Save the Girlfriend, Save the World (IC)

[Raveled]

Glowstar was pretty weirded out at watching five Myrmidions walk around, practically finishing each others' sentences, but he managed to follow the conversation regardless. Before Crow could answer, he stepped forward and cleared his throat loudly. "Why don't we just rush in, guns blazing? I know that's my answer to pretty much everything, but hear me out. In the first place, according to Crow this fairy chick is going to know where we are the moment we show up, so there's really no point to sneaking around and hiding. We'll show up on her mini-map anyway.

"Second thing is, it sounds like this invitation was specifically for Crow. This lady might not be expecting me and Myrmidon, so let's just charge and give them a good smack before they can adjust to having three targets." He glanced at Myrmidon and added, "Or eight, or whatever."

[Semi-Autogyro]

John paused mid-movement when Mister Brian had made his opinion on the matter known, and instead settled for fixing him with a stare that bordered on either pity or thinking one was insane. "We have no clue as what we are walking into. I for one do not like the thought of getting killed because we go traipsing into a kill box." John actually seemed irritated. "We don't have an extraction plan either, and nobody else knows where we are headed. We get stranded over there, that is it. We lose." He crossed his arms over his chest staring at the two other heroes. "I am concerned for Miss Victoria, but this?" he said gesturing with the rolled up map across the room. "This is what you call a suicide mission. Yes, you hear about the ones that succeed in legends or history, but for every one that does scores of others fail." He slammed a hand down on the table, a marker scattering off and falling to the floor. "I say this to make clear all of the ramifications of the situation." He paused for a second to let that sink in before continuing.. "We must be agile enough to adapt to the situation over there, even if it means making some hard choices. I am ready to do that now. Are the both of you?" Myrmidon directed his gaze at the pair.

[Quinn]

Crow looked between Myrmidon and Glowstar, then sighed and looked at the parchment sheet he'd put together.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. It's a suicide mission. But..."

He paused, grasping for words, then started adjusting runes and shifting objects around the room.

"I'm not leaving Vickie in their hands. If I have to go in alone, then I'll do it, I won't ask either of you to risk your lives if it's this insane."

The teen took out a piece of chalk and scrawled an odd shape onto the wall, and the energy of the room shifted. A low thrum could be heard by the others, as if something was barely being contained behind the walls.

[Semi-Autogyro]

Myr slid the map into a pocket. "I believe you misunderstand me Mr. Morgan. I will gladly fight alongside you whenever, wherever you request. It was my intent to clarify the gravity and consequences of the situation to the both of you." He walked over to Crow to stand beside his friend. "Now, let us show this Lady and her servants what the consequences of their actions has wrought upon them."

[Raveled]

"I'm not leaving Vickie in their hands. If I have to go in alone, then I'll do it, I won't ask either of you to risk your lives if it's this insane."

Glowstar blinked at his friend's statement, then stepped forward and clapped him on the shoulder. "Are you kidding me, dude? I already did the hard part -- I'm up this early, aren't I?" He gave the other two men a lopsided grin and moved to stand beside Crow. "C'mon, let's go kick Tinkerbell's ass."

[Quinn]

Beneath the bandanna, Crow smiled. Branagh wasn't going to know what hit him.

"Alright. We go in fast and quiet. If we get lucky, we'll come out right on top of Vicky. If not...eh, we'll improvise!"

He yanked off one glove, the one covering his bleeding hand, and slammed the palm down onto a rune in the centre of the room. Light shot out across whole lines of runes, encompassing the room, and a rushing sound filled the air...

[Raveled]

GM

The magic flared around the three teens, and when it died down they were standing in the middle of a wide area, paved with flat stones. Fluted columns, fifty feet tall or taller, stood around the periphery of the area and held up a a network of wooden lattices, more the suggestion of a roof than anything substantial. Wide, dirt roads ran off in the three directions of the compass rose, continuing past the horizon.

The three heroes moved so they were back to back with each other, covering every angle. That's how they all the saw the women at once, stepping out from behind every pillar. They were all slim, their skin all pale and lovely, and their hair ran the gamut from shining black to pale platinum, and to a one they wore a simple toga-like outfit. There was at least fifty of them, and they formed a loose cordon at the edge of the paved area.

The silence stretched between the two groups, lovely women on one side and heroes on the other, when a new figure strode into the impromptu arena. She was of average height, with a heavy, muscle-packed frame and pale skin, wearing what looked like a hamaka done in shades of green and blue. A sword with a wide, curved blade hung on one hip, and her pale green hair was done up in a complicated pile on top of her head. She marched up to the heroes, stopping between them and the fence of women behind her. "You are intruding on my lady's domain," she announced. "You will leave at once."

[Quinn]

Well, so much for subtle. Crow cracked his knuckles, and fixed the leader of the sidhe warband with a piercing gaze shared by both his father and mother.

"Your Lady stole away my girlfriend. By the laws of the land I live in, that's kidnapping. A crime. And the three of us...are superheroes. Straight from Freedom City."

He pulled the steel-plated glove over his hand, clenching it as several runes lit up all over his coat.

"If you know anything at all about the mortal realm and how things work there, then you'll understand. Get the hell out of our way."

[Raveled]

GM

The fae warrior's eyes narrowed at Crow's words, apparently unafraid of his threat. "You would come into my Lady's domain," she hissed, "throw around threats, and demand that I lay down my duty and stand aside? You ignorant mortal worm. I shall take pleasure in cutting off your head and laying it at my Lady's feet!" She leapt forward, the sword clearing its sheath impossibly fast, and landed in front of the enraged Crow. Before he could respond she had landed a dozen blows and backed up out of range, weapon held in a high guard.

[Raveled]

Glowstar barely registered the fae swordswoman's movements as a blur in his vision, but he heard her sword ringing against Crow's metal bracers and saw his friend recoil from the blows. The teen hero rushed forward after the warrior, force field springing up in and instant and more ruddy energy enveloping his fists. She brought her weapon up to block but he batted it away, the otherworldly metal corroding and falling apart in seconds. His other fist slammed into her gut, and her face became -- well, it had been white before, but the white of milk. Now it became a fish belly-white, an unhealthy, sickly color. She fell to her knees, arms wrapped around her mid-section, breathing in short gasps.

[Semi-Autogyro]

Myr looked at the other fae enclosing them in a box formation as Crow tried his hand at forcing them to move aside. He wasn't quick enough to stop the swordswoman from attacking him, but Glowstar quickly took charge of that situation. "Hmm. Negotiations failed." he said as he summoned a massive weapon into both hands. He took a moment to brace it before aiming it at the largest concentration of the fae surrounding them and pulled the trigger. A high pitch whine sounded like the charging of a camera flash, and a translucent spherical shock wave of force detonated in their ranks.

[Quinn]

Legend says Cuchulainn of the Red Hand was legendary for his fury. That when in battle, his very form would twist and shift with the power of his overwhelming rage. Patrick Crowe, Red Hand, could tap into that fury occasionally; and the very earth shook and storm clouds gathered when he did so. When the Morrigan grew angry, whole wars erupted where her eyes fell, and blood was spilt across the ground.

Morgan Crowe was not his father in power. Nor his mother in stature. But if he inherited one thing from both...it was their fury.

When the blows hit, he staggered backwards and clutched at his wounds in a daze, opening himself for more until Glowstar threw himself into the fight and belted the swordswoman with a mighty strike. He stood watching almost sightlessly as Myrmidon threw up a valiant defense against the crowds of warriors charging at them. And Crow saw red.

Boiling anger burned away the fog in his mind, and it was if an earthquake gathered in both of his fists. With a single cry; "Victoria!", he charged forward and smashed right into the sidhe warriors, sending two flying away right off the bat. His fists flew in practiced arcs, every time he took a swing another warrior fell to the ground. When the ones around him were down, he simply reappeared in another pack of them, vicious hooks and jabs laying them out one after another. And when the red ebbed from his eyes, he stood, breathing heavily; the last one left standing, amidst fifty broken foes.

[Raveled]

Myrmidon's sonic assault lasted several of the robed fae women off their feet, tossing them heads over heels and and out of sight over the surrounding buildings. Corw, though, was a whirlwind, moving through the faerie ladies, and when he was done none of them were left standing.

As the last of the women fell, the fae warrior raised her head and fixed her gaze on Crow. "You... you will never survive. My Lady... will freeze you solid... and smash you to pieces." With that she collapsed onto the floor and passed out. Glowstar gave her a good glare and turned away -- then did a double-take at where the three heroes had appeared. The ground was... glowing and spitting and hissing, like fat on the fryer, sending up multicolored sparks. He approached to within a few feet, his force field ripping. "Um, Crow? Is this supposed to do that?"

[Semi-Autogyro]

John lowered his weapon as the destructive force he knew as Crow proceed to tear through the enemy ranks like a combine through wheat. Their leader was down as well, so Myrmidon what any soldier would do in this situation. Secure a perimeter.

Myrmidon split off three duplicates and formed a perimeter around their entrance point, scanning the nearby buildings for any threats. Each of them had called some sort of energy weapon, otherwise keeping a silent vigil as the two other heroes investigated the issue.

He did keep an ear out just in case the magic that had brought them here went haywire, which he knew it had a penchant to do from his previous experience.

[Quinn]

Crow took several breaths, trying to calm himself, and noted with clinical detachment Glowstar's quick finish of the swordswoman. His rage steadily ebbed, replaced by a distinct feeling of shame. He'd broken one of Red Hand's Rules. He'd lost his head. And now...

The teen shook his head, grimacing. Deal with it later. Wisp was still in danger. Just gotta keep his head. Focus. Focus. He turned and looked at the sputtering location where the portal would be, approaching it carefully. Then he swore.

"Oh, son of a...the portal's still partway open. I must've made a mistake tweaking the runes...damnit!"

He started racking his brains; saving Wisp was crucial, but they couldn't very well leave this route back to Parkhurst.

[Raveled]

"Ah. That... that would be bad, right? Because then the angry fairies could get through to Parkhurst and then into... Hm, yeah, that's bad." Glowstar folded his arms and put his head down, staring at the spitting and hissing spot for a minute. Eventually he raised his head and moved to stand over the spot. "Okay. Crow, you and Myrmidon can do the stealth thing, get to where Wisp is. I'll stay here and keep the door open. Okay?"

[Semi-Autogyro]

"I would suggest moving out now. The more time we spend idle the more they can shore up their defenses." One of the Myrmidons said to the pair, their faces reflecting in his dark faceplate. John turned his attention then fully to Glowstar. "This area will be hard to defend. If you have fall back I would suggest going back through the portal and attacking through it. They can only come through with small numbers and that should give you the advantage with Parkhurst defenses to assist you as well."

"But he is correct, a covert approach at this point may well allow us to reach our objective." With the statement finished, the other Myrmidions faded out. After all, it's a lot easier to sneak two people past defenses than a whole squad.

[Quinn]

A distinct look of frustration creased Crow's features, but he masked it quickly. He racked his brains for a moment, then nodded with Myrmidon and Glowstar's assessment.

"Portal goes both ways, pop back to the other side and write a note to Nick Cimitere, the ghosts'll make sure it gets to him, and make sure nothing comes through, a'ight? Say there's a portal to Avalon in Parkhurst we need guarded until we get back, and...uh...I'm sorry for messing up that nice teleport room."

To Crow's credit, he did look embarrassed as he said the last sentence, but it was then replaced by a very purposeful mean. He held out a hand to his friend, nodding.

"Good luck, man. We'll be back with Wisp ASAP."

[Raveled]

GM

Glowstar touched his hairline, giving his friend -- his friends, really -- a perfunctory salute. "I can just see the two of you riding in to save her. Well, maybe more 'breaking through the wall,' but you know what I mean."

The pair left him floating above the portal, force field crackling, turning his head to watch every direction. Myrmidon and Crow ghosted through the city streets, taking advantage of the runemaster's teleportation skills to scout out the city from the rooftops and keep oriented on their target. Not that it was hard to see; a massive temple in the grand Greco-Roman style, larger in every aspect than even the Parthenon. The pair of teen heroes got to the steps without any trouble and paused there. Something about this wasn't right. For one, it was way too easy...

---

Inside the temple, Victoria Knight was having the time of her life. She didn't really remember a lot about last night; she'd gone on patrol, stopped to break up a mugging, and then someone had thrown a... net over her? It all got fuzzy at that point. What she was sure of was that when she woke up she was back home, back in her old bedroom! Her mom and dad were there, and after a morning spent... doing something, they must have done something even if she didn't remember it, they had made a trip back to Victoria's old high school. Rather than the ostracism and bullying she remembered, everyone wanted to be her friend! They had even set up a career day for Victoria to talk to everyone -- or, rather, for Wisp to talk to everyone.

The school auditorium was packed, teachers even standing in the aisles, and they all applauded as Wisp took the stage.

---

From the bottom of the steps, Crow and Myrmidon could hear the sudden sound of... clapping?

[Quinn]

Crow heard the clapping, and was puzzled. Unless someone was trying to be ironic, or there was an arena at the top of those steps, nobody around here should be clapping. Still, clapping meant people. People who might know where Wisp is.

"Myrm, let's move!"

[Semi-Autogyro]

Myrmidon held up a fist as they approached the steps, the tactical signal to wait. Something was not right. They had gotten here easily, which in part he attributed to hubris or trying to anger Mr. Morgan even more on the behalf of this 'Lady' who ran this realm. Illusions, maybe a magic trap of some sort? He racked his brain at the possibilities only for it to come come to a crashing stop when he heard...applause? "What?," he asked quizzically just above a whisper, cocking his head to try and locate the source of the sound.

[Azuth65]

Wisp stood before the crowd, the entire student body and faculty, a smile plastered across her face. Her hands shook with excited joy at what she had always wanted from the school, acceptance. "Thank you Principal Reid for inviting me here today," she said, before she continued on into a speech about civic duty and responsibility, interspersed with anecdotes about her own adventures in Freedom City. The applause made her blush, luckily the mask hid it well.

Turning to face the administrator she asked, "Do we have time for some questions?"

[Quinn]

Crow carefully leaned over, one eye scanning the throne room Branagh had taunted him from earlier, and went a bit slackjawed as he saw what was happening. Wisp seemed to be...pontificating. On the merits of heroism, a subject which she did speak fairly well on; except her audience was a pack of faerie knights? Who clapped occasionally when she made a witty remark...and who's Principal Reid? He motioned Myrmidon to take up position on the other side of the door, as he continued to look around. Branagh and the Lady were nowhere in sight, only Wisp. And Crow was getting steadily more paranoid. The teenage hero racked his brains for a moment, then murmured quietly to his compatriot.

"I'm thinking illusion, you?"

[Semi-Autogyro]

Myrmidon scanned the room his weapon moving in sync with his line of sight. About thirty or so fae and Miss Victoria, who was currently rambling on about what it meant it be a hero. Odd. Other than that, his senses were screaming at the top of their lungs: TRAP! TRAP! TRAP! Which it obviously was, but how to spring it without getting caught in it?

"I'm thinking illusion, you?"

John whispered back. "Yes. Maybe mind control. I am concerned that if we were to engage the fae currently, Miss Victoria might consider us opponents." He looked at her more intently, trying to ascertain the nature of her mental imprisonment. "I am not an expert at illusions, but I believe a sharp stimuli or emotional response of some sort might free her from whatever is holding her mind hostage."

[Quinn]

Crow stroked his chin, casting another look towards Wisp; she looked happy, and from the way she was talking this must've been something important to her. It'd hurt her to break it...he sighed and unconsciously clenched his fist, murmuring back to Myrmidon.

"Alright. Cover my back."

Turning to face the administrator she asked, "Do we have time for some questions?"

The teen let out a breath, stepping into the throne room with his hands in his pockets. Taking one out and raising it to attract her attention, he said in a clear, carrying voice.

"One over here; rumor has it you're currently dating this rakishly handsome young man named Morgan Crowe, any truth to that?"