Kaede Kimura

If you mean about the switching out of weapons then that's because it takes him time to switch out guns, but if you mean the firing of the guns themselves then yeah, I was trying to keep him cheap on the PP for no apparent reason? Probably partly because of me thinking about how terribly my build for Dougal went and how bloated it got to the point of me using all 250PP available. I'll probably remove the action flaw honestly.

Shadowborne Four Stories - Què & A Survival Class: Silver Lining Guidebook: Dougal Shooting Star Rising Stars Shooting Star Reputation The Dreamer Fate of the Serpent

Alice shrugged off the electric shock, wincing between her mask as she feels the jolts run down her legs. She couldn't see where they were, but they didn't have to know that. "Okay, I think we've both made our points. You can't hurt me, and before you try gassing me I'll let you know that even if I was worried I don't need to breathe. So how about we talk about things like adults before I start getting mad. Just come out and we can all go our separate ways no worse for wear, the school won't need to replace any buildings, and I don't need to see if anyone online can come up with something worse than 'Collateral Damage Barbie'. Does that sound good to you all? It sounds pretty good to me, but if you really want to fight someone who can resist anti-tank munitions and juggle cars go right ahead." She lowered herself to the ground, standing easily in front of the gym pretending to buff something off of her breastplate. She hoped Billy was being smart and staying put, or else she was going to be upset to put it lightly.

Ah my rolling returns to normal after reaching the double digits for once. 1d20+5 = 10 She doesn't notice them. She's going to try talking to them, let me know if you want a diplomacy or intimidate check or something.

Steel Shade Power Level: 10 (187/187PP) Unspent Power Points: 0 Trade-Offs: -2 Defense/+2 Toughness +2 Attack/-2 Damage (Unarmed, Railpistol) None (Electrothermal Cannon Rapid Fire Mode) -2 Attack/+2 Damage (Electrothermal Cannon Siege Mode In Brief: Powerhouse using technology to enhance his abilities as a villain. Alternate Identity: Aaron Armstrong (Secret) Birthplace: Freedom City Residence: The Theatre District, Freedom City Occupation: Part-time Mechanic, Villain for Hire Affiliations: Family: Calvin Armstrong (Father), Linda Armstrong (Mother), Alice Armstrong (Sister) Description: Age: 21 Gender: Male Ethnicity: Caucasian Height: 6'3" Weight: 216lbs Eyes: Blue Hair: Black Aaron is tall and muscular, with broad shoulders and a thin waist. His hair is unruly in a perpetual bed head that refuses to be combed into submission he frequently forgets to shave, leaving him with a nine o'clock shadow most days, but he never lets it get longer than stubble, as he shaves it off before then. He has high cheekbones and a strong jaw and chin, a long straight nose and bright blue eyes that seem to invite people around him to look at them. He has a long curving cut along the right side of his jaw which he claims he got when a tool he was using broke. As a civilian he wears jackets and jeans over band shirts, even in the summer, only sacrificing his jacket on the warmest days of the year. He tends to wear steel-toe boots on his feet, regardless of whether he needs them where he is going. As a villain he wears a modified welding mask that covers his entire face, with numerous technological updates since its inception. For his suit he wears a black long coat over a white undershirt, with black denim jeans and leather gunslingers chaps on his lower half. He wears a pair of high tech boots and gauntlets and a rocket pack on his back. Example Images: https://imgur.com/a/Df2EleX History: Aaron's family was poor even before he and his sister were born, but things were even harder afterwards, especially with the medical expenses for Alice's condition. So he grew up helping to care for his frail younger sister. Still he was happy, a star athlete at any school he attended, although his academic studies were average at best. Then on the day he turned seventeen, he quickly discovered two things. First, he had developed superpowers, he was stronger, quicker and smarter. Second he found out that Alice had been suddenly cured of her illness, likely by whatever had granted him his powers. His decision to become a villain was not a quick one, not like Alice's heroism, but he needed money both for himself and his family, and had powers. After he turned eighteen he put on a mask, and went out as muscle for hire. For now he'd get himself set up, then he'd work into being a true supervillain. It was easy at first, bust down some walls, take down some goons, and get the reward. He saved most of the money, hoping to support himself and Alice in the future, but some of it went into developing better equipment. His first powered gauntlets and boots he made using some stolen supertech. At the same time he did apprenticeships as an electrician and mechanic to help him further develop his supertech, and got himself an apartment in the Theatre District, close to his family but outside The Fens. He was planning on making the jump to being a real villain when she ruined everything. Shooting Star turned up at a robbery and everything went sideways. The mask came off after she hit him, the edge of it tearing open a gash along his jaw and the heroine just stared. He knew right away that she recognised him, so he cut his losses and fled. No one he knew was acting differently, so she had to be just keeping an eye on him for now, and so he didn't dare make the jump to being a self-employed villain, since there's no way she'd stand aside. So for two years he's been developing his supertech to allow him to take her down, and secure his and his sister's future. Personality & Motivation: Aaron is of the opinion that himself, his family and his friends are what matters, and is willing to do whatever he feels is necessary to help and protect them. He feels especially protective of his sister Alice, who he helped with her condition for seven years before she was cured of her disease. The primary reason he works as a villain is to get the money to support himself and his sister in the future. Aaron pushes himself to meet higher standards than he tends to hold others to, wanting to make a better life for the people he cares about even if it puts him at risk. He is reserved around people he doesn't know, but more open around his friends and family, although since moving out he's been in less contact with his family, wanting to keep his work as a villain a secret. Powers & Tactics: Aaron uses primarily non-lethal equipment, not wanting to get treated like a Moore-era villain, and preferring instead the maximum punishment of being sent to jail instead of ripped to pieces. Even his guns are able to be non-lethal mode to allow him to incapacitate targets instead of kill them, although some of his gear is dangerous if not handled carefully, and they have lethal modes. If he is forced to fight without his gadgets, between his powers and his gauntlets and boots he is still a formidable powerhouse at the street level, although maybe not as tough as some of the other ones out there. His enhanced quickness and intelligence do not generally help him in a straight up fight, but does let him work out plans and such on the fly. The technology he carries with him are his powered gauntlets and boots, which enhance his strength and defence, they also contain a pair of shield generators, one very powerful generator that renders him impervious to almost all attacks without it even touching him, but they are limited to stopping five blows before they overheat and fall back entirely on the weaker shields they wrap around him. His mask penetrates concealment allowing him to see enemies behind cover and it also recycles the air he breathes, helping him avoid suffocation. While it doesn't perfectly protect him, it does roughly double the time he can avoid suffocation. One of his most advanced pieces of tech is the Little Helper, a small semi-autonomous robot to open locks, help him search and investigate and keep an eye out for trouble. It has the issue of only being semi-autonomous and as such needing constant supervision which would be distracting in combat. His primary weapon is the Railpistol he made, a high powered automatic pistol that he uses as his primary weapon. It is accurate and stealthy allowing him to use it without alerting enemies of his presence. He carries one other weapon with him, an electrothermal accelerator rifle with two modes, Rapid Fire and Siege. In Rapid Fire Mode the rifle is still super tech, using plasma to accelerate microprojectiles to many thousand meters per second. The Siege Mode is mostly the same, but fires a single larger, heavier projectile at much higher speeds. Each shot is devastating, creating a line of damage as the projectile flies, as the air is superheated by the object passing through it at such high speeds. On his back he wears his jump pack which allows him to leap hundreds of feet, but only a handful of times so he uses it sparingly, it allows him manoeuvrability he normally does not possess, capable of quickly gaining ground, bypassing cover or reaching high places. Finally hidden all over his person are small gadgets that Aaron uses to get through various situations like a smoke generator to conceal himself, a collection of various grenades like his stun grenade to put normal civilians out of action without wasting time with his pistol and the Breathtaker, which thins the air in an area around it, making it hard to breath and move for regular humans. Power Descriptions: The powers Aaron possesses innately are the standard powerhouse ones, as well as enhanced intelligence and quickness, allowing him to perform well beyond the norm academically and physically. His gadgets and devices are all made by him working from experiments and pilfered pieces of super tech. His most refined pieces are his Electrothermal Cannon and Little Helper, more complicated and advanced than their counterparts. Complications: Fickle and Temperamental Aaron's powers are derived from an artefact of the Greek Gods, and when they find out about it they will likely act on the information in some manner. Blood runs thicker Aaron's sister is also the superheroine Shooting Star and knows his identity. Aaron wants to keep his sister safe and use his work as a supervillain to provide for her and the rest of the family, and wants to take Shooting Star down to prevent her from using his identity against them, as he is unaware that they are the same person. Abilities: 8 + 4 + 6 + 2 + 2+ 6 = 28PP Strength: 26/24/18 (+8/+7/+4) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 22/16 (+6/+3) Intelligence: 26/12 (+8/+1) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 16 (+3) Combat: 12 + 8 = 20PP Initiative: +2 Attack: +6 Base, +10 Ranged, +12 Railpistol Defense: +8 (+4 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Grapple: +14 (+8 Strength, +6) Knockback: -13/-3 (-10 Impervious, -1 Toughness, -2 Immovable/-1 Toughness, -2 Immovable) Saves: 4 + 4 + 5 = 13PP Toughness: +12/+6/+3 (+3 Con, +3 Enhanced Con, +6 Protection) [Impervious 10] Fortitude: +10/+7 (+3 Con, +3 Enhanced Con, +4) Reflex: +6 (+2 Dex, +4) Will: +6 (+1 Wis, +5) Skills: 80R = 20PP Bluff 2 (+5) Computers 0/14 (+8/+22) Craft (Electrical) 12 (+20) Craft (Mechanical) 12 (+20) Diplomacy 2 (+5) Disable Device 0/18 (+8/+26) (Little Helper) Gather Info 7 (+10) Intimidate 2 (+5) Investigate 6/18 (+14/+26) Skill Mastery (Little Helper) Knowledge (Streetwise) 6 (+14) Knowledge (Technology) 7 (+15) Notice 7/19 (+10/+22) Skill Mastery (Little Helper) Search 0/16 (+8/+24) (Little Helper) Sense Motive 9 (+10) Skill Mastery Stealth 8 (+10) Skill Mastery Feats: 13PP Attack Focus (Ranged) 4 Dodge Focus 4 Inventor Jack-of-All-Trades Skill Mastery (Investigate, Notice, Sense Motive, Stealth) Uncanny Dodge (Auditory) Well-Informed Enhanced Blind-Fight (Railpistol) Eidetic Memory Improvised Tools (Little Helper) Precise Shot (Railpistol) Powers: 6 + 14 + 6 + 1 + 5 + 4 + 2 + 4 + 12 + 12 + 18 + 14 = 98PP Enhanced Constitution 6 (to Constitution 22 [+6]) [6PP] (Divine, Mutation) Enhanced Intelligence 14 (to Intelligence 26 [+8]) [14PP] (Divine, Mutation) Enhanced Strength 6 (to Strength 24 [+7]) [6PP] (Divine, Mutation) Enhanced Feats 1 (Eidetic Memory) [1PP] (Divine, Mutation) Quickness 5 [5PP] (Divine, Mutation) Device 1 (Mask; 5PP Container; Flaws: Hard-To-Lose) [4PP] (Technology) Immunity 2 (All Suffocation Effects) (Air Recycler; Flaws: Limited) [1PP] (Air) Super Senses 4 (Visual [Penetrates Concealment]) [4PP] (Light, X-Ray Vision) Device 1 (Jump Pack; 5PP Container; Flaws: Easy-To-Lose, Unreliable [5 Uses]) [2PP] (Technology, Fire, Rockets) Leaping 5 [5PP] Device 2 (Little Helper; 10PP Container; Flaws: Distracting, Easy-to-Lose) [4PP] Enhanced Skills 18 (Computers 14, Disable Device 18, Investigate 12, Notice 12, Search 16; Flaws: Duration [Sustained]) [9PP] Enhanced Feat 1 (Improvised Tools; Flaws: Duration [Sustained]) [1PP] Device 3 (Power Gauntlets and Boots; 15PP Container; Flaws: Hard-To-Lose) [12PP] (Technology) Enhanced Strength 2 (to Strength 26 [+8]) [2PP] Impervious Toughness 10 (Impervious Shields; Flaws: Unreliable [5 Uses]) [5PP] Protection 6 (Shield Generator) [6PP] Immovable 2 (Inertial Compensator) [2PP] Device 4 (Railpistol; 20PP Container; Flaws: Easy-To-Lose) [12PP] (Technology, Magnetism) Damage 8 (Railshot; Extras: Range; Feats: Accurate, Subtle) [17PP] (Piercing Damage, Ballistic Damage, Metal) Enhanced Feat 3 (Blind-Fight, Precise Shot) [3PP] (Computer, Targeting System) Device 6 (Electrothermal Cannon; 30PP Container; Flaws: Easy-To-Lose) [18PP] (Technology Firing Mode Array 15 (30PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 1; Drawbacks: Action [Standard Action]) [30PP] BP: Damage 10 (Autofire Mode; Extras: Autofire 1, Range) {30PP/30PP} AP: Damage 12 (Siege Mode; Extras: Area [Targeted, Line], Penetrating 6; Feats: Knockback 1, Progression 1 [Area]; Drawbacks: Full Power, Inaccurate) {30PP/30PP} Gadgets 2 (Technological Assistants; 10PP Container; Flaws: Hard-To-Lose) [14PP] (Technology) Example Gadgets Stun 5 (Taser) {10PP/10PP} (Electromagnetic Energy, Electricity) Obscure 5 (Smoke Generator; Visual Obscure) {10PP/10PP} (Gas, Smoke) Damage 5 (Stun Grenade; Extras: Area [General, Burst]; Feats: Thrown; Drawbacks: Non-Lethal) {10PP/10PP} (Sonic, Impact Damage) Fatigue 3 (Breathtaker; Extras: Area [General, Burst]; Feats: Progression 2 [Area], Progression 2 [Save DC, +2]; Flaws: Limited to Fatigue) {10PP/10PP} (Air, Suffocation) Drawbacks: -5PP Vulnerability (Divine; Frequency: Very Common; Intensity: Major [+100% Effect Rank]) [-5PP] DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 23 Toughness Damage Railpistol Ranged DC 23 Toughness Damage Rapid Fire Mode Ranged DC 25 Toughness Damage Siege Mode Area DC 27 Toughness Damage Taser Touch DC 15 Fortitude Stun Stun Grenade Thrown DC 20 Toughness Damage Breathtaker Area DC 15 Fortitude Fatigue Totals: Abilities (28) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (13) + Skills (20) + Feats (13) + Powers (98) - Drawbacks (-5) = 187/187 Power Points

Fort Save: 1d20+8 = 18 Made it!

Alice ignored Billy's protests and the three bullet impacts, although she had a feeling like she had two new holes in her breastplate. Searching around she found an apartment building with some good cover from the street that didn't have taller buildings too near. She deposited the wannabe drug dealer there. "Listen kid, stay put. I don't know about you, but I don't know who sent those guys and I don't want you running into a mob hitman out for your blood. Hide here until I come back, I'm going to go deal with those four so I won't be here to catch bullets for you. Understand?" She didn't wait to hear his response, instead rocketing back to the school, landing where Billy had stood not moments before. "Alright mystery gunmen, how about we come out for a little chat? You know your guns don't hurt me, and it'd save you the trouble of getting beaten on so it's really in your best interest to work with me here."

Alice is going to find somewhere a decent distance away that she can deposit Billy, hopefully with somewhere he can hide and tell him to stay put while she goes to take out the guys who just tried to gun them down, before using her movement to head back to the school, since without Billy she won't need to worry about moving slower so I assume she can get back in one turn.

Muirne looked quizzically at Charlie when he made the comment about the cave being 'Like home'. Did he live in a cave outside of the Dorms? Her train of thought completely derailed at his comment and Macedon's reply to it. She didn't take much comfort in his comment that they had nothing to worry about while he was there as she felt something out in the dark. Her breathing quickened as she tried to stay calm. She couldn't keep track of most of the talking, but gave Luke a wan smile and nodded hoping that he would assume that her trembling was from the cold. Then she heard it, the voice from inside the cave. She felt her panic and anxiety spike. Breathing got harder and she could feel herself starting to sweat. Was it a trick of her mind? Some illusion meant to draw her away for whatever might be lurking deeper in the cave? Surely she couldn't risk going towards it and should just stay near the fire... But if it was a person? She couldn't just leave people who needed help could she? She felt herself take the first step into the shadows before she could think about it. She remembered suddenly becoming aware, Dougal's fortress aging and crumbling in an instant, the mage vanishing instantly from sight to be replaced by people in strange clothes speaking an unknown language. Could she turn her back on them if they were trapped like she had been? She couldn't, but she could at least be smart about this and let someone know what she was doing, where she was going. She doubted Macedon would let her help, so she couldn't tell him, so it had to be another student. Zach had seemed friendly enough, Charlie wasn't particularly bothered by the cold which would help as it would probably be even more so in the cave, and she knew Luke could see in the darkness and had worked with him before when things had gone down at the mall. She stepped further into the darkness, quickly fishing her costume and spearhead out of her bag, taking her Father's knife to be safe, since she didn't want to leave it behind. Muirne started moving faster into the cave, leaving her bag at the edge of the light for someone to spot and marking her path with her discarded clothes as she donned her armour while she moved. "Can you hear me? I'm coming to help you, just hold on a little bit longer!" Muirne called as she started attaching the spearhead to the shaft, shield affixed to her arm and armour secured upon her.

Alice's eyes narrowed as the laser dots appeared on both her and Billy. Her guess was that Billy had told his supplier about what happened and had painted a target on himself in the process. Now she had to deal with these four without Billy getting shot. She wasn't exactly worried about being shot herself, given she hadn't lied once during her spiel, although she had to admit that the rocket very much could have hurt her. Now she had to work out how to take them out without Billy getting a fatal case of high velocity lead poisoning. She would be impressed if the bullets were anywhere near as fast as her going at full speed, but while she could accelerate to that without a problem the boy in front of her had a good chance of being liquefied if she shot off and fifty thousand miles per hour. So for now she'd have to protect him, but she could only stop one bullet at once, which means with the current number she could protect him, but how soon before they start shooting more at him seeing that she's stopping the ones going for him? "Billy, I swear to God if this was because of you you're not as bright as I thought." She couldn't keep the frustration out of her voice. There was only one thing for it, she had to get Billy out of here as fast as she could, then she could come back and flatten these goons. Alice took a steadying breath, opening her palms and planting her feet. Then she surged towards Billy.

Okay, Alice is going to grapple Billy, using All-Out-Attack to it's fullest, putting her Defence bonus to +0 and her attack bonus to +7 and fly away as fast as she can without hurting Billy. Interpose is still on Billy. Assuming he resists the Grapple the rolls are as follows: Attack: 1d20+7 = 8! I am DEFINITELY using that last HP on this! (I noticed you put 3HP on her initiative. Alice has so far used 2 in the thread, were they reset or was it just a misprint?) Attack (HP): 1d20+7 = 26 (+10 due to being less than 10) Grapple: 1d20+21 = 27 My rolling is terrible tonight, but at least the Grapple being low doesn't really matter... hopefully. Writing up a post now

Muirne tried to smile reassuringly at Maggie as she talked about Queens, wanting to reassure her but not knowing how without overstepping. She could tell that she'd brought up something the girl was sensitive about without intending to. "If- if there's anything I can do to help just ask, okay? I'd be perfectly willing to help however I can." She smiled more easily as Maggie moved the conversation along, "Thank you, but you don't have to watch over my things or anything. I don't want you to be excluded because you were doing something for me." She waved to Maggie and Dee as she headed towards the room, walking in to a declaration of friendship and adventure. She smiled nervously as the girl laughed with what she felt was no small amount of manic energy. She figured she might as well go next in terms of introductions. "Uh, I'm Muirne Sceadusangere, hero name Shadowborne. I look forward to sharing the floor with you all, and hope we can get along well!" She tried to quell her nervousness and insert some energy into the end of the statement, and somewhat succeeded. It did sound more energetic, but in a more 'Oh god please don't look at me!' way. Muirne silently prayed that someone would just keep the ball rolling and introduce themselves or change the conversation as she tried to smile.

Muirne looked quizzically at Luke as he talked about Zach being a 'player', but decided to let the issue rest. She listened intently to Macedon's explanation, a slow dread coiling in her gut. Was this place magical? What might happen at night if they got lost of separated? She swallowed dryly as he explained their path and goal, praying that Luke and Callie would lead them without issue, as while she shared Luke's confidence about the distance she was less sure of the terrain. She was right about the terrain. The sun was hot, the air was dry and the heat was unbearable. At least the company wasn't bad, as she listened to the others trading jokes and teases. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen after sundown, and spent a lot of time trying to push back at the well of shadows to stop from transforming. It wasn't like it'd help her under the scorching sun anyway. Muirne started shivering as the sun set, both from the cold and the fear that whatever Macedon had spoken of would arrive before they arrived at the cave. She wanted to stop and put on her warmer clothes, but stopping would delay them, and she wasn't willing to slow down. She pushed herself harder as the darkness grew, eyes darting around unhampered by the darkness. She wasn't above admitting that she sighed in relief as they arrived in the cave, glad to be where Macedon claimed they'd be safe. She surveyed the cave the same as Luke, but didn't share as much of his desire to explore it, although she'd be lying if she said she wasn't at least slightly curious as to the interior of the cave. Whatever might be outside of it could go straight to hell though. She opened up her pack to pull out a jacket quickly, not wanting to be cold anymore now that she wasn't desperately hoping to get to the cave on time.

The Dreamer smiled bitterly at his explanation, she'd suspected that the answer wouldn't really bring her closer to knowing anything about the Carnifex. She could give more information about her powers and the Carnifex itself, but she didn't really know him and was actually on a mission. He didn't seem like a bad person but she couldn't tell for sure until she knew the circumstances regarding Advay were sorted. She sighed, putting the card into a pouch that she'd just dreamed onto her belt. "I will keep you in mind in the future, but first I need to talk to you about why I am actually here." She dreamed up a pair of well cushioned chairs with high backs and a table between them, before moving to one with the assistance of some dreams, trying to show as little of her paralysis as possible. Immediately the dream dragon swarmed into her lap while the thunder bird perched upon the back of her chair. The smiling cat stalked around behind her, out of her view still. More dreams started populating the ship, small soldiers and animals darting from point to point. The Dreamer gestured to the chair across from her, "Please sit. Do you want any refreshments? I am given to understand that detectives are partial to whiskey" Her tone and expression showed the joke to be what it was, before her expression became grim. "I was approached by some people from The Forest Clan of Emerald City today. They wanted to ask for my help getting justice, one of their members was murdered by another. The individual fled before they could be caught, and another clan, The Rock Clan, denied them the chance to catch him, hoping to get their power for themselves. They asked me to find him to bring him before them so he could face his crimes. The man in question is Advay Upal, and that's who you've brought onto the ship, away from the justice his crimes deserve. Why?" She met the man's eyes. She hoped she'd judged him right, that when confronted with the crimes of his client he would choose justice over profit.

Regardless of whether or not Alice wins initiative, she'll be Interposing any attack headed Billy's way.

Alice frowned at Billy's declaration about her threatening him. It wasn't exactly false, but he was leaving out details like him telling Alice to threaten Teddy. She covered her face with her hand, sighing. "The way I see it, it was only a matter of time until someone who you'd just given super drugs to you did the same, but without the good intentions behind it. Or worse, someone who wanted to move in on your turf decided to get rid of you. Either of those options end with you either threatened or dead, with possible collateral damage." She looked him in the eye as he asked his question, eyes narrowing. She quickly darted her eyes around, spotting the thugs. "Okay Billy, I'm not dumb enough to assume those four aren't working at least with you, so I'm going to go over a few things to give you an idea of what you're messing with." She gave the boy her best winning smile, but it never reached her eyes. "The other day, I stopped an anti-tank rocket without a scratch to anything but my breastplate, and not a minute ago you watched me drop from orbit. Anything you have that can hurt me will reduce you to a fine red mist. So even with your masterfully cunning ambush, you still need protecting from your own idiocy. If they aren't working for you, you want to say so right now, so I can take you somewhere safe before this place gets shot up. Do you understand?" Alice quickly ran through what she had to do in her own head. Even if it was him behind this she had to protect him for the first few seconds to give him a chance to deny or confirm. If it wasn't him she'd grab him and remove them from the situation, if it was him she would take out the thugs first and then get the answers from him. She wasn't particularly worried that they'd be able to hurt her, but until she'd sorted out the situation she had to make sure they didn't hurt the little idiot.

1d20+2 = 17, do you want an IC reply before the stuff starts, or wait?

Muirne shaded her eyes as Luke and Callie looked at the map. She'd seen modern maps and couldn't read them any better than most people, they were just too different from the maps she was used to. She hefted her heavy pack, armour was so much lighter when you wore it, but she knew that it would be a mistake to wear it for a trek through a desert. At least the stave of her spear could work as a walking stick while the head rested in her bag, and if worst comes to worst, she could probably hide under her shield for some shade. She smiled at Zach as he offered to take her bag, "Yeah, I'm Muirne. I'm pretty sure we're supposed to carry our own gear in this class, and yours already looks pretty heavy. I'm sure I'll manage. Thank you for offering though." She looked over to Charlie as he spoke, "I'm pretty sure you're the only person who's better off wearing their armour right now. But I'm coming." She shrugged on her pack, wriggling slightly when the handle of her father's knife poked her in the back. "I must admit to also being curious as to what you mean by strange things happening at night, Bodere Macedon. Is it dangerous, and if so will setting up camp be safe?" She pushed back on her well of shadows as her apprehension at being in the desert rose. She was pretty sure a couple hairs had turned black there. She needed better control.

1d20+5 = 14 this feels important to not screw up, so I'm going to drop another Hero Point and pray. 1d20+5 = 22 That's better

The Dreamer grimaced as he asked for clarification, she had a passing familiarity with magic but the truth behind the Carnifex was hard to ascertain. Some hyperlucid dreamers developed permanent personalities for their dreams like the March Hare or Dormouse, but she was vanishingly rare in the fact that she had a nightmare as hers. Alice had some which rode the edge of being a nightmare, like the Jabberwock but even that was more benevolent than the Carnifex. In all of her research she had only found one dream creature like the Carnifex, and the less said about it the better. Although given that she was possibly the last Dreamer in existence she probably wasn't considered rare anymore technically. "I am uncertain as to whether it is truly a demon, influenced by one or it's own malevolent being. Is there a way of identifying whether it is a demon or not?"

Alice grinned at Billy's shock. It was after all what she'd been aiming for, shock and awe and all that. For now she would try and do a mixture of identity damage control and investigation. "I'm Shooting Star, and friend is putting it a bit strongly. I keep in touch with Alice for a few reasons, and had to ask her for a favour here. I don't want these drugs on my street, powers in the wrong hands can be dangerous." She looked down at him sternly. "I'm not going to punish you for getting involved, but you will be helping me to put a stop to this, before someone does what Alice did but without the good intentions. This is dangerous, and the last thing I want is you getting hurt because of it." Alice gave the boy a reassuring smile before continuing. "So I want your help to shut this down, alright? Anything you can do or tell me will help and I promise you that you'll be safe." She hoped that Billy would listen to reason, wouldn't try to have honour among thieves.

The Dreamer blinked, momentarily stunned at the non sequitur before continuing. "No thank you." She could tell that was probably supposed to confuse her and was not too prideful to admit that it had worked. She wasn't sure how to best approach the conversation She could work around to what he's doing over time, or she could try to approach the subject directly. She'd taken the direct approach a couple of times, and it had worked, although with complications. She had no real idea as to what the man could do with magic, so could she afford to run headfirst into a fight considering the possible collateral damage? Although... She could probably make them a new boat if it came to it. Regardless, maybe not quite so direct as she had been with Alaynah and her crew. So something more circumspect than directly asking after Advay to help her get a sense for the man, which opened up a variety of possible starting points. Perhaps she should try to engage him with questions of magic first? Although she wasn't well versed in the subject she did know a bit, and she could get some outside opinions without giving away too much if she had to fight him. "I've heard you are well versed in matters regarding magic." She took a steadying breath as she chose the starting point. An every delightful point of conversation when it came to her powers. "What do you happen to know about demons?"

Alice changed into her Shooting Star suit while hiding behind a satellite before retrieving a piece of space junk that would burn up as it fell with her after letting her bleed off some speed. She so rarely got to do an orbital drop like this. Was it needlessly dramatic? Sure. Was it going to be fun? Oh yes. Alice grinned madly as she plummeted on her makeshift shield. Maybe one day she would get some funding and rebuild her costume to be able to survive directly and not need to clean up space junk to do this, but for now she howled with glee as the world lit up with fire around her, flames blooming and molten metal flowing around her. She focused on steering the piece of metal as she plummeted towards Freedom. Over the years she'd gotten pretty good at accurately performing reentry, and had managed to get within a few miles of her target with no steering past the initial deceleration, but to get as accurate as she wanted she needed to aim while she plummeted. She whooped as she started her final descent, the last of the shield burning away, and quickly used her flight to reduce her speed the last little bit to stop the flames. The school was in sight now, and she aimed where she told Billy to wait, killing the last of her speed just in time to save the concrete from being crushed to dust. Alice hit the ground in a three-point landing, glad for her toughness, otherwise that would be very hard on her knee. Still steaming slightly she stood up, an easy grin on her face. "So, how about we have a little chat?"