Blarghy

I did iiiiiiiiiit! Try as he might to keep up a grim and stoic expression, Leviathan couldn't help grinning like an idiot when his concentration slipped. This was the first time a crowd had ever cheered for him as a hero, and he didn't much care that they weren't human. Maybe the day got off to a difficult start, and maybe Sea Devil had to push him to do the right thing, but he still did it in the end! And on top of Leviathan's straightforward, honorable victory, he got a trophy too. The crown that the Deep Ones gave him sat less elegantly now, hanging down over one side of his head, because he kept taking it off to look at his prize. Soon as I finish here, this little beauty is going in my trophy room, next to Solemn's gear. Bonfire was right; I'm going to slowly fill my collection out, if I just stay patient. He nearly forgot the depressing reason for his visit, until Aquaria reminded him. "You are faster," he agreed, "But with such a group, spawn and belongings included, will you all be able to travel at top speed? I could at least help guard the tribe for part of your journey." Beneath his elation, Leviathan knew that he was just asking to get wrapped up in a longer endeavor that might leave his base and surrounding territory undefended for who knew how long, to say nothing of his obligations as Tristan Delacroix, but here, surrounded by new friends, he couldn't resist offering more help.

Unsure of whether the other hacker wanted a gesture of their alliance or his payment, Leviathan gave both by setting his briefcase down--clearly more within the larger man's personal space than his own--and shaking his hand. Did it actually work? This went a lot more smoothly than I thought it would! Which is what worried Bonfire earlier, and I have to say, I can see his point... Or, maybe we're both overthinking this. I'm sure that mAZ still doesn't trust us, but they don't have to. All we need is for this guy to lead us back to his friends, and then we're done. Well, except for the whole Ph0enix issue... "We'll be in touch, then," he said by way of farewell.

Sounds like a plan to me. Go for it!

Sorry for being scarce this past week; among other things, a snowstorm knocked out my power for a few days, and I'm still trying to get everything back to normal. Hoping to catch up with my games this week (right before the holidays consume my life again).

Adept: 1 A Heavy Metal Christmas 1 Leviathan: 7 Beloved Monster 4 Freedom of Information 3 GM: 2 X 2 = 4 The Doctor Is OUT 1 Psichology 1 GM posts (not that I had enough to matter) to Leviathan. Now, do Guides get a bonus PP like Refs now too? Because I was awarded one last month, and I think I've seen another Guide (I believe it was alderwitch) including it in the list. I wasn't aware of that perk before, but if I do get one, then give it to Leviathan.

The well-executed strike did indeed pierce deeper than before, but Ikatare and his supporters wouldn't have long to rejoice. Leviathan grasped the upper shaft of the trident and began to push it back toward the Deep One; his flesh and scales assisted, expelling the sharp, burning edges as they healed. When the glowing weapon reemerged, the audience had mere seconds to see its lingering effects before they vanished beneath the smooth armor of Leviathan's stomach. Perhaps more worrisome, Leviathan locked his gaze furiously with Ikatare...and his eyes were all too clear. He let the trident go, swinging his hand in a smooth arc and bringing the fist down on Ikatare's shoulder with unholy force. "Say what you will about me, but if you continue to disrespect Aquaria, then Dagon and Hydra will search the seas for a thousand years and not even find the scraps of you that I'll scatter to the waves! She loves her people enough to save you from your enemies and yourselves, and once you recover from this battle, I expect you to thank her!"

Toughness: 1d20+17 36 I'll take that Bruise, and then toss it away immediately on Leviathan's turn when he regenerates. Now for the Dazzle Fortitude save. Fortitude: 1d20+17 37 Grrrr--I really don't like wasting a 20 on that, but such is the whims of Orokos. In any case, Leviathan will repeat the same tactic as before: full All-Out Attack shift. Attack: 1d20+17 27 Barely! But barely is still enough!

Cool. Onto Terrifica, then (although do remember that you can still respond and discuss with one another, even outside of your turn). One question, though, Tiff: has Miss Grue transformed into some giant monster, or just a Huge-sized version of her normal self? I assume you're using the Growth alternate power of your Grue Nature array. Also, is she still flying above the house, or has she landed, or moved, or what?

What's all that about? Leviathan wondered. I might question this guy a bit once we catch him. That's probably just a good idea anyway; he seems like a good source of information on the local underworld. And maybe the leader of mAZ, since I doubt this is him, will be even better. Leviathan also couldn't help but feel proud of how his fellow heroes had struck fear into Freedom City's criminals. Not enough that they weren't still willing to do business--which, if he thought about it, might cast doubt on the effectiveness of such intimidation--but even so, it was rather nice to see the results from this new perspective. ...Unless he knows who we are, at least broadly, and is only trying to stroke our egos so we become complacent. Unfortunately for you, my new friend, a complacent quarter-ton invulnerable giant lizard is still a quarter-ton invulnerable giant lizard. "We've come too far to back out now, 'least without a serious reason," he answered. "So long as we're smart and subtle, everything'll work out just fine."

Leviathan's translator started to distract him with its steady stream of unexpected curses from the ladies; perhaps he could blame his poor performance on them, though his own overconfidence was just as likely. "We're not telling you to cower," he protested angrily. "This is a matter of prudence! Why fight when you cannot win?" With a bold grin, he couldn't resist turning that olive branch into an insult: "Then again, that's what you're doing right n-" Then the light tore into his eyes, and everything turned white. At least the pain wasn't bad; Leviathan's body immediately washed it away, but returning his sight would take a little longer. A wiser hero might pull back, temporarily use a defensive style, or try a new tactic entirely, but Leviathan just roared and swung both arms wildly in front of him. He felt nothing but water empty as his vision. Ok, this...isn't ideal...

I'll be very surprised if I make that Reflex save. Reflex: 1d20+4 6 Yeah, that tracks. Looks like the main effects for blindness are a Defense penalty (on top of what Leviathan already has) and a 50% miss chance, if I'm looking at the rules right. I'll attack again with the same All-Out Attack shifts as before, which puts his Defense at a hilarious +0 with the Dazzle effect. Attack: 1d20+17 19 Miss Chance: 1d100 43 Not that it matters with that Attack roll (2 2s in a row! Jeeze...), but in this game system, is the upper 50% a hit, or the lower 50%? Meaning, if I had rolled better for my Attack, would that 43 have hit, or missed? Just wondering for my own games if it comes up in the future.

If Bonfire hadn't signaled his suspicions, Leviathan would've been very proud of himself so far. Instead, his ally's worries made him second-guess the situation; he couldn't entirely hide the concern in his expression, although if he was lucky, then maybe the other hacker would mistake it for misgivings at these (somewhat) personal questions. "...Well, work brings us here, obviously. Don't plan to stick around long after the job's done, not with the sort of trouble this city has. Police are one thing, but I'm not interested in getting thrown through a building by some tosser in spandex. Guess that sort of leads to your other question: our thinking was that someone from these parts should know how the local game works. How to avoid the heroes, especially any who can do more with a computer than melt it with their eyes. We never like interference on a job, but in this city, we especially prefer not to be noticed until after we've legged it."

GM There weren't too many convenient weapons in the dark library. Books, while plentiful, had questionable utility. Sam did pass bludgeoning instruments like unwieldy lamps, sharp but fragile things such as pencils and pens, or perhaps he could just lug a chair with him and pretend to be a professional wrestler. If he chose to be cynical--or perhaps just practical--then well, Becker already told him the ultimate fate of all the FBI agents aside from Warne. They had guns, and once Professor Walton killed them, he could have guns--or at least a sturdy flashlight, which might be more to the magician's liking. Warne led his team and uninvited guest deeper through the library. Originally, it was deserted, but now, Presto occasionally had to duck behind a shelf to hide from other well-armed hunters; he only saw a pair of mind-guards here, but they seemed increasingly desperate. Maybe they, too, could hear the distant howl of the Id. That, Presto couldn't yet see, but it was apparently somewhere on this psychological level, looking either for Baku, or for him. Sticking close to the path of the memory served him well, though. Warne showed him to a stairwell, moving ever closer to the horrible fate ahead. They searched offices and storage rooms beneath the library, one by one, until dim light shown beneath a closed door. From behind it also came the soft sounds of chewing. The FBI team quickly arranged around the door. Warne took point, and when they were prepared, he kicked hard beside the knob. Whether he wanted to conceal or just conserve his telekinesis, this was still sufficient, and as the door burst in, the agents followed. "Professor Walton!" Warne snapped. "FBI! FBI! Walton, you're under arrest; come out where we can see you, get on the ground, and do it now!" "Oh God," one of his subordinates said. "He's...God, it's true!" "Keep it together!" Warne ordered. When the path was clear enough for Sam to follow them into the room, he at first could only see the desk toward which the agents aimed their guns. Then, something moved behind it. The chewing stopped. A shape arose in the dark; a flashlight beam lit it up, revealing the rotted face Becker showed him. Walton's expression was mostly blank, although his shiny blue eyes narrowed in annoyance. His lower jaw--barely still attached--lifted again as though to keep grinding whatever was in his mouth. His lips, such as they were, parted. Out poured what looked like black sand. "I said, get on the ground!" "Haaah..." Walton grumbled. He dipped his head back down; the chewing resumed. With one bony hand, he tossed aside something that was apparently in his way: a red and white sneaker. It had rotted to dust where he touched it. Walton looked up again, more of the "sand" dribbling from his mouth, and merely glared. An FBI agent dropped his flashlight to cover his own mouth in disgust and horror. Warne's expression was of tightly-controlled anger. "Last chance," he hissed softer. "And then we put you down--for good." The lich grunted. "Haah. Hah. Hah hah haaahhh... Ok. 'Resss' me. 'Mon, then. 'Resss' me."

This time, he barely escaped: the bolt slashed right through his force field and would've carved Adept like a Christmas ham, but at the last possible second, he twisted aside by reflex. It was so close a call that he felt the heat of the attack, even slashed through his coat and jacket, setting both on fire. Warne slapped at himself to beat down the flames before they could spread; his thoughts flashed back to his fight with Mantis, and he told himself, Not again! Snarling, exhausted, and desperate to at least give the Stones a chance to escape, he shot higher in the air to pursue this dangerous drone. Pain began to throb behind Adept's eyes, but he tensed his mind anyway and swung again with psychic force. Ideally, he would want to capture the sphere and study it--they already lost Pangolin--for any possible clues about this well-funded conspiracy arrayed against Upgrade and himself, but first, he just had to survive.

Gonna do the usual auto-hit psychokinesis hit, for a DC25 Toughness check. I thought about grappling it instead, but let's see if Warne can damage it first to make it safer--or at least wait for Ethan to return and help. Edit: wow, I completely forgot to check against that attack. Sorry! Toughness: 1d20+10 12 ...Well, the good news is, you gave me a Hero Point for my Grinch reference (which I think is my last one? Or do I have two HP left? I can't even remember). I'll burn it to avoid repeating our Mantis fight. Toughness Reroll: 1d20+10 25 There we go!

So, he's smart enough to keep his distance, Leviathan thought in a flush of pride. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't have a choice! The huge beast laughed off this magical attack; even the minor scuff it inflicted on his scales almost immediately smoothed over. "You fight with every advantage," he mimicked Aquaria's words. "But it will not be enough!" He wasn't nearly as agile or elegant of a swimmer as the Deep Ones, but Leviathan could certainly outpace a human in the water; he rushed forward boldly, making no effort to defend himself, and brought both of his hands together, folding his fingers to make one big hammer-fist, raising his arms above his head as he loomed over Ikatare. The attack left him very exposed, but Leviathan didn't seem to care. His concern was to slam those enormous hands down and drive his opponent into the sand like a nail.

Alright, I'm going to use my All-Out Attack feat for a full 5 points, bringing Leviathan's Attack bonus up to +17, and dropping his Defense to a mere +2. Is this a good idea? Let's find out! Attack: 1d20+17 36 If that hits--and I sure hope it does--then it's a DC27 Toughness check.

Oh, wow! For a natural 20, I'll give you more than I originally planned. Miss Grue:

Leviathan gave a barking laugh as he sat down at the table, laying his briefcase in front of him. "Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, eh? It's nothing personal. I'm sure you and your mates are the most trustworthy partners I'll ever have, 'side from my friend here, but, well...you know how it is. If we can come to a general agreement tonight, then we'll tell you the time of our upcoming score, and when it's close, then we'll give the place. I'll be handling the real work; what we need from you and your lot is a diversion. Keep the White Hats busy with somethin' flashy while I work my magic and get out before they know I'm there. 'Course, as you said, we're not from 'round here, though you are, which means mAZ'll get the credit--and the heat--afterward. But that's what this little vacation fund is for." He patted the briefcase. "Plenty of money to take yourselves some time off, get drunk on a warm beach with some pretty birds 'til any trouble passes by, and enjoy a new notch in your reputation by the time you come back. Or just stay put, snort your earnings, and take your chances--don't much care, so long as it doesn't come back to us."

Toughness: 1d20+17 30 Looks like a Bruise to me, but unless Ikatere has an Incurable attack, it should regenerate on Leviathan's turn, yeah?

Yes, you're right. Some day I'll remember how Auras work. I'd say that Heritage could roll a Fortitude check as well, but it doesn't really matter with that Toughness check. Thanks for catching my mistake!

Happy Birthday, AA!

That's more than enough to be successful, so the teenagers submit as ordered (which should probably happen on their turn rather than immediately, but I think it flows better this way, and I doubt that any of the three heroes who'll go ahead of them will do something to change their actions). There's still one injured boy--Anthony--on the second floor of the bunker, between our two paired teams, for anyone keeping track, but he isn't currently doing much. Next, by saving (most of the) civilians, Sea Devil gets another Hero Point! And for putting themselves in harm's way to do the same for Tristan, at the expense of their own safety, so do Miracle Girl and Terrifica. On Caleb's turn, he follows Miracle Girl's instructions and moves back into the bedroom; he can only go 30 feet in a turn, so if he was essentially at point-blank range before, then this drops his Aura's rank by 3 points, I believe, for a rank 7 Damage effect. So, I'll need a Toughness check from EP and Heritage, DC22. This brings us to round 2, which starts off with Julia zooming through the bunker, seeing (and misunderstanding) what's happening at the bottom, recognizing Miracle Girl from our last adventure, and attacking her! She'll shift a couple points from Defense to Attack, which I think is fair for Miracle Girl (the only one who can actually see her, although Miss Grue is aware of Julia thanks to her own Super-Senses) to realize. Attack: 1d20+12 17 But she still misses! So, we're back to Miss Grue and Terrifica--although before you take your turn, Tiff, can you make a Notice check? Name HPs Initiative Damage Status Conditions Julia N/A 24 None None Miss Grue 2 17 None None Terrifica 5 17 Bruise 1 None Miracle Girl 4 14 None None Scientists 1-4 N/A 10 Bruise 1 None Thug 1 (Marco) N/A 10 Bruise 1 None Thug 2 (Anthony) N/A 10 Bruise 3 Staggered Thugs 3-5 N/A 10 None None Singularity N/A 9 None None Sea Devil 5 8 None None Caleb N/A LAST None Staggered

GM After Singularity's chilling call for silence, they could almost hear Miracle Girl's voice well below them at the bottom of the bunker, until it was drowned out in the clatter of everything the teenagers were carrying, weapons and otherwise. Pocket knives, lighters, cigarette packs, small amounts of drugs, even spare change--they couldn't get rid of it fast enough, and if lying on the floor allowed them to avert their eyes from this terrifying woman and her fearsome Deep One companion, then so much the better. Even the scientists hesitantly moved as though to crouch down, just in case, and when the Hispanic man among them spoke up, it was in a nervous, yet grateful, voice. "Thank you, Wander!" Dr. Daza said, unaware of his (probably common) mistake. "And...Wander's friend! But these boys aren't the only problem; there is some...thing here, and we cannot see it, but that doesn't stop it from hurting people. I don't know what, or where, it is, but it's very dangerous!" Preoccupied as he and the other civilians were, he didn't notice a faint, inexplicable breeze come off the central ladder that ran through the building. * * * The old man seemed to listen intently to Miracle Girl, but that wasn't a sure sign that he understood. In fact, for a few seconds after she finished, he continued to stand in place, but then, thankfully, he bounced his head up and down and turned around. He continued nodding vaguely to himself as he shuffled back the way he came--taking his frozen aura with him, albeit not so quickly that Miracle Girl and Terrifica wouldn't still feel it for a bit longer. The super-genius would probably realize that this complicated their escape route, if they needed to eventually use the secret entrance she found, but that was a problem for later...especially when chunks of concrete from the wall next to Miracle Girl sprayed through the air for no apparent reason. But Miracle Girl could see more: in a flash quick even by her standards, she was suddenly face-to-face with the woman from Thornton's picture. Just like Caleb, the ice-man, she had changed a great deal since that photograph. All her hair was gone, and the skin visible around her makeshift yellow, fireproof clothing looked like aged leather. Unlike her husband, Julia seemed very alert--and very unhappy. "Get away from him!" she screamed, and threw a punch that missed by inches and tore through the stone beside our heroine. The air around this woman's fist shimmered with heat, and she didn't look the least bit uncomfortable in the cold that bit everyone else so deeply. * * * Outside, Miss Grue could feel the boiling rage and fear--the two tightly intertwined--that rolled rapidly into the house and now enveloped her friends at the bottom of the underground structure. Monitoring the situation through her companions' senses was simple enough, although that might distract her attention from something a little subtler...

"That sounds like it should be against the rules..." Leviathan mumbled dryly, in part to hide his jealousy. Alright, that's one handsome fish-man. Even non-humans have better bone structure than I do; how's that fair? But whatever. Ikatare may be tough, but he's not Leviathan tough, and it's time I showed everyone that! "Come on, then! The only meal you'll have today is when I feed you your own trident!"