Ari

Grabbing hold of the side of the truck bed as the two smashing blows hit the vehicle, Marceau looked despairingly at the riders. Their weapons were truly formidable, they used them so surely and well that there was hardly any real chance of victory, and now the truck was badly damaged! But for all that, he would have to keep fighting, wouldn't he? Whipping out two boomerangs he hurled them at the Kings of Spades and Clubs, knowing that in this case they were likely the most dangerous. He watched in agony as one bounced off the armor of the King of Clubs. The one he had sent at the King of Spades seemed to have a bit more effect. Not allowing the uncertainty he felt into his voice, he called out defiantly in answer of the King of Diamond's challenge "Who am I? I am the master, the King of SUITS! And I shall soon send you creeping back to your overlord the Star Khan, to be punished for your failures as he sees fit!"

Having just learned that the 70's Atom Family Adventures was indeed in stock(with the blue-orange cover split diagonally) Subito was just about to pay for it(and the large stack of other films he figured Galanta wouldn't hate) when the shouts outside crashed into his ears with a sensation similar to that felt by a mouse next to a busy highway. Shaking his head, he excused himself and went out of the store to see what the commotion was. Lifting his head to get his bearings back he saw the crowd, which appeared to be centered around an angry confrontation. Getting closer, he saw a blond guy man being collared by a busy-body wielding a nightstick, which set off alarms in his head to rival the rush of noise outside it. Walking rapidly up to the nightstick-wielding man, he placed a hand on his shoulder and said crisply "There a problem here, buddy?" his words carrying the implicit message that if there wasn't, he would be glad to make one. That getting into a fight in a mall might be a bad idea crossed his mind, but he consoled himself with the knowledge that there wasn't much this guy could do to really hurt him, and that the worst that could happen was getting the wacko mad at him.

Alrighty, King O' Suits is going to throw a boomerang at the King of Spades and King of Clubs with a Split Attack Attack rolls: (IC was down, so I rolled in Chat) (08:39:38) System: Arichamus rolls 1d20 and gets 9. +12 with Attack Specialization so that equals 21. (08:41:19) System: Arichamus rolls 1d20 and gets 7. +12 again, equals 19. DCs are respectively 18 and 17.

"Yes they are" came the whispered response, along with an eager acceptance of the proffered hand "They must have just captured them, my friend was just kidnapped today and I haven't heard any news of the kidnappings yet". Turning to Fulcrum he added soto voce "I'm called El Heraldo, I bear the spirit of Puerto Rico within me, which grants me great strength, endurance, enhanced hearing, the ability to survive underwater and a banner that emboldens my allies. Hopefully I'll be of use here somehow, and it is a great honor to meet you as well" Turning back to the kidnappers he strained his hearing, trying to make out the individual words dropping from the grey-clad figure's mouths...

"The time is still too close" insisted Wurrukatte angrily "allowing these humans passage so quickly on the heels of the last crowd-" "There were ten of them Wurru, and again, it was around a millennium ago" After a short stare-down between the two, during which the horse shade started munching on some grass sprouting up from the staircase, the armored giant finally gave a snort of disgust, hoisted its axe, and set off down the road ahead, vanishing in an iron-grey streak that traced its passage along the shifting way. Shrugging to itself, the shade turned to the occupants of the bus "Well, he certainly was in a good mood this century! I hate to repeat myself, but if you need refreshment the creatures inside will be glad to bring anything you wish, with the usual caveats of course. In any event, I'm going inside to get some rest for my corporeal body over at the Skull of Tiamat, be right back" turning back to the anachronism of marble and glass, it assumed a markedly more human form before vanishing inside. Norman breathed heavily and relaxed for the first time since they had started out on their ill-fated drive. Taking out his water bottle he took a quick swig of it, washed it around his mouth for a few seconds, and then swallowed a bit unevenly. He was quite uninterested in his surroundings, being very dearly attached to his life on Earth-Prime, and thus declined the offer.

Edited fluff slightly to explain what it was the Martin beheld.

...That is much better an idea. Thank you, let's go with that: Martin opened a portal through time and space, beholding (in simplified form) the creation of the universes made by the Alphians. The cosmic energy from the Alphian's labor and the awe-inspiring sight led to his change of heart and mind.

It wasn't so much what the dimension did as his perception of it. The place he briefly was exposed to is almost entirely removed from the known dimensions, a sort of backstage to the universes which gave him a better perspective on his existence. What he saw would have appeared completely different if, say, he was a hardened nihilist. In that case it would have seemed like looking at a nail about to pop a bubble full of worlds. He has tried, but without much success, though that hasn't dulled his efforts any. His family is quite unaware of where the portal machine would lead as it was never completed to their knowledge.

Marceau wasn't exactly a neophyte in the 'being outclassed horribly' discipline. For many years he had been simply unable to fight the people set against him, and it had in fact been one of the driving forces in his heart that kept him practicing with his now-lost powers. The years of tedious efforts in making small cubes of half-formed geometric shapes came back to him in vivid detail as the Zoom-enhanced man rained blows down on him, his body shuddering and violently bending up the unending torrent. In that instant Marceau hated the suited man who was hitting him more than he had hated anyone else in his life. Between his(painfully) half-open eyes he saw the man's face, his wide eyes and manic grin, the teeth barely covering the red mouth that shot out the unintelligible syllables with a force that crashed into his ears almost as hard as the punches seemed to smash through his body armor. He loathed the man. In an instant this fellow had obtained power beyond any he had been able to in all his years of training. And all he seemed to know to do with it was punch his really fast. And he was winning. He was winning. You putrid wretch, thought Marceau as he collapsed to the ground, coughing painfully as the Zoomed-up man whizzed around the factory, all that power and you aren't even testing your limits first. But action was called for, and he must continue to fight. He knew that, if he could just get away from the man, he could best him. He'd have to get to higher ground if that was to work. He soon figured it out. Throw down a smoke bomb, swing back through the removed pane in the sky-light, drop a flash-bang on him and then proceed to the pummeling. But the blows had been too crippling for him to even think of moving, at least for the moment. When Mad Dog burst in fresh from his victory over the bulked-up guards, he could only cough feebly by way of explanation and expression of relief.

Okay, TOU save: 16. Dang. King is Stunned and Bruised(1). EDIT!!: Throwing an Obscure onto the main area, full power. Then a move action up through the sky-light onto the roof. EDIT DOS: Stunned means he can't take any action until the round completes, so that's a dash.

Mine is Arichamus. I stick with that name pretty consistently throughout the internet. Not a good idea, I know. I'm pretty terrible at FPS's(console ones anyway, which is the only copy of L4D I have) though so I wouldn't be much help in Left 4 Dead, sorry.

Well, you're apparently switching to something else anyway, but here's how I'd fix the concept issue: drop the 'mind-controlled by Nazis' part, and have Lotan be someone a bit closer to the current age, like a mid-20th century New England fisherman who discovers hints of his past life when his powers manifest during a battle against a random sea monster, which capsizes his boat and drags him underwater, where he kills it. Give him a family, big or small, to tie him closer to the age, but his gifts mean that he can't ever truly return to them(for some reason) and they think he's perished at sea. Said family has moved to Freedom City recently, and Lotan(having shed most of his previous and rather timid identity) follows to protect them from the monsters that seem to be drawn to them. He's still a fish-out-of-water, but he's no longer quite the anachronism he is currently written as and has a close and very human tie to the world he left, meaning there's less room for the 'I am a stranger in a strange land' bit. Additionally, you mentioned that you disliked how he'd become a dark, brooding type rather than the upbeat and jovial Thor-like bruiser, that's easily fixable. Simply put, his power leads Lotan to a deeper appreciation of the world he left, meaning its a pleasure for him to keep the dangers his new life has away from those outside it. For him, using his power is always a cheerful exercise, as those he battles are rarely deserving of a 'kid gloves' treatment, and he enjoys being of service to others in a way so necessary.

Where the heck did those aliens get the idea to use those symbols...? wondered Marceau as the silent bikes came closer and closer to the aged truck. He was jarred out of his reverie by the sound of the shotgun-wielding marine crying out in pain. A quick glance told him that the one holding the red sceptre and bearing the suit of Hearts had done something to the man. Whipping out a boomerang he slung it expertly at the alien's head, hitting it dead-on. He turned to the other man and called above the noise of the truck "Here, these'll come in handy!" handing the other marine some of his arsenal to use in the battle. Returning his attention to the foemen before him he saw the alien he'd struck lose his(?) balance and slip from the bike, crashing to the sand in a way that argued serious harm. The empty bike began to form an embryonic plan in Marceau's mind, as greater mobility would give a welcome tactical edge in the fight.

Mkay, Reflex roll is: 20. Now, to counterattack. Using a Boomerang on the King of Hearts: 14... Using a HP to re-roll that: 19, +10 from the re-roll is 29. TOU DC is 23.

Subito had heard her coming, but his inexperience with his powers meant he had no idea what exactly he was hearing until the massive heroine let out the sharp whistle. Turning quickly, he stared in awe at the famed woman, almost forgetting that he was trying to remain hidden. Thankfully he remembered himself in time and kept from revealing his presence to the grey-clad kidnappers below. "Fulcrum" he breathed, his eyes wide with amazement "Are you here to stop those kidnappers too?" a feeling like a horde of butterflies in his stomach followed his realization that in this new world he was going to be working alongside people like her with some regularity. It was with great effort that he kept from grinning like a fool.

Eh, on second thought I'll decline the offer. Lots of other people are getting in on this and there's not much chance of King doing much good/being very effective next to the hero types you've got lined up.

Returning the nod, by sheer chance Marceau spotted lights in one of the rear-view mirrors. A closer inspection revealed them to be alien space-bikes! Thinking fast, Marceau's left hand reached inside his coveralls to grab a flash/bang card, which on second thought he grabbed two, to fling into the path of the oncoming motorists. Sadly, the expected 'flash!' and resulting 'bang!' failed to materialize. What did result was a cloud of smoke from the two smoke bombs he had mistaken for flash/bangs. Luckily for him, that would still slow them down at least a little, allowing him time to do some hurried adjustments to seating arrangements. Hurtling to a stop, he yelled sharply "Alright everyone! We're under attack! Ford, get ready for a fight, sir" he said, turning slightly to the Olympic sharpshooter "I need you to take the spot our friendly barman is vacating, keep an eye on him" turning to the barman as he got out of his seat and began getting into the back he said simply "<Take the wheel, get us to town, drive quickly>" Getting into the back he turned to the two marines "Alright, here's the situation: four aliens on space bikes-" he stopped for a moment and began again "Four people with intent to harm Mr. Fector are coming this way fast. They aim to make an example of him to the brutish warlord Mr. Fector used to serve, and I aim to protect him. By my thinking their transports will be too tough for our weapons to do much good, something I don't believe can be said for the occupants. By my reckoning we're best off keeping them from getting too close to us. The smoke bombs, razor cards, boomerangs and bolos I have will do well with that. Any suggestions or questions? "

Subito Sondo walked rapidly into the crisp, air-conditioned mall, his eyes bright and quickly moving along the shopfronts as he hunted for the movie store. His sister Galanta had always been into movies, but recently she had hit onto a profound kick of mid-70's science-fiction stuff like the old Atom Family Adventures show and the more recent "Jack Wolf: Moonshadow" movie series. It was hardly unusual for her, she and the rest of the Sondos were avid science fiction aficionados after all, with many fond memories from their childhood bound up in gazing at the marvelous things and places the genres architects had conceived. What was unusual, and the reason Subito held himself a touch more self-conscious of his size and steel muscles was the fact that he preferred going to the specialized movie shops that dotted Freedom. They often contained people with similar interests as he and were often quite easy to talk to. In malls like this, everyone was in a vague hurry, or else seemed struck with a lethargic sickness that left them unable to move faster than four miles an hour in either body or mind. Such peculiarities aggravated him deeply and made him that much more eager to have done with the matter and send the latest bundle of DVDs to Galanta. Of course he had no idea that was why he felt nervous in malls and comfortable in independent video stores, he put it down to his enhanced hearing, which did indeed allow him to catch the numerous conversations going on around him. A couple in the (suspiciously low-priced) jewlery store were talking languidly about the merits of the variously-hued gems they were considering setting in the bracelet of a friend. A man in the food court was singing the national anthem of Brazil under his breath and a small crowd of teenagers were talking loudly about their mutual hatred of the Twilight series. As a result his otherwise flawlessly stoic demeanor was broken by an occasional need to cover his ears and temporarily block out the still-unfamiliar torrent of noise. Nevertheless his step never faltered, and he soon reached the bright, well-appointed Movie Time!, doffing his baseball cap as he entered, he moved smoothly over to the familiar ranks of bright heroes metal or flesh fighting their near-uniformly hideous and clearly sinister foes on vast plains of star-studded vacuum. Sometimes a massive head dominated the scene, but whether the head belonged to a heroic or villainous sort was almost entirely arbitrary. Suddenly realizing that he ought first to check if it was even stocked(Atom Family series tended to sell with great speed), Subito headed to the front desk. "'Scuse me, do you have the 70's 'Atom Family Adventures' in stock, the one with the blue and orange cover split diagonally?"

Requested edits completed.

Where he was was in front of a speeding Zoom-user, staring down the hitherto-harmless peddler in grief in a state of abject shock. The sensation passed with great speed however, and a deep fury began to build at his recklessness. He ought to have gotten the speedster-making drug out of the reach of anyone likely to try and use it first, rather than resorting to theatrics like that Jack of All Blades guy he'd caught a glimpse of once or twice in West End. Now, he thought as the Zoom-peddler barreled towards him, he would have to pay for his foolhardiness. He desperately figured how he ought to deal with the situation he was in. He could beat the speedster, he hoped, especially as the man was new to his powers and thus unaware of their full use. He decided that if he could block the man's sight he would be able to simply goad the man into running full-tilt into one of the many hard surfaces available. But first he must evade the rain of blows he knew would soon come.

Well, for completion's sake I'll roll the Notice for Heraldo( with a bonus from his Superhearing), which is: 13..

Here.

I've gallons of patience. King's in, if there's room.

I'd like to volunteer El Heraldo for this, if you'll have him.

Alright, considering Subito's enhanced hearing ability, I'd like you to make a Stealth check to escape his Notice please.