulled to him by his abilities.

It wrapped itself around his shoulders and he quickly tied and snapped the suit on firmly. It's mesh underlay of metals weren't really designed for defense, mainly as a way for him to control the suit freely.

From one of the pockets, he drew a medium sized bag and dumped it's contents out. Pieces of metal fell out before pausing in mid air. With deft movements, he fused the metal back together seamlessly and flicked the sword out, making sure to dull the edges. Nobody liked a hero that shed blood after all. Bruising was fine though.

Then went on the mask. He felt colder with it on. A memory of what he'd once been. With practiced ease, he floated onto the roof and moved closer to the action. Sustained flight was nearly impossible with his powers, took too much energy, but quick moments of levitation were easy. From another bag, he lifted a few steel balls. He slowly rotated one of them in the air, building up its momentum before flicking it towards Jonathan's head.

"Lucky that I was here" he said, the mask alternating his voice slightly "The sound of a car crashing effective to bring nearby Heroes"

5+2=7

 

[EbonChevalier]

12 + 0=12

Jose was expecting he'd bring the rampaging beast down with a sturdy clothesline, trap it's head in a lock then bombard it's head with elbows. The only thing he got for his trouble was a ham sized fist to the face. He went flying and seconds before he impacted a nearby mailbox one thought rang through his head. 'Nicky's gonna be so pissed.'

*CRASH*

The impact hurt like hell but he had to keep fighting!

(Ignore the Engage threat roll I haven't had the results of me taking the hit)

 

[RisenFromAshes]

...And there it is. I can't have a damn thing, can I?

Charlie stuffed the remainder of his brownie into his mouth, and chased it with his cup of water. It didn't take a genius to know the signs of something dangerous on its way; the tremors and the sound all pointed to something or someone big showing up in three... two...

"FERRIC I HATE YOU!"

Right on time.

As messed up as it sounded, the presence of villains up to no good was something of a mainstay in this city of theirs. A normal person would have run away like the rest of the crowd once fighting had broken out between the villain and the four heroes. But Charlie Fletcher was not a normal person.

He was The Squire.

Charlie ducked into the now-empty backroom. After ensuring that no security cameras had their eyes on him, he withdrew a strange-looking, rectangular device from the bottomless pouch hanging off his side. He pressed it to his waist, and the ends of the blocky device expanded into a utility belt. He bit his thumb, drawing blood, and swiped it against the front of the device. It glowed to life.

"It's showtime."

User detected...
Verifying magical signature...
[Codename: Squire] authorized for combat.

And The Squire, now clad in his armored bodysuit, entered the fray.

From atop the roof of the Moonlight Cafe, he could see the entire battlefield laid out before him. Four heroes, well, three-and-a-half heroes, were doing battle against the 11' axolotl hybrid. By the looks of it, they were in a spot of trouble.

Great.

Knowing that discretion was the better part of valor, The Squire took a moment to properly assess the situation before jumping into action.

Assess the Situation: Result 7
Question: What here is in the greatest danger?

 

[EbonChevalier]

Spoiler: Attack results

Axolotl gets an opportunity to attack me and I struggle through the pain.

He usually keeps things light during combat a true luchador couldn't let a difficult challenge get to him. But taking it on the chin from some no name jobber pissed him off! He's a guardian of the fifth sun he shouldn't lose to someone like this! Ignoring the pain in his back he stands up to fight again!

Conditions: Angry and insecure

 

[Wondertainment]

Manant As soon as you say that to the nearby citizen, the Axolotl roars and throws its ENTIRE weight into a concrete-vaporizing punch. After a brief moment, the Axolotl seems to frown in confusion. What? it seems to think, That definitely should have killed him. Instead, the gecko-costumed man has fully caught the Axolotl's fist and stopped it in its tracks, sending shockwaves throughout the sidewalk and leaving cracks in the concrete. The Axolotl looks at him, shocked and afraid.

Spoiler: Mechanics

Having a hard time figuring out what action this might be...

Seraph Darkfire The bead, in hindsight, shouldn't do much against the behemoth Axolotl - but now that it's being frozen with shock (thanks to the gecko-costumed hero), you manage to aim it precisely at one of the feeler-things on the side of his head. It sees you. It roars again, revealing several strange appendages inside its mouth. For a second, you make eye contact with Derrings. Were those... tears?

Spoiler: Mechanics

This is a monster you've helped create, and you've just contemplated running away, even briefly. I'd like you to mark Guilty, please!

Regarding your action, since you're not in the Axolotl's face and duking it out, (you're more sniping and poking from a distance) I'd say this isn't Directly Engaging. This seems more like a Provoke to me. I'd like you to add your Superior modifier instead. From what I can tell, that makes your roll a total of 6. This is a Miss, unfortunately... but good news, it's already pissed at you. Also, you get to add Potential!

RisenFromAshes You watch carefully. No brainer, the most dangerous thing is the horrible lizard-monster in front of you. And it quickly occurs to you - especially now that your suit is telling you of all the structural damage that was done to the cafe already - that the monster's incredible strength and lack of control means that any outright fight against it will cause severe property damage and even cause casualties. You conclude that the Ferric kid who ran away is the monster's primary target - but at the moment, the Axolotl seems focused on Veil, who's just made a surprise appearance.

AXOLOTL'S TURN

The Axolotl shakes his right arm. Gecko, using his immense strength and sticky feet, manages to keep it in place. But the Axolotl has more than one arm. It swings with its left arm and decks Gecko in the face, flooring him. The Axolotl can finally turn its attention to its initial goal... Ferric.

It starts marching, sweeping whole tables and debris with a single wave of its hand. Its face tendrils suddenly lash out, much longer than they seem like they should be. Each of the tendrils wrap around something on Veil's body. They yank him out of the air, causing him to drop all his metal ammunition, and pulls him right in front of the Axolotl's face. The monster's mouth opens, and the appendages inside its mouth peel back (gross) and reveal spouts that are now hissing. Is that... is that gas?

The Gecko and El Aguila dazed, and Veil having difficulty reaching his metal ammunition, the Squire gets ready to jump in as a mystical shower of bright colors wash over the monster.

SP3CT3R

Spoiler: Mechanics

I need you roll to Unleash Your Powers! Roll 2d6 + Freak please.

Squire, Moonbow! What do you do?

 

[RisenFromAshes]

There were no civilians around. Great. Actually great this time. The only things he had to worry about now were property damage (easily insured in this city, if inconvenient to deal with) and his fellow heroes (less easily insured, far more inconvenient to deal with). That made his job easy--as easy as fighting off a giant salamander guy is when you're just a guy with cool toys and a megamind, anyway.

And speaking of cool toys, there was one in his arsenal perfect for swooping in at the last minute and bailing out a fellow hero!

Squire jumped from the rooftop and extended an gauntled arm, triggering a mechanism that projected a grappling line. Swinging down from on-high, Squire went to tear Veil from the clutches of his amphibious opponent.

 

[Wondertainment]

SP3CT3R Moonbow howls as the light he’s emitting takes form as crystalline rainbow structures. The Axolotl howls and shoulder-checks his way out of the cage you were forming. Because of your odd alien abilities, him smashing through your light construct somehow creates feedback for you. Even though it didn’t even touch you, you somehow felt its horrible strength - and it’s terrifying.

Spoiler: Mechanics

That’s a miss. It doesn’t work, and I’m going to ask you to take the Afraid Condition.

RisenFromAshes The Squire flies himself forward, reaching out to Veil. You grab him by the back of his collar, but your momentum isn’t enough to wrench him out of the Axolotl’s grasp. The lizard-man laughs. One of its stingers lash out at you.

Spoiler: Mechanics

Oof, also a miss. I’m gonna ask you to take a Powerful Blow.

AXOLOTL’S TURN
The Axolotl tucks Veil under his arm and starts running. He seems disinterested in you lot... he’s probably starting to flee.

 

[EbonChevalier]

El Aguila gives chase to the fleeing monster! He moves through the city with supreme efficiency to keep up with axolotl! Scaling walls and vaulting over anything in his was with the ease of a gymnast! As he's gaining on them he leaps off a streetlight with both hands clasped tightly over his head. As gravity brings him down he delivers a diving double handed axe to the back of Axolotl's head!

 

[RisenFromAshes]

(Rolling Powerful Blow before writing the narrative.)

Take a Powerful Blow: 6. Miss. Stand strong.

Squire grit his teeth. He wasn't strong enough to break the brute's grasp, even with the momentum. "That can't have been comfortable, eh?" he quipped to Veil, whose collar he had just yanked to no avail. Getting dragged around by a guy getting dragged around by an axolotl monster was not in the cards, but he could make it work. Probably.

Either way, those stingers were going to be trouble!

Squire detached from Veil. He wouldn't be able to protect himself hanging off his ally's neck, after all. Besides, choking out your allies was only advisable some of the time. Still, that left him in freefall, and the stinger wasn't coming at him any less than before. He quickly considered his alternatives and fired a grappling line at the above, pulling himself out of the way of the attack at the last second.

"Whew."

If he could wipe the sweat from outside his helmet, then he would have. Unfortunately, now he was stuck with a different problem: the bad guy was trying to get away.

Squire withdrew a set of knives from his utility belt. There's an old myth among knife aficionados about throwing knives forged with grooves full of mercury. Well, what filled these grooves wasn't exactly mercury, but it fulfilled the same purpose and more. Unlike the Knight, The Squire's ranged option of choice were specially designed throwing knives, blunted on one edge and sharpened on the other, with grooves filled with an different alchemical reagent depending on the model.

(Mercury was not included in any of these models. Mercury poisoning bad guys was "unethical" and "a violation of the Geneva Conventions".)

The three he just threw at the axolotl were designed to stun enemies.

Defend Other: 5. Miss.

"Fuck's sake."

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

Well...he was not expecting to be grabbed. All in all, he'd been expecting to get immediately slammed into the ground. Still, this situation wasn't much better. Jonathan was much stronger than he was so he wasn't immediately breaking out, at least without seriously hurting the man...something that he'd apparently already done.

Fortunately, it seemed that the other heroes weren't giving up. He'd worked temporarily with Squire in the past and was familiar with some of his tricks, though grabbing his collar was a new one "Knives huh?" he asked as he grinned. It was lucky he didn't need his arms or hands to use his abilities as he reached towards the knives and pulled their metal towards the Axolotl.

7+2=9

(Create an Opportunity)

 

[Wondertainment]

EbonChevalier El Aguila smashes his fists into the Axolotl. It... seems to not do much, but you've definitely gotten its attention. The creature spins around mid-jump and whacks El Aguila with the back of its hand.

Spoiler: Mechanics

First of all, since you're using your gymnastic abilities, I'd argue this is an Unleash Your Powers. Regardless, that's a hit! I need you to take either a condition or describe how this solution is only temporary.

RisenFromAshes Squire barely escapes the reach of the stingers, and he soars into the air again. The knives he throws... bounce off harmlessly. The Axolotl, which seems really squishy appearance-wise, barely noticed your knives. The Squire realizes that maybe he's not taking this fight seriously.

Spoiler: Mechanics

Oooooof another miss. I'm gonna ask you to Take Another Powerful Blow.

Seraph Darkfire You mentally grab the knives out of the air. They quiver before they slowly turn around and fling themselves back at the Axolotl. This time, they make their mark, embedding themselves in the creature's hand. It howls before releasing Veil from its grasp.

Spoiler: Mechanics

Hm.... I'm gonna have to say this is an Unleash Your Powers as well.

Manant SP3CT3R (I'd tag everyone but I already tagged everyone else) As the battle continues, a roaring sound from above almost distracts you for a moment. For those of you who keep in touch with superhero culture, you recognize that sound - the rocket jets of the Exemplary, the high-tech versatile aircraft that transports the Exemplars. Seems this brawl has attracted the attention of some higher-ups. The Exemplary cuts off the Axolotl's main route of escape as its hangar doors open. Three superheroes jump from the ship. The first, White Warden, a caped crusader equipped with a high-tech energy shield on each arm. The second, Weathervane, a powerful superheroine who can, well, control the weather. The final hero, the most iconic of the three, a founding Exemplar: the Halcyon Knight. The runes on his magitech armor hum with orange light as he descends slowly, hands outstretched as he glares the Axolotl in the eye.

What do you all do?

 

[Manant]

Tom's not feeling so hot. He's snapped back into consciousness by the Exemplary's jets - he's seen it in videos before, but never in real life, not from this close. He stumbles to El Aguila and helps him get back on his feet while the axlotl is distracted. "Come on, it's best to let the Exemplars do the rest. Nice moves, by the way..."

He shoots Veil a venomous glance before backing into a corner. Who on Earth was this guy? In fact, who were all these people? Maybe he could make out Squire among the mist of a possible concussion, but he was pretty sure he should have heard of the rainbow guy, if that bit wasn't a hallucination. He'd just wanted some damn coffee.