GranspearZX

"...who are you? ALL of you?"

The other figures shuffled in response... One by one, they simply faded, leaving Marcus, the tall, bear-masked gentleman, and the piano. "...who I am should be obvious, kiddo. As for the rest of us... we live here."

"...so... what are you exactly? Some kind of other version of me?"

The figure laughed--it was a hearty, deep-throated laugh that could probably shake an entire room if this one were real. "Sorta. You do catch on fast... let's just say that I'm a part of you that you'd rather not look into. You're not ready for that yet... hence..." He pointed at the mask. "The first time you were here was an accident. You were a child, scared and begging for help... so, I helped you."

Marcus paused for a moment; the only time he could remember feeling THAT desperate was the night his father was arrested. Something went off in Marcus's mind as he put two and two together, and he narrowed his eyes a bit. "You're... the Beast Rune? You turned me into that monster that night?!"

"Hey! Not a monster." He seemed genuinely offended, folding his arms across his chest. "I don't go around calling you 'furless meatbag' to your face, do you?"

"...I think you just did."

"Details. Focus here, kid." The masked figure shook his head. "You're here because you... we are gonna have to be prepared. Things are about to change for all of us here, shortstack, and you're gonna have to step it up. I can't carry you anymore."

"Carry me? What do you mean 'carry me'? I've been doing this on my own for MONTHS."

The masked figure chuckled. "...is that what you think? Really? ...mm. It doesn't matter..." He looked behind him; a door had appeared against the back wall where there hadn't been one before. "Next time you come here... you're going to have to go through there. Ask yourself what your biggest fear is... and that's what'll be in there waiting for you. I'll do what I can from here, but... hey. This is your world. Right now, you're on a train speeding towards your destiny. When it gets to where it's supposed to be... well, you're a bright kid. Scrawny, but bright. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

The first thing Marcus noticed was that there were no instruments.

That wasn't entirely unusual; his favorite musical style was, in fact, a cappella. His father had once told him that he was in an a cappella group in the 1970s before his 'accident', and now nothing else sounded quite as good if Marcus heard it with nothing but pure vocal talent. As he reached the door to the next car, he tilted his head a bit; the music was still muted, but the door was blue, with no window to see through to the next car. As if that wasn't strange enough, when it slid open, there was a bright, near-blinding light that threatened to pull him in. The open door provided no change in the music's volume either...

...well. This IS a dream, isn't it? Marcus adjusted his tie and stepped through into the next car, a brief feeling of warmth coming over him before the light faded, and he found himself in another room--not another train car. A group of four stood around a grand piano at the far corner, all singing in perfect harmony as the fifth member of their quintet sang along. He alone looked at Marcus while the others' backs were turned--a man in a bear mask. The singing faded as the masked man stepped forward.

"Ah, Marcus. I was wondering if you'd ever come here again..."

"...again? Wha-... wait." He was dreaming... right? He had to be.

"Surprised? Yeah, I can see that. You... don't remember our last meeting, but that's alright. This won't be the last time either."

Marcus was fairly sure he was dreaming. After all, he'd been in the Howling Dream once before, and ever since then, his dreams had been unusually lucid. It didn't surprise him so much as the setting--the interior of the train seemed like something he'd seen in a black and white movie, but the colors were vivid enough. It seemed like something designed in the 1930s, but there wasn't much jolting at all--it made Marcus wonder if it was a maglev train, like the ones he'd read about. He stood up and looked himself over; even his clothes were something out of the ordinary. It was a black suit with a yellow tie, and a Claremont Academy pin on his lapel. He only wore this uniform when he was forced; why he'd actually dream that he was in it was beyond him.

The car was devoid of passengers, and in the quiet, Marcus could hear faint singing coming from one of the cars ahead...

...never heard music in my dreams before. Ah well... There was really nothing for it; all he could do was all he had ever done since getting his magical wake-up call: move forward.

Marcus sat in his room, alone.

It was unusual for him to be by himself at 7pm. His roommate, Eric Walters, was a nice guy, but he wasn't terribly social. He'd been reluctant to room with anyone, especially someone so much Marcus's opposite, but they got along remarkably well. He didn't know what sort of powers Eric possessed, but he always noticed that he could smell something odd in the air when Eric was around. It wasn't foot odor or anything like that, but it was a strange, almost salty smell that reminded him of the beach.

As it was, he'd managed to exhaust himself pretty well over the past few months, trying newer and bolder things with his ability to create magical items... Once or twice it even came in handy. For now, all he wanted to do was relax, drifting off to sleep while watching the news.

He wasn't sure how long he was asleep, but a loud whistle stirred him to an upright position. He rubbed at his eyes and looked around for the source... and his room was gone. Instead, he was looking out of the window of a train, staring bleary-eyed at hills rolling by against a starry night sky.

"...the hell?"

"Well... I know it exists, if that's what you mean. I'm just... not very good at it." Marcus smiled faintly. "I still haven't got the transformation thing down... not yet. And you won't see me throwing around lightning or... painting suits on people. I really haven't been at this long. Still... I did okay, I guess, for trying to get the hang of it all through trial and error."

Marcus was hinting, rather hard, in fact. It wasn't as if Claremont had any mystics apart from Etain who could really show him anything, and he didn't feel right asking her to give up her free time to teach him anything. Then again, he didn't feel right asking Rene either; if nothing else, it was his own pride standing in the way.

"...I don't guess you could show me how you did all that, hm?"

Marcus was careful at first. After going once around the track, he opened it up considerably more. It turned out that Marcus was a perfectly capable driver after all, and for the first time in a long time, he actually felt okay with being a little bit childish. He spent about 20 minutes tearing around the track before he finally stopped. He could've done this all day with every vehicle in the place, but he respected Supercape's time too much to waste it.

"Phew, that was great! Reminds me of when I used to go camping with my dad." Marcus smiled, stretching a little; he really hadn't been camping in nearly 5 years... he was definitely due for another trip in the woods, but going alone just didn't seem like any fun. "Got any giant robots I can ride in?" He laughed, clearly kidding... well, mostly, anyway.

"The only thing they'd be guilty of at that comics shop is being criminally nerdy." As if he was one to talk. Being something of a gamer himself, Marcus smiled, clearly joking. "But... maybe there is a way I can find out what he's up to. Gonna need a little privacy for this one." He headed towards the broom closet and glanced at Agent Stone. "...try not to do anything drastic."

In he went, and he shut the door behind him, propping his book up on the wall after crouching. The broom closet had more than enough room for Marcus--it would have been uncomfortable in his bear form. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled a dark blue stick of chalk out of it. He started drawing on the tops of his boots; it was a deceptively simple if unusual design of a four-pointed star with a single circle in the center. The process didn't take long at all, and he glanced back at Eric, giving him a slight nod of his head. "Corpus umbra." The Shadow Rune on his boots flared to life, a faint violet light spilling from underneath the broom closet's door. Marcus's form flickered for a moment and then he started to turn transparent, until his entire form was simply gone, along with his book. The broom closet door swung open all on its own--and Marcus wasn't in it. A few moments later, the main door leading outside did the same.

Vigourie needs chasing. Thus, Marcus is going to volunteer... with a little assistance.

Basically, he's going to spend a HP jury rigging a device with his Artificer feat. Since he can't take 10 on the check: 1d20+11=27 (That should be 26; I used Arcane Lore instead of Craft. -.-)

Concealment 5 (all visual senses and normal hearing; Flaws: Passive) [5PP]

It'll take him exactly 30 seconds to pull it off. (1 round per PP).

Marcus might have questioned the 'over here' bit, but he picked up on Supercape's accent. Instead, he just laughed. "Well... a little bit. I'm always a little curious about how stuff works..." He followed the teacher around the level, chiming in with a question every now and again. He was certainly no expert, but it was enough of a hobby that Marcus had rudimentary knowledge about how things worked. What he was curious about most, though, was fuel sources; without directly saying so, he was trying to work out how to power something like these through arcane means. It certainly wasn't a world-saving solution; not anyone could use magic, and it was disturbingly easy to reach outside the scope of one's power and be clubbed in the skull by an ill-fated accident. Then again... science really wasn't much different in that regard.

"You... you're serious?" He blinked at Supercape, wondering if Christmas had come again so soon. "I mean... you sure it's okay?" Marcus hopped into one of the larger vehicles; he was a pretty big guy, and it stood to reason that he'd have picked something as built as he was. Although he was pretty sure it didn't have any weapons or anything particularly dangerous on it, the ATV-like vehicle he'd attached himself to seemed like a smaller version of something that was bound to be a whole lot bigger.

"Oh, I doubt that..." Marcus grinned, rubbing at the back of his neck. What he knew about magic could fit in a thimble compared to other mystics he'd met in the last two months... Still, it was a nice compliment.

Marcus wasn't even 100% certain what kind of training he'd been sent for, but he was taking every opportunity to get a little extra out of the deal. His eyes widened a bit as he saw all the machinery. Somehow, the things that weren't finished were even more impressive. He'd only just gotten the hang of a stick shift; the idea of driving something with a little bit of power behind it was intriguing. And even more so if it were something he'd actually designed. The smell didn't bother him in the least; he could have lived down here if he didn't have so much other stuff to worry about.

"...now THIS, I could get used to."

"There's like... 20 floors worth of stuff here, I bet; I wouldn't even know where to start. I always did like working with my hands, though..." Of course, the situation varied on whether it was creating something or breaking something. The 'alien environment' bit made him raise an eyebrow; he'd gotten stuck in the Howling Dream for a while, and he wasn't really sure how much more alien things could get from there. Then again, that was a child's mind--and it was tame compared to some of the horror stories he'd read.

"Well... hm. This simulator thing does sound interesting. I guess we can start there, but... " The thought of a giant magically-powered robot popped into his head. And Agent Stone's bike--the guy was a bit of a jerk but he couldn't help but envy his ride. "I'd definitely be up to touring the workshop and garage."

"A giant toy box..." Marcus couldn't help but thing that would be the greatest job in the world--to do something one was passionate about, and get paid for doing nothing but having fun. Certainly, helping others would be an added bonus, but it seemed like an incredible occupation, no matter what field of study one was in.

"My studies are kind of all over the place," Marcus admitted. "I've been doing a lot of looking into mechanical engineering, though."

His freshman year at FDR, he'd done research on careers; the fact that he could draw made him incredibly interested in drafting, and he might've actually taken it more seriously if his magical heritage hadn't sidetracked him a bit. The thought of combining both intrigued him--he wondered if it could even be done... This would definitely be the place to find out.

"Yes sir." Marcus smiled and nodded politely; so far, Supercape seemed like a rather amiable, likable guy. He'd always had the notion that scientists were boring--perhaps it was just the books he'd read. Nevertheless, he shook the offered hand; the idea of being a regular student for once seemed like a vacation.

"Thanks for letting me take a look around." He couldn't help but be a little bit nervous. Being in the presence of 'some of the finest minds in Freedom City' alone was a little bit daunting. Still, if he wanted to be any good at his own craft, he'd have to learn from experiences and environments outside of his comfort zone. And this was pretty far out there. "I always kinda wondered about this place..."

Marcus needed a hobby.

His grades had actually improved since finding one, channeling his artistic talent into a very real understanding of magic. Moreover, his focus started to push into the realm of how it affected the natural world--he was no scientist, but his penchant for sticking his nose into the unknown hadn't gone unnoticed. He'd already been warned about skipping classes to go on his little 'investigative excursions', but at least this one was sanctioned by the Academy. He looked up at the gates to the Lab, whistling low to himself as he stared up at the rather impressive looking structure.

"...holy crap this place is huge."

Somehow, just looking at the place, he wondered if his IQ was somehow inadequate; nothing like a skyscraper to make a person feel tiny. He was actually wearing his Claremont uniform, for once. It was really more for ease of identification than anything else; looking like 'a stuffy prep school kid' didn't really mesh well with his usual style, but adaptation was never really a bad thing. Anything in the name of knowledge, he supposed.

Marcus was rather new to magic. That much was obvious when he just raised an eyebrow at Rene's strange gesturing. The illusion caught Marcus completely by surprised as he looked down at himself. Never mind that it was a suit, and he didn't even so much as own one, but the illusion was disturbingly real--as real as the dream world he'd entered by mistake.

"How did you... huh." Marcus paused, not sure what to say without sounding stupid. "Neat trick. As for that... yeah, it might be better off with you than me. I'm still getting used to this whole... magic thing."

Went and corrected a math error (spent 1 PP too many), and dropped Improved Trip. Also I changed some things up on his device; figured I'd try to get a little bit more utility out of the points with an Alternate Power in it.

"Hm. I suppose you're right..." For his first time actively using his powers, it could have gone a lot worse... No one got hurt, justice prevailed, and all that good stuff. Still, Marcus was too modest to really consider himself a hero. As far as he was concerned, he was just a guy who happened to have a little bit of magic on his side.

Watching Mary with her parents reminded Marcus of his own, a thought that made the wide-shouldered teen's mood go south. He remembered when he was that age, when he didn't have to worry about controlling his powers or accidentally zapping someone with a lightning bolt. He sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking elsewhere. "I wasn't REALLY scared, but... y'know. Kids pick up on that sort of thing. I get the whole 'balance' thing, but I'd hate to have dream monsters running all over the city. Seems like a huge hassle..."

Marcus cleared his throat, looking down at his shredded clothes. "...I should probably get outta these."

I'd been playing it as Sustained all this time, but it wouldn't hurt for it to actually be in the sheet. I also added the fact that his device--all his devices, really--are applying effort to the device itself, not Arcturus.

Fashionably late. Jerk.

Something was still bothering Marcus. Perhaps it was the lingering aggression from the Beast Rune; it could have very well been his growing list of reasons to dislike Agent Stone. Either way, Vigourie's arrival only served to deepen the scowl etched across the teenager's face, and he made absolutely no attempt at hiding his feelings, looking the so-called expert squarely in the eye.

"Nice of you to show up, Captain Obvious," he muttered, turning around and heading back inside the church--mostly because he didn't want to be anywhere near Vigourie. Still, the air inside the church was downright oppressive; even though Equinox had extinguished the fire, he could still smell the smoke. Among other things. "I hope you're here to help clean this mess."

"Hero? Nah, I was just... I just happened to be here. Name's Marcus." He shook his head, shaking the offered hand. "...don't meet many people who introduce themselves that way."

"Thanks for the help, by the way, Mr. De Saens." He smiled faintly. "Not sure what I really could've done if you hadn't shown up. I'm... not much of a mage. Heck, I don't even know where we just went. Pretty new to this whole 'magic' thing... ...and now I'm rambling." Marcus rubbed at the back of his neck, a little bit embarrassed. "Hopefully that thing won't be terrorizing any more kids."

At least Mary might've dismissed the huge bear as a figment of her imagination. Rene, on the other hand... well, he seemed too smart and too well versed in the arcane to really fall for that. Marcus figured that his best defense was probably to pretend it never happened; then again, Rene was a magic-user, too.

"You should... probably try to find her parents," Marcus commented, picking up his sketchbook. He wasn't even sure how much time had passed, but just thinking about the entire ordeal made him tired. One would almost think falling asleep would be a bad thing, given what they'd just been through.

As the threat passed, Arcturus's aggression waned. The return transformation didn't take long, and he watched Gabriel, clearly the most bothered by the entire ordeal. He had no idea what to say that Equinox hadn't already, so he instead turned his attention to the rest of the church, frowning. This is gonna take one heck of a clean-up. At least that's one crisis averted.

He looked at the spot where the beast had been, then he looked at Push; without realizing it, he narrowed his eyes at Agent Stone and averted his gaze elsewhere, stuffing his hands into his pockets, stepping over debris as he headed back outside.

Shaking himself out of his shock, Marcus suddenly shot forward. For a kid as big as he was, he moved with astounding sureness of himself--and that was before he changed forms. The Beast Rune flared to life as Marcus was replaced once again by Arcturus, and for a second it seemed like he actually sped up a little, teeth bared as he closed the distance between himself and Leraje. Instinct took over where reason blurred; maneuvering to keep out of anyone else's way, the black-furred giant lunged at the demon with a vicious open-pawed claw swipe that might've taken a lesser man's head right off.

1d20+9=26

Arc goes in, claws swinging!

Arc's Initiative: 1d20+5=13