[IC] Heroes Reborn: Prime Earth (Superhero/Urban Fantasy: OPEN) (Page 5)

MISTER BUDO

January 1st, 7:45 PM
Midtown Metropolis
(Interacting with: @Unknown100)

No time for pleasantries indeed! There was no low rumble preceding the rise as one might imagine when dealing with such creatures, no manner of alert to act on, the attack simply came and took Wonder Woman away. Had she expected a warning sign or had he distracted the great amazon? There was no time to tell or ponder, none at all. With nary a cry nor concern for the drop Mister Budo leapt back from his perch as the stone and dust burst forth with the mythical adversary, a descent of coldly calculated grace though he could not fly, and as he went his hands dashed to and fro and in their wake large pieces of debris were rendered but pebbles.

This was it. His big test, yes, but also his wheelhouse. Fighting was his life, would it stack up to the world's strongest or would his road end there? The desire to answer that question filled him with a grim determination and set his mind racing. Even as he finished his descent he took stock of the situation. Wonder Woman had her bearings despite the bad start, she was hacking away at the creature's neck. Was his assistance necessary? Doubtful. The creature's tail, barbed or perhaps another mouth, another risk factor, another target. The martial master's feet skid across the pavement, ground his body to a halt, then propelled him in the opposite direction.

Closing the distance in smooth practiced bounds, Mister Budo "flew" towards the creature's tail and counted the steps. Not the ones he was taking but the ones still left till what he calculated was optimal position. Four, three, two, then his feet came together on the final bound, stabilizing his base and adding further drive to one final leap. Again The Man of Martial Mystery took to the air and so drove his entire self forth, turning himself into a projectile. The tail snapped and trashed about and its strange mouth bit blindly, but it showed no real defense as the boot came crashing down on what could pass for its neck and dashed it against the ground.

Foot and leg sticky with mythological matter, Taiga Sato felt pretty damn good. Almost no fighter worth their salt was going to let you land a flying kick like that one and Wonder Woman seemed to have her end handled, as her sword drew blood and severed flesh so that the creature's head came off with a disgusting wet snap. He was enjoying the moment. At least until he looked about and saw the heads rise. And rise. And bite eachother and rise anew, and the tails began springing forth as well. This was not good at all. Taiga Sato spoke fluent english, but in the heat of the moment a native expression escaped him by reflex. "Aaaah...kono yarou".

And then it all became a blur of screaming, lashing and biting, and somewhere amidst the chaos was the japanese fighter dashing to and fro wherever he could make out that people needed help. Some teeth could not quite rip through the reinforced outfit but they dragged and pulled, others dug deeper and drew the blood they sought, but still Mister Budo did not relent. Move in, sidestep one tail, pivot away from another, parry and divert the third into the fourth, and the next meets a spear-like thrust of a fist that strikes to its very core and leaves it motionless on the asphalt. Repeat in dozens of variants, dozens of techiques, struggling to keep every man, woman and child safe.

The wordless, hissing exhalations that accompanied every crushing blow rang out on the street and were joined by the cries of the people fleeing what for them had surely been certain death. And as Mister Budo fought against his own oncoming demise he could only hope Wonder Woman was doing her part.

Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by DocRock

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Bio

Janurary 2nd, 12:30 AM(Greenwich Mean Time)
The Rock Dragoon, somewhere just beyond lunar orbit
Status: Barely functional, weapons compromised, shields offline. Life support running on fumes.

Day Fifteen,

Food ran out this morning, the replicator stopped working, and with access to the magic pizza box either impossible due to sealed sections of the ship, or just gone completely, and with god knows what else is missing, things are going to be tight. Water is due to run out in about three days. Oxygen is predicted to run out within two or so days after that. Engines are still not functioning, and the power plants are barely working as it is. Of course, hyperdrive is totaled, that's what got me into this mess. Even with emergency power, I think the heating and cooling have failed in most of the ship, Drake has been rerouting power, but even with cannibalizing non-essential systems for parts to repair other systems, there's just too much to fix. Far more than I can do on my own, let alone even if I had the parts needed.

Skymother damn it all, I got too cocky. I thought I'd be fine, that I wouldn't need too many spare parts, but look where I am. Stranded Earthfather knows how many universes from home, Oceanfather above, this is terrible. Whatever we hit during transit would have made the Flamemother excited, that's for sure. Damn it all again.

We were able to stop leaking atmosphere by sealing off engineering, I've only gone in with my space suit, and while we were able to patch that area up, the engines are going to need dry dock in space, or a planet's atmosphere, before I can do proper repairs. Maybe, just maybe I'm lucky, and what happened is that I was just thrown back into the universe I left, but that's unlikely, I'm pretty sure that before the explosion hit, we were between a different set of universes. And according to long range sensors before we lost them...Drake and I think that's a class M planet, so probably habitable, and even if there's no intelligent life, I can make do with a hunter gatherer life style until I can fix parts of the ship, and maybe if I'm lucky, I can find parts for the hyperdrive. Juryrigging that was a mistake...

Either way, the ship should pass lunar orbit in the next few hours, and if emergency thrusters can bleed off enough speed, reentry shouldn't be...too bad? Who am I kidding, for all I know, we could start breaking up on the way down, nice fireball, not a good time for me. Alright, I guess I should probably head to the bridge one last time, before we have to seal that part of the ship off to conserve oxygen. Check on the SOS beacon, see if anything is approaching the ship, like an asteroid or something...

No one is probably ever going to read this data file, but Alex, if you ever find this, just know I'm sorry, and that I'm still searching for a way home. If home still exists. I hope, that if you're out there, you're well.

A hand reached forward, disabling the recording function, the helm that sat on the ground powering down again, returning the room to dimness. Sitting legs crossed, a few long moments passed, then a breath was slowly pushed out from between lips cast down in a frown, manifesting as a drawn out sigh. Slowly, groaning as the numbed legs complained, the former speaker got back to her feet, breath hissing out into a mist as she once more breathed in and out. Fifteen days of the same routine. Wake up, check systems from her quarters, traverse the ship to damaged sections, run diagnosis, fix what she could, salvage what wasn't needed and use elsewhere. Eat and drink as needed. Run a final set of reports, file a message, then go look at the stars for a bit. Before finally, getting ready to sleep, and hoping that when she woke up, it wouldn't be in the afterlife.

One gloved hand reached up, massaging her forehead, the alien known simply as Serene groaning, wondering if the brief headache was just a moment, or something worse. She'd spent most of the day working on the power systems, trying to squeeze just a bit more out of them. Perhaps tomorrow, she'd take a look at the oxygen scrubbers, try to wring some more time. Anything to buy her time to reach a planet with breathable air.

She heard a sound, and lifted her head, glancing around her quarters, before realizing it was just the creak of the ship. Not one of her loneliness driven hallucinations brought on by what was borderline cabin fever. Even in a ship as massive as this, when the halls are dark, and you swear you're alone, any sound is enough to put one on edge. Walking to her door, a hand was placed on it, pulling it open, or well, moreso she slid it sideways, and stepped out into the darkened corridor, lights flickering overhead now and again. She left the door open for the moment, glancing left, then right, before sliding the door shut behind her. She left, walking through the halls and spaces of the ship until she found her way through the twists and turns to the bridge. The doors had to be manually opened, due to a number of reasons. She strained, muscles bulging in her arms underneath the surface of her environmental suit, before they stopped jamming, and opened enough that she could slip through. She grunted in relief, and strode onto the bridge, looking over at the silent navigation bot, him turning to look at her, before returning to look outside. Taking a seat in the captain's chair, she gazed out into space.

It was vast, mostly empty, but the tapestry of stars was beautiful, if stark in its beauty. There could be a million stars going supernova out there, a dozen turning into black holes, and she'd never know. Some would have been distressed at being a speck of dust amid the cosmos, but to her, it was merely natural. Her gaze flickered to the orb growing in the distance, and its even smaller moon, breath once more misting into the air. Maybe they were lucky, and it was indeed a version of Earth. Or perhaps a world just like the one she'd been born on, but without that vile mad man who had ruined so many countless lives. Anything where she could rest and recover would be preferable to drifting aimlessly through space. Less than a day before it was all over, and she either made it to the surface, or went out in a blaze of glory.

"Going to update the SOS, at this point, they'd have to be deaf, blind, and dumb to be unable to do anything." No response was given, there was no need. Pulling up a monitor, power briefly surged, to allow her to record something.

"To anyone who might be listening, this is Serene the Rockwoman, of the HMS Rock-Dragoon, we are in dire need of assistance. Our food supply has run out, and despite my best efforts, many systems teeter on the brink of failing. Oxygen and water are running out. If anyone can hear me, please, send relief, I don't know how much longer I have. If you can understand English of course." She took in a breath, then let it out. Hitting the end, she nodded, and on multiple frequencies, the signal would begin broadcasting once more, replacing the fourteen prior distress calls, which to those able to detect, would have provided a running report of the slowly failing ship. Now, she could have gone back to her cabin, and sleep, but truth be told, she didn't want to miss anything. After all, only hours remained before entry, it would be a shame to miss a rescue. Or a fiery re-entry of the atmosphere. Either was interesting.

Leaning back in her control chair, she gazed out the bridge, feeling a brief chill go down her spine. Come to think of it, it was odd, she could have sworn she'd seen two bodies orbiting the planet before, but could only see one currently. Perhaps she had been hallucinating again? It was possible. For now though, she had to keep the despair at bay, another curse to be had that she'd run out of the anti-depressants a month back and had never bothered to restock. Too risky.

So onward the star ship drifted, massive in its size, but still smaller than Luna of Terra. Its sole living occupant clueless to the larger forces at work, and the outside world...Well...

...This ain't E.T. coming to visit.

Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Blazion

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January 1st, 10:30 AM (Eastern USA)
Justice Station, Space
Interactions: @Dead Cruiser @pyroman @Korkoa

”Operative Grim, a message has come in from Operative Wonder Woman. Would you like to connect comms?”

The even voice of the Alfred A.I. sounded through the comms connected to Grim’s helmet, causing the hero to tilt his head just slightly in order to glance back at the airlock glass. No doubt Alfred had patched this message to Kraken, Masquerade, even Champion and Velocity - though if the latter even paid attention to their comms anymore was up for debate. However, even with Grim’s esteemed guest in front of him, a message from a fellow League member was more important. As such the Gotham Hero raised a hand to Zeka in a universal ‘one moment’ gesture.

”Patch it through, Alfred.” Grim rumbled, and immediately his teammate’s voice came through. Beneath the helmet, Zoey’s brows furrowed together in confusion. ”Ares? The God? … But are you so certain - …. Yes, of course. I will keep an eye out, Wonder Woman. Thank you for the warning.”

It took scant seconds for Grim to finish the short conversation, closing out the line of communication before fixating the lightly glowing eyes of the Iron Fang armor back on Zeka.

”Well, it seems that we’ll have to have this discussion another time,” He rumbled in that deep tone. ”I’m afraid something has come up.” Here Grim paused, and beneath the mask steel-blue eyes traced along Zeka’s form thoughtfully. What an odd fellow. Coming up to the Justice Station to talk like they were old friends. Perhaps this creature wasn’t originally human, despite a bipedal figure? The project files on them would be a wonder to go through, once cracked. For now, however…

”If you’re truly interested in improving the state of Earth’s current path, I’ve received information that my companion fears something is going to happen. Soon. Take one of these,” A flick of the wrist had a small compartment opening along the arms of the suit, and in Grim’s hand appeared a small communicator to be placed in the ear. ”When we find out what it is, I’ll have Alfred inform you. Perhaps when we’re not busy saving the Earth, we can discuss how poorly it fares.”

”Operative Grim, another signature has been detected nearby. It shows signs of a Green Lantern, though with differences.”

Once again, Zoey’s eyebrow twitched. Why did this all have to happen now?

”That will be all, Zeka.” Grim dismissed, before sliding the glowing eyes to the other member of the airlock. ”Preston. Call the other Lantern in, we have business already. And I need a blood sample.” A press of a button had the airlock emptying of oxygen once more, and within seconds the grate opened to the vastness of space once more, cutting off any further conversation. With a small bow to the nuclear man - really, quite fascinating, awful time for Gods to be threatening Earth again - Grim stepped away to the entrance to examine the stars. Where…?

Ah, there.

The goggles of the helmet flicked and zoomed in on the small figure floating away from the Justice Station, glowing blue and - 

… Was that a shark?

What the fuck was wrong with Lanterns?

January 2nd, 9:02 AM
Outlaws Supernatural Consultative Services, Hub City
Interactions: @Tim @Simple Unicycle

Well.

For a long moment Akasha could only stare at the man that had answered the door. In his boxers. Mickey Mouse boxers. And a shirt plastered with Karen Hernandez’s face.

In a bit of shock, the indian woman merely followed the strange man’s suggestion and sat on the couch. A moment ticked by, then another, and finally she let out a choked sigh and leaned forward to grasp her face in her hands.

“Please don’t let that be one of the hunters,” She muttered lowly into her palms. Sadly, Akasha was left contemplating if it was even worth her time for a relatively short period of time before she could decide on leaving. So when the sound of footsteps descending from the … office’s upstairs sounded out she finally pulled her face away and sat up straight and proper, legs crossed as she waited.

The man who greeted her was different, and perhaps more put together. His words only confirmed it.

“Akasha Rajan,” The woman finally gave in return, grasping Leo’s hand. She rose with his help, looking to him with barely veiled curiosity from what was supposed to be an impassive visage. “Please, lead the way. I suppose I should have called ahead, but I’m afraid I was rather eager to talk the details of why I came personally.” She looped her arm in with Leo’s, allowing him to escort her to the offices. Hopefully it would make a better impression than their landing.

Not that Akasha was really in a position to complain.

January 1st, 11:00 AM
Abandoned building, Gotham
Interactions: @Mr Nim @Korkoa

The instant an unidentified person came out, the seven Meta Squad’s rifles immediately focused on them. A young girl, hands held high and crying out to them in a pitiful voice. It would almost be enough to have the squad relax at such an unthreatening image, if she wasn’t admitting to being the one who caused the collapse of the building.

“Steady,” Captain Raul warned his men, feeling the spike of tension even shooting up from his own gut. A confirmed meta directly in front of them, with no idea of her full capabilities, the only good sign was she was seemingly surrendering. 

Of course, they’d seen tricks like that before.

“Steady,” He repeated, but nodded forward. The two men on either side of the half-circle surrounding Jean began moving forward, only to freeze when a shadow fell over them, and landed.

“Hold!” Raul’s voice called over the comms quickly, saving a potentially embarrassing spray of the riot bullets to a familiar, if unwelcome face.

“It’s Overcharge, should we take him down?” One of his men asked urgently, rifle trained on the man.

It wouldn’t be of any use against those powers of his either way. Besides…

“Let him go,” Raul grunted through their comms, and despite three of his men’s rifles following Overcharge as he left not a single bullet left their well-trained arms. “Put the cuffs on the girl. The other meta will be looking for the worker.” Without hesitation the man and woman that had initially been approaching Jean moved forward once more, cautious of any tricks. Once close enough the female of the duo kept watch as her partner brought Jean’s hands behind her back and cuffed her. She was warning where the worker was, making Raul breath out heavily in his mask.

“We’ll get him out,” He grunted to the girl, before nodding back. “Commissioner Jasper, target is in custody with no casualties on either side. Target Overcharge has been spotted heading into the building.”

”Good job, Captain,” Jaina immediately responded to Raul, her voice crackling over the comms. There was a pause as, with the Commissioner, another voice came to life inside her ear from a small, hidden sliver of metal courtesy of a certain technical hero of Gotham - though the voice coming through was far different than Zoey’s. Her thumb slid down the radio in her hand, touching a small and mostly hidden button even as her voice lowered. ”Will do, Overcharge. Give me a status update if you need help getting the man out.”

Jaina released the button, responding once more to her metasquad.

“Take her to the Tank for now.” Was her simple command. Raul gave a short nod, and the two that had cuffed Jean began to lead her away from the building, towards the large truck located on the edge of the police barricade - away from any causualties should their prisoner act out. The rest of the squad followed cautiously, rifles still brought to bare, before the female opened the back of the ‘Tank’.

Inside the walles were a sterile and unnatural white, but seemingly glimmering and sliding across this expanse was occasionally a shimmer of purple. There were benches on either side, and it was there they pushed Jean towards before shutting the doors. The only way to look outside was two glass windows on the doors, though they also shimmered with that otherworldly fuschia.

Jaina approached immediately, Wesfield trotting along at her heels even as he pulled at his moustache. Taking a moment to peer in at the prisoner, the Commissioner shook her head.

”Excellent restraint. She’s barely an adult,” The woman noted, knowing her voice would carry inside the Tank. ”Anything of note?” Raul shifted beside her, his mask hiding any expression on his face.

“She told us where the buried worker was,” He finally offered, receiving a nod.

”Hey,” Jaina’s voice, serious and even as it usually was, had softened as she addressed the meta through the glass on the doors. ”Overcharge is heading for him right now. What’s your name?”

Inside the building, everything around Overcharge seemed to groan with the pain of the collapse. The slab being flipped off didn’t help, as when it landed with a thunderous crash whatever remained of the walls seemed to quake and sudder - not that there was much left.

Beneath it was more rubble, as was to be expected. However, with the large chunk of roof now removed there was hope.

Especially since ragged breathing could be heard, if one listened closely enough.

Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Mr Nim

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January 1st, 7:45pm
Metropolis
Mentions: @Zero Hex @Unknown100

Exiting the building, Malcolm shook his head slightly. He was in the city to test the security system of a company that claimed they must never be penetrated due to having sensitive documentations. Basically, the same as many other companies. It took Malcolm half an hour to show over a dozen different ways that he managed to get into their system, and that was without access to their internal systems. What kept him there for hours afterwards was helping the company design improvements for their systems, so they will be much tougher to get into, regardless of having access to the internal systems or not. The managers were very grateful for the help, at least until they got the bill. Without anything else to do there, Malcolm decided to head back home.

He barely took a step before Malcolm heard something was off. People were screaming, and he quickly noticed running away from something. Without thinking twice, he walked to an alley, and ducked behind a dumpster. Transforming into his Martian form, he then took off, flying above the buildings until he spotted what was causing the panic in the area.

A bizarre creature, one which had multiple heads. What was even weirder was the fact the creature was attacking itself, until M’azz noticed what was occurring each time one of its heads was taken off. More heads grew from each stump, making the creature that much deadlier. It meant, without any doubt, that this creature needed to be taken down without decapitation. With that in mind, M’azz began diving towards the creature, looking over the area. He spotted a woman, one which he knew had infamy in the world as one of its heroes. Took him a moment before he recalled her name as Wonder Woman. Another man appeared to also try and fight the creature, while allowing the civilians to escape. He had no knowledge of this man’s name, but if he was fighting to help the civilians, then he had no need to worry about the man.

While he pondered for a moment on how he could assist, M’azz decided to try and turn the attention of some of the heads away from the civilians. He flew closer to the heads before hitting a few with his punches, and then flew higher up, prepared to dodge any incoming attempts from the heads to get him. Something told him the teeth of this creature will have a chance of penetrating his skin, as they were on a different level from the mere human knives. 

January 1st, 11:00 AM
Abandoned Building, Gotham City
Interactions: @Korkoa @Blazion

As she kept her hands raised, Jean watched as a couple of officers started approaching her slowly, before another person suddenly dropped from above. Jean blinked twice, caught completely off guard by the fact someone just appeared out what what looked to her like nowhere, and then talking to the police in what she thought was a way too casual manner. But just like he appeared, the man vanished into the ruins, having stated that he will go rescue a public servant. Jean's eyebrows rose a little as he also nodded and waved towards her, but she made no attempt to return any gesture. She had no idea who the man was, and she didn't want the police to think she has any connection to him.

While the police crew that surrounded her followed the tracks of the man for a moment, they quickly went back to focusing on her. The same officers from before now made further approach, until both were close enough to her. The male officer started handcuffing Jean, while the female one kept looking over. Trust was clearly not present in the place. It was then the police captain informed her that they will get the man out, just as the other guy said. Unsure if she should speak, Jean simply nodded in gratitude. 

After a moment where the police appeared to be listening to their radios, a simple instruction came. Take her to the Tank. The two police officers that were at her side began leading her away from the ruins, and Jean couldn't help but feel a bit scared. She knew about the Tank the police were using for Metas. She had seen be used from afar. She never saw the inside of one before, but it certainly appeared to be well capable of holding any type of Metas. And after a couple of minutes, she saw the back of a Tank open to her. It was white. Unnaturally white, one that gave the feeling it might be leading to an asylum afterwards. At least it seemed like they had benches. 

Jean was pushed into the Tank, through a couple of doors. She managed to briefly spot a bit of purple going around the space, which made her wary, but she decided to just sit down. They had been using these for some time now, surely if there was anything wrong with them, they would've stopped. 

Another moment passed, and she watched as a woman came and looked through the window of the door. The remark about how old she looked did irritate Jean for a moment, but afterwards the woman began properly speaking to her. Apparently, the guy from earlier was code-named Overcharge. While it sounded like an energy drink to her, the woman then asked for her own name. After a moment of hesitation, Jean offered the simple answer of "Jynx". She did, however, appear to be relieved at the thought that someone was rescuing the man.

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January 1, 2020, 7:45 PM.
Broadway, Lower Manhattan.
Cameo - @unknown100

It was a brisk night even through Tobias' coat as the young mage continued his walk towards the docks. Pedestrians clogged the sidewalks even as the cars and cabs rolled through the streets. Bright flashing lights adorned the theaters and storefronts of the street and the sounds of the city joined the low rumble of conversation from the crowds of people lining up to see this show or that, or those that had just left an earlier show and chattered excitedly about the spectacle. Tobias kept his hat down and didn't look around much, deep in thought about his conversation with the blind scribe. 

"Young mages... You always underestimate the skills of the Little Folk at spreading rumors and gossip."

The Little Folk. Simple fae that tended to hide in plain sight or in the shadow at the corner of your vision. Tyresius was right, Tobias hadn't given much thought to the small pixies and elves that could be found just about anywhere in the world, though they tended to shy away from the bigger cities like New York. Perhaps it would be wise to make a trip to Central Park before he proceeded down to the docks. Small faeries would likely find ample room to hide and play in the parks after dark, and nothing the old coot ever said was by accident. If he had planted the idea of the faeries in Tobias' imagination, there was something worth investigating there. 

"Or the Queen put a bounty on my head and Tyresius wants to collect." Tobias thought grimly as he paused to watch a small family exiting a theater. A well-dressed mother and father accompanied by their young son, certainly no more than eight, who was excitedly going on about the show they had just watched. He smiled for a moment, memories of his own youth coming back to him. The smile soured as he recalled the start of his training and the circumstances of his adolescence, but there were some warm memories to dwell on at least.

"...An ancient evil beyond most people's understanding..."

That snapped Tobias out of his reverie. His head jerked up and he frantically looked around for the source of the voice, a dull scarlet flaring to life in his eyes. He shook his head and the light faded even as he spotted a large display on the side of an electronic's store showing a statuesque woman with black hair standing in front of some kind of capsule. A gentle wind blew and her hair waved like an actress in a movie, made all the more cinematic by the dramatic words scrolling across the screen: "BREAKING NEWS... WONDER WOMAN IN MIDTOWN METROPOLIS..."

"...There is no question that the seal will break, and once it does there will be a fight that is not meant for mortal eyes..."

The scarlet light flared back to life in Tobias' eyes even as terror dilated his pupils as wide as they could go. How could she have known? Who else knew? How much time did he have before--

"...I call upon my friends in the Justice League. If you can come, please do so. But I also call upon others: I implore every strong arm and sharp sword to stand with me. Those who can fight do so. Those who cannot... run. If you live in Midtown Metropolis, do not hesitate. You take your loved ones and go. Do not look back. Run for your life." 

The camera zoomed in on the canister behind Wonder Woman, a stone cylinder emblazoned with what appeared to be Ancient Greek and most worryingly an icon of the Ouroboros. 

Tobias' eyes blazed scarlet as he tapped his foot in agitation. She was in Metropolis, hundreds of miles from him, and was likely referring to whatever was inside the container behind her. He shook his head and held his eyes closed until the anger subsided. The fear had soured and begun to ferment in his chest and had become a solid mass of fury and hate, both his and worse. The camera again panned to show a newcomer had joined Wonder Woman, before both were set upon by a massive beast and the camera's connection was lost. 

"It's none of my business." Tobias thought, closing his eyes and trying to regulate his breathing. After all, there were other heroes in the world. Heroes that Wonder Woman had called for and would likely be coming to help her. Besides, he had some pixies to interrogate and dark magicks to stop. 

"You could be useful out in the real world... Use those tricks for the greater good!" 

Tobias growled as the news station shifted to the view of a battle from a helicopter. The beast was attacking both the heroes on site, and when one head was removed, two more grew to take it's place. 

"I don't need to go deal with a hydra. They can work it out them-" 

The hydra began to attack itself, ripping and tearing at it's own heads and spawning an ever growing number of menacing jaws with which to strike. 

"-selves." 

Tobias sighed, then a rakish grin slowly spread over his features. This would certainly make his shows more attractive he supposed, though to whom he couldn't imagine. He watched the battle unfolding through the lens of the Helicopter's camera with the rest of the gathering crowd that murmured in concern at the events before them, searching for a suitable spot. He didn't dare take a jaunt through the Wyldes, not with likely half or more of Winter's forces out for satisfaction, but it was too dangerous to risk a blind jump with that monstrosity rampaging. 

He spotted a likely location and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and focused on his destination as he gathered his magic about him, his coat and hair shifting in an unseen and unfelt wind, before opening them and bringing his cane down on the pavement with a resounding crack that filled the air, even as he vanished in a puff of smoke. 

Showtime!

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January 1, 2020, 7:46 PM.
Midtown Metropolis.
Interactions - @unknown100,
@Zero Hex

"Showtime!"

A resounding crack like a gunshot filled the air as a flash of light and multicolored smoke erupted from the ground before the rampaging hydra. A white gloved hand stretched out from the smoke cane in hand and points it at building after building around the hydra, where suddenly hovering stage lights flashed into existence.

"Lights!" Came the cry from the smoke as each light took a sweep of the air above the hydra for a moment before swinging down and focusing on the center of the smoke.

"Camera!" Another gloved hand extended out snapping its fingers and a giant neon sign popped into existence facing the news helicopter flashing: "Cheers & Applause".

The two hands came together and the cane was brought down with another resounding crack that blew the smoke away in a single instant, revealing Tobias standing alone before the beast, hat tipped down and a sparkling grin on his face. 

"Action!" He exclaimed as a flash of light erupted from underneath his feet, forming three huge geometric sigils in slowly rotating concentric circles around his feet. Electric blue light flared to life from the lines and symbols of the intertwined circles as he held his cane up into the air between himself and the hydra, a sudden flare of wind whipping through his coat and blowing it back dramatically. 

"Groza!" He called, his voice echoing as though he stood in a vast theater. Dark clouds swirled together from empty sky above the hydra, whose many heads looked up at the sudden darkness even as electricity began to crackle in the shapes above it. 

"For my next trick-!" Tobias shouted as he spun his cane in hand, while the buzz of a live wire filled the air between the clouds and the hydra

"Molni-" 

A blur of motion as one of the heads of the hydra suddenly lashed out at the magician, who leapt back from his circle with a shout of surprise, cutting off his incantation mid-syllable. The shining magic circle crackles angrily and begins to flicker as Tobias lands on his feet a few yards back, floating down slower than he should have. The conjured storm above booms angrily as lightning crackles menacingly from cloud formation to cloud formation and a drizzle of cold rain begins to fall onto the battlefield. Suddenly a bolt of lightning flashes through the air and strikes the dimming sigils on the ground with a mighty peal of thunder that cracks the sky even as the bolt shatters the pavement where the symbols had been laid. 

"Hey! Hasn't anyone ever told you that it's rude to interrupt someone!" Tobias shouted angrily as the spotlights and signage fade away. 

The hydra screamed a defiant challenge as a few of its heads turned to face the newcomer. 

"So much for the easy way..." Tobias thought as he dashed to the side to avoid another lunging head.

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January 1st, 10:30 AM (Eastern USA)
Justice Station, Space

The Other Lantern? Tucking in, Preston flipped himself back up so that he was orientated like everyone else. Preston was never made aware of the fact that another lantern would be escorting or joining him, but with this news, he hoped that it was his godfather/uncle who decided to follow him. Preston had a strong feeling that wasn't the case, but it never hurt to hope. 

The airlock hissed once more and popped open. the green glow that covered Preston never left, and as soon as the airlock opened he floated out of the station to find...

The lantern.

It was a large, blue and white, quadrupedal creature who glowed in a blue light. Preston, though lacking the tired and annoyed buzz that Grim had, was equally as confused, albeit for somewhat different reasons. the Sinestro Corps which used the yellow power of Fear was obviously the other well known group that wielded Power Rings. But blue? Preston had never seen a Blue Lantern Ring, nor had he heard of them or even thought of the possibility until just now. 

His ring shot out in the direction of the... creature, and Preston issued it a command. "Ring, what is this species?"

The ring shot out a green light to scan the creature, intent on reading it and identifying it. 

"Target is a Chtho'Am, hailing from the planet Chtho'Am. An amphibious, quadrupedal species with a warrior-based caste system not entirely unlike the one on Vespasi."

Curious. 

"What information is there on Blue Lantern Rings?"

"None."

None? Not only curious, but worrying. He floated closer, exerting force to make himself glow brighter. 

"I'm Preston Westfield, the protector of this sector." Heh, that rhymed. "May I ask who you are, what you're doing here, and what exactly that ring you have is?"

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January 2nd, 9:02 AM 
Outlaws Supernatural Consultative Services, Hub City
Interactions:@Simple Unicycle @Blazion

After the introductions and hopefully better impressions had been made, Leo had helped the potential client from her seat with a hint of refined manner, and judging from her reactions and subtle movements, she was definitely upper class. He casually offered his arm, and she took it, all but confirming it. How she managed to keep the idea of etiquette after the war says something, considering Leo barely hangs onto it himself. He's only ever been to two high-class balls, pre-war, and if it weren't for the occasional wealthy client, he'd have forgotten his parent's lessons altogether.

"Understandable, Miss Rajan. Please, right this way."

Leo lead the woman upstairs, keeping a slow but brisk pace with her on his arm, and hoping she wouldn't be too influenced by the state of the rest of the building. He prefers the modest, low-rent building, fulfilling it's general purpose and answering his few needs, but he also knows that the ones with more don't see it that way. Reaching the office just a few strides away from the top of the stairs, he opened the office door for her and allowed her to step inside.

The office itself was much nicer than the rest of the building, an assistant's desk to the left of the door, some filing cabinets lining the left wall, a shuttered window letting in some natural light, a ceiling fan, and even a rug. There were two large, identical desks side-by-side forming a sort of MegaDesk, with two office chairs behind them and two comfortable-looking lounge chairs for the clientele in front of them. In the corner behind the desk was a computer.

Leo closed the door behind them and made his way behind the large desk, taking the seat on the right.

"Please, have a seat. Feel free to hang your coat, by all means. Let's talk."

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Date: January 1st, 2021. 
Time: 8:43 PM. 
Location: Chipotle Mexican Grill, West 34th.
Interactions: Starfire - @Zoey White.


Rayner was just about to take a bite of the salsa covered tortilla chip he had pinched between his fingers, when the orange skinned woman he saw earlier bumped into him, knocking not only the chip from his hand, but the food from his tray as well. Thankfully though, Rayner had managed to move at the last moment, avoiding the worst of the spillage. Some of the sauce from the steak bowl had still managed to get on his coat, but it wasn't anything a quick spell in the wash couldn't fix. "Ah, don't sweat..." He began, but stopped midsentence as the woman quickly excused herself and headed towards the restrooms. 

"Huh... wonder what's up with her?" He mused as a waiter came by and began cleaning up the mess, apologizing profusely for the inconvenience. Rayner simply waved his apologies away with a disarming smile and reached for a napkin from a nearby holder instead as the man finished cleaning up the last of the spilt food. Carefully wiping away some of the stains on his coat, Rayner quickly spun round as he heard someone approach him, and saw that it was the orange skinned woman from earlier who was already apologizing just as profusely as the waiter had, despite not even being within normal speaking distance. "Ah don't worry about it." He said with a slight shrug as he raised his hands in a nonthreatening manner, hoping to calm her down somewhat. "It's just food. I can always get more later, so you don't have to worry about it." Chuckling slightly, Rayner finished cleaning off his coat before wadding up the napkin into a ball and tossing it onto the tray that the waiter had brought with him to transport the mess as he left. Moving over to the table and taking a seat, Rayner slowly leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers, nodding slightly as she introduced herself.

"Starfire huh?" He said, cracking a small smile. "Well, that earlier mishap aside, it's nice to meet you. My name's Rayner." He said, extending his right hand for a shake.

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KRAKEN
January 1st, 10:30 AM
Justice Station, Earth Orbit


Kraken clenched his fist tightly as he heard the message from his fellow League member Wonder Woman come through. This was a promising start to the New Year. He watched carefully as Grim led the other two back out of the airlock, finally resigning himself to trusting the armor-clad tech giant. If there had been a problem, Grim would have moved them inside, where Kraken could actually be useful. He couldn't do much in the vacuum of space, after all. Why had he even spent the holiday on the Station? Was his desire for isolation during this time of transition into a new year really that ingrained into him after the exile from his home? That he would drive himself away from even his own planet, his friends, his (dare he even think it?) family? Truth told, he was happy the call from Wonder Woman had come through, even though it promised nothing but danger. It would give him something to do, and get him back on the ground. Assuming Metropolis went well, he'd make his way up to Halifax afterwards, see about catching the last of the celebrations with Champion and his family.

But for now, business. Radioing back to his teammate, Kraken confirmed that he would be on his way, and headed back to his tank room in order to ensure he had all of his necessary gear.

-----------------------------------------------

OVERCHARGE
January 1st, 11:00 AM
Abandoned Building, Gotham City
Interactions: @Blazion


Overcharge paused as the slab flipped over, feeling the remains of the building rumble around him. What he had done was reckless, dangerous, and ill-advised. And, as he heard the sound of ragged breathing in the terrifying silence that followed, it was exactly the right thing to do. Leaping back into action, Overcharge began removing more manageable pieces of rubble from the newly excavated pit. The building was unstable, and becoming more so by the minute. Overcharge could feel the vibrations of the building picking up as he finally tossed aside a hunk of concrete and uncovered a panicked, grasping hand. 

"I've got you!" He called out, unphased as a chunk of plaster hit the ground not five feet away. Taking a moment to clear the man out, Overcharge looked over the dazed construction worker. "Thank OSHA for hard hats." He muttered, examining the cracked dent in the mans bright yellow protective gear. "Right, looks like nothing major is busted, let's get you out of here!" The vigilante said, eyeing the crumbling structure around them. Limping the dazed construction worker out away from his crater, Overcharge got him to the exit just as another floor caved in, which would have certainly killed the man if he had still been in there. Passing him off to a waiting rescue team, Overcharge paused to wave and pose for the cameras from the gathered reporters and onlookers before sprinting in the opposite direction of some very dedicated Meta-chasing police goons.

Keying back on his direct line to Jasper's radio, Over charge sent his message as he began scaling a nearby fire escape, keeping an eye on Gotham's Tank. "Ms. Commissioner, your missing construction worker has been delivered safely. Probably has a massive concussion among other things, but I think he'll pull through. Which means no manslaughter charges for our new friend, I assume?" He asked, hopping the gap between several building until he was above where the Tank was parked. "I know you have a job to do. I'm not asking you just let her go. But Jai, don't let her become another casualty of this whole war on non-humans. You're in a position in this city where you can really do some good. More good than I can do, honestly. More than even Zoey can, with all her charities and humanitarian drives. You can really change things. And I know you want to. Give this one a chance."

-------------------------------------------
SARAKA KUTE, BLUE LANTERN
January 1st, 10:30 AM
Justice Station, Earth Orbit
Interactions: @pyroman@Blazion@Dead Cruiser


Saraka was startled at the sudden appearance of the figures. They must have detected him, which was... All in all unsurprising, considering the Green Lantern was with him. Still, he felt his Ring react to his surprise, manifesting the emotion as a physical construct. That was a quirk of his, a strange interaction to his Ring. When feeling certain basic emotions, such as surprise or curiosity, the Ring would manifest these feeling as symbols, usually translated to the native language of his audience. In this case, Saraka watched in alarm as a bright blue exclamation point shimmered into being in front of him. Nodding slowly to the gathered audience, Saraka dismissed the construct and examined his hosts. One human, highly advanced armor. Very impressive, the suit would likely rival even some of the most technologically advanced races in the universe. The Lantern, a half-Human, half Vespasian hybrid. An interesting looking fellow to say the least, his assignment should be at least as interesting. And finally some kind of... Energy being? Encased in an obsidian black shell. Saraka's Ring warned of high potential levels of radiation. The creature didn't match any records of alien races known. Interesting...

The Lantern was speaking to him now, Saraka snapped back to attention. He spoke slowly, feeling more than hearing as the Ring translated his words almost before they could leave his toothy maw. It was always a strange experience. "Preston Westfield, it is an honor to meet you. I am General Saraka Kute, of Chtho'Am. My mission was a secret one, to seek you out and offer my aid and services. There is a great threat being leveled against the Green Lantern Corps, directed against its newest members. My superiors are offering aid to all of the new Green recruits, and I have been tasked with assisting you."

The Shark/Dog-like creature turned his attention back to the collar-like ring around his own neck, the soft blue glow growing brighter as images began to flash from it. Desolate fields growing full of crops, decimated forests sprouting trees, dried up riverbeds flowing with life-giving water once again. "I wield with me the Blue Lantern Ring. We are a secret Corps, even your Guardians only suspect our existence. We command the Blue Light of Hope. We serve as humanitarians for the universe, healing the sick and righting wrongs. Our rings are very much like your own, but powered by our Hope instead of Will. The two work in tandem however, and if we can find common ground, Green Lantern, Preston Westfield, the both of our Rings will unlock their true potential, and you will be able to defend against the mighty evil which seeks out you and your fellow rookies."

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January 1st, 10:31 AM
Justice Station, Earth Orbit

None of this was making any sense. They were a secret corps whose mission was to protect Green Lantern rookies, but not even the guardians knew about them? The guardians could huff and puff all they wanted, but Preston knew that they didn't know everything. The bigger question was who in the Corps was letting this happen if it weren't for the Guardians themselves? Every lantern, no matter how legendary or powerful, didn't have that kind of say-so. 

And what of this threat that was attacking other rookie green lanterns? Preston would have to handle this threat, or move it up the ranks to someone who could handle it. But honestly, he didn't like the idea of his first day on this planet being interrupted by someone saying that they were going to watch over him. It hurt his pride, even though he knew that it was probably the safest option. 

He remained quiet for some time, seeming to be processing this information when in reality he had checked out after Saraka spoke his name. Preston was doing his best to recall all of the information that was just said to him, but trying to pass it off like he had been listening the entire time. 

"It would..." He grumbled. "Seem beneficial for us to work together. If our rings truly do unlock the true potential of the other, then it would be a safer bet to welcome you into the fold instead of driving you away."
His mother always said it best. An ally is only an ally when you let them help. Lest this force directed at the newer lanterns come and attack Preston next. He would have to swallow his pride for now. 

"Okay, then. Saraka, this is... Grim." Preston barely remembered the name. He wasn't exactly paying attention to the conversation in that moment, and the armored human wasn't even talking to him. It was a miracle that Preston remembered the name at all. "And this one... Zeka? I believe? I don't know these two people at all, but I feel since we're all strangers, its only fair for all names to be given."

In this moment, away from the boredom and distracting little airlock, Preston showed a surprising amount of his father inside of him. Steady, diplomatic, and reaching first with an open hand. He also showed a bit of his mother in the way that he stood and spoke. Though they weren't the most graceful words, he was still thinking somewhat ahead and willing to put his pride on the line in exchange for the safety of others.

Hidden 5 yrs ago → 5 yrs ago Post by Unknown100

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January 1st, 7.47 PM
Midtown Metropolis

(Interacting with: @Zero Hex@praxitilies@Mr Nim)

Flying high above the beast, Diana saw a scenery of teeth. Some snapped at her, others unleashed their fury on the city. The goddess Hera had heard Diana’s prayer and granted her a champion in the form of Mister Budu. Gracefully he did his acrobatics on the street, avoiding the agile tails and getting people to safety. There was a certain comfort in knowing that this man could succeed in keeping people safe, as long as the tails were condensed into a single street. Diana needed to keep it that way, meanwhile she had little power over the demon’s direction. Its random riot ripped through building after building that couldn’t possibly all be empty.
Time was of the essence. That knowledge fueled her as she dived into the ocean of Hydra heads and started dealing damage. She pushed down on one’s skull, creating a shockwave, and launched at a head biting down on the fifth floor of an office complex. Her sword penetrated the eyes of one beast and went on to blind another. More and more heads turned at her, and with her shield she managed to break the front teeth of a particularly manic head.
A series of thunderous punch sounded when a new warrior entered the fight. Flying around and creating some sore spots for the Hydra, was a mysterious man-like person with a tail.
The heroic symphony got a contribution when magic started to rain down on the mythologic creature. A fairly elegant man in a coat summoned mystical arts against the threat.
Hope was rising on the bitter battlefield.
That’s when one mouth suddenly struck. Immediately teeth were pressing down on Diana's shield and fangs graced her shoulder, drawing blood. She yelled out and used the frustration to push the head backwards, when another then hit her. Her body lunged downwards. She was smashed against tough scales and her weapons slipped from her grasp. The hard surface didn't wait for her to recover and threw her off. Like a ragdoll she was knocked around, each encounter bashing more life out of her.
Finally, her hand managed to grab hold of the rough skin of a neck.
That’s when she noticed it.
The sky was gone. All people and reminders of good were nowhere to be seen. Diana had been tossed in the middle of the jungle of heads. She hardly knew what was up or down. Everywhere she looked were long necks and heads moving between each other. Not a single sunbeam could enter. This was where gods and men came to die, a wilderness of certain doom. Blood poured from her arm as a reminder of her mortality. As was her sore limbs.
Dammit, Diana, fight through the pain! Kick through the dread! Your destiny is to be a light in the dark, to be these people’s Wonder Woman! Do not…
She was squeezed against to squirming heads.
Do not die like…
Strong jaws tried to reach her. 
This!
Something smacked her with the force of a comet and hurled her numb figure sideways. Barely awake she saw recognizable evils assembled above her. One hydra head, staring down, had broken teeth. One with gashes across the face. One had to sniff her, since its eyes were missing and many others had similar hurts. 
… Their injuries have not healed … They cannot.
All of the heads had another thing in common. Not only were they wounded and did not take part in the rampage. All of them had been personally wronged by Diana. Their instinct was not animalistic rage but a flaming resentment.
They can hold grudges!
Light entered the shadowy inferno as one of Diana’s allies must have attacked enough heads to generate an opening for her.
With persistent attackers biting at her, she flew towards the exit and made a less than elegant escape into the street outside.
Spitting out pieces of pavement, she stumbled back on her feet. Unarmed, but still with a fighting spirit.

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Hidden 5 yrs ago → 5 yrs ago Post by Zero Hex

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MISTER BUDO

January 1st, around 7:50 PM
Midtown Metropolis
(Interacting with: @Unknown100@Mr Nim@praxitilies)

From the dust and chaos of the increasingly demolished street came the oddest of projectiles: a hat slicing through the air like a chakram, its steely brim denting a hydra head's scales as it ricocheted off the creature's hide. So was the serpentine creature's attention diverted from one of its new challengers, seemingly a magician lacking in the physical gifts necessary to come face to face with such an entity. And from the surrounding buildings came a leaping shadow, snatching the projectile out of the air, bounding off the unstable architecture and soaring through the rain that now permeated the battlefield to land atop the monster's slick skull.

Three, four, five loud cracks could be heard, of bone bashing against bone and splitting the flesh between them, and the head roared and trashed before its eyes went blank and its body collapsed limp with a thundering crash. And as it fell Mister Budo rolled off the vanquished foe, head still alive and perfectly attached but likely feeling as though an icepick had been driven into its brain, to meet with Tobias and Wonder Woman on the ground. He was a ragged sight, outfit pierced or torn off at several points, blood visibly dripping from injuries small and not quite so, the venomous ichor that coursed through the Hydra's body spattered and oozing all over him.

Budo felt about as poorly as he looked, his breathing was heavy from the constant bursts of action without pause, even his gifts could not take away the bite from the pain, blood loss and poisoning. But his mind, conversely, was colder and sharper than it had been at the start, working to craft a gameplan. First priority had been ensuring the safety of the people in the general vicinity, now it was time to win the fight. The Lernaean Hydra, creature of myth, not of his homeland but famed all over the world so that information on it was not difficult to come by. Were the myths accurate? Its manner of "reproduction" had been, as was its toxicity. It was a start.

"Huuufff...I think the people are safe...but precautions are needed with this...blood. It is a most unpleasant poison", he started, placing his back against a wall and squatting down to catch his breath and focus some, surveying the situation further and spotting the flying man battling more heads. A member of the Justice League that was not, but any help was good right now. "The Hydra...Heracles burned the necks to stop the growth, it is told. I do not know if it will work or for how long but worth trying. But to end it...it's supposed to have a central head, an immortal one that does not reproduce, that was cut off and sealed while it still lived".

"Unless Wonder Woman knows better that is what I have to go on, myth". Deep breaths, that one martially inclined such as an amazon might recognize as meditative measures to try and center mind and body. And his mind raced against time, trying to break down the battle piece by piece to determine the path to victory. And then it hit him. The initial push away from the origin, the near-immediate use of the heads to take attention away from the ground. Was it covering for something? "But...what if the main head is at the center still? Hidden within the container, ensuring it survival while the rest distract and win the war of attrition".

More deep breaths followed, fists clenched, and the japanese hero regained his footing, looking towards the nightmarish gathering of monstruous heads first then the direction of their seal. "If I am right, Wonder Woman, there's reason to believe only your sword can sever the immortal head, as Heracles used a god-given golden blade of his own to do the deed. If I am right, it fears you". Mister Budo's second wind was mustered and in full effect and he seemed firm as iron once more. Even his bleeding appeared to have subsided to a trickle, as when cuts are treated through adrenaline and mild coagulants, though how much energy he had left was anyone's guess.

"That's the plan: Burn the heads, retrieve the blade, find the source and contain it. Very simple". Maybe the others could make out the start of a confident smirk on Budo's face, maybe they couldn't, but he felt good. This was a fight, a winnable fight, and winning fights was what he did. He pointed at Tobias. "You do magic, keep away from trouble, and you had better not tell me you can't burn the heads. Me and hopefully the man in the sky will run distraction, keep them busy and hurt. Wonder Woman, tell whoever that is about the plan, then you know what to do. We're gonna show everyone what we're made of".

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January 1, 2020, 7:50 PM.
Midtown Metropolis.
Interactions - @Unknown100 @Mr Nim @Zero Hex

Tobias frowned for a moment at being told what to do by this stranger, but his grin returned to his face as quickly as it had faded. 

"Lights and spectacle are what a showman does best!" He declared, planting his cane into the ground where once again the shining runes and geometric lines flared to life. The storm above crackled with thunder and the angry lightning that was coursing through the clouds. 

"Now lets just see how mythical this beast really is! Molniya!"

With a word of power that echoed through the shattered and collapsing buildings, Tobias raised his cane and pointed it at the hydra. A peal of thunder tore through the same as a bolt of blazing white filled the air with heat and power while the sigils at Tobias' feet leapt from the earth and encircled the lightning, guiding it to the destination Tobias directed. The Hydra shrieked in fury and agony as billions of volts of electricity coursed through its body, the head directly struck erupting in a fountain of gore and viscera as lines of angry red tore through its flesh seeking the quickest route to the ground. The sizzling and charred stump of the head fell limply to the ground while the others roared in pain, blood leaking from scorched vocal chords and eyes bubbling with boiling vitreous fluid. The beast thrashed blindly even as its body convulsed with residual electricity from the blast, and Tobias gathered his magic to strike again. 

"Nadvigayushchayasya burya, molot Zevsa, razdirayut Nebo i b'yut Zemlyu! Kak vverkhu, tak vnizu!"

An echoing chant as runes sprang to life around the beast, a cage of light and mystic signs slowly rotating around the creature even as the storm seemed to pulse with a furious heartbeat. The electricity that gathered in the streets caused lampposts to light and burst even as the hair of those observing stood on end. The wind whipped up and the rain fell in sheets even as Tobias wove pale blue light in his hands, like a puppeteer controlling a marionette as the energies for his spell ran shining strands of power between the sigils around the hydra and the mage whose eyes glowed with the same. 

"Clear the air! I'm about to let the hammer fall!"

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January 1st, 8:42 PM.
Chipotle Mexican Grill, West 34th Street, New York City.
Interactions: @Blackstripe, @LokiLeo789, & @DC The Dragon

Clio stared after Starfire, her body screaming at her to move and aid the alien woman. As she slammed into a man on the way to the restroom, Clio winced. The secondhand embarrassment practically wafted off the poor girl. Perhaps if she had given Star the time to attempt to eat the kebab before the concert, she wouldn't have had to handle this confusion in the middle of public. Clio's shoulders hunched forward, a small sign of guilt over the silly situation she now found herself in. She decided in the end not to go after Star. After all, the red-haired woman had waved her off. In an effort to take her mind off of it, she settled with a single thought. If she continued to treat Starfire like a child, she'd never grow. Yeah, sure, that seemed like a proper excuse. 

A small shake of her head and Clio found herself pulled back into the conversation. She took a small bite of one of her soft tacos, chewing on it gently. When no one else spoke up to answer Karen's question, she quickly swallowed and cleared her throat, stepping up to the plate. "Well," She began, glancing at the rest of the table. V seemed to be minding his own business, but she wondered how his perception of her would change depending on her answer. As for Jones, she knew he would be opinionated no matter what. Karen was certainly the sweetest, plus she had asked the question, so it was probably best to keep her gaze on the pop-star. 

"I came here to...escape the family, I guess." She quickly backtracked, "Not that they gave me any reason to want to leave...it's just that, they're very tight-knit and I guess I wanted to spread my wings. Network a little bit?" Technically, her family had many connections already. They had to, in order to expand and take over their community. That being said, they were very exclusive and tight-knit. To marry into the family, one had to be accepted by everyone, and being a mage was pretty much mandatory.

Her gaze swept back over to V. She was very curious about the boy, he'd said the least about himself. Not only that, but he had changed in the cab ride over. He didn't want to be noticed, that was clear. "What about you, V?"

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January 2nd, 9:03 AM 
Outlaws Supernatural Consultative Services, Hub City
Interactions:@Tim @Blazion

David groaned as he slid into his day clothes, silently berating himself for answering the door in the state he was in. And in front of a woman, no less! Why'd he think it was Ted, the old guy has a key to the place! Man, somehow he always managed to embarrass himself around chicks... Well, on the bright side, this whole situation managed to wake him up all the way, and he could deal with a client now.

Walking out of the room fully dressed, David approached his office and opened the door, stepping in. He sure hoped that Leo would keep her busy down there while he psyched himself up...

"-ans. Let's talk."

... Leo brought her up here.

David cleared his throat, approaching his desk and taking a seat in it. Shooting their potential client a goofy grin, David leaned back in his seat and put his hands behind his head, while kicking his feet up on the desk. "Sorry about the introduction, babe. Not used to clients coming by in the morning... Or at all, really. They just call."

He and Leo had a routine set up for when clients came by in person. Leo would play the strong man of few words type, the guy most people expect when they think "monster hunter." Him? He'd play up the goofy dumbass part, try and make them laugh. Build a rapport and stuff. Most of the time, it managed to work out. David put his feet back on the ground and set his hands on the table, leaning in a bit. "So, catch me up, what's the job about?"

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January 1st, 8:45 PM
Chipotle Mexican Grill, West 34th

@Blackstripe, @MsMorningstar

Virgil observed Starfire's reaction to the drink in hopes that it'd help. Nope, that hypothesis was thrown all the way outta the window. Seeing her excuse herself from the table, he couldn't help but think he somehow made it worse. Part of him wanted to help her, but he felt like that'd be too much. Plus, her friend Clio didn't seem to budge much. That was a sign that she'd figure it out alright, right? It would be fine, he hoped.

His eyes followed her walking away, and his senses seemed to jolt. There was an odd sort of surge that he felt in the electromagnetic fields in the restaurant. It was clearly different from the phones and tablets and terminals that were already here. No, this one had biological roots, similar to what he sensed when around...His eyes quickly shifted to the source, though it wasn't who he thought it was. No, he wouldn't just be walking around out to Chipotle in the middle of the night anyway. So that guy was just another meta running around through the NYC. That wasn't too surprising.

Though, it made Virgil wonder if the guy could sense him in the same way. If those theories of his interactions at the Garden being recorded were true, that could cause some complications. For one, Karen clearly swapped her look kinda to keep from being celebed in this restaurant. If that guy could detect Virgil's electromagnetic presence, and had seen a video, it wouldn't be hard to link the two things. Especially since they happened in the same night...But Agent K's stunt double didn't seem to pay them no mind so he dismissed it for now. He couldn't shake this feeling of having to keep his guard up...Damn there was a lot of blind hope that he was relying on tonight.

Pushing those thoughts to the side for a minute and living in the moment, he only half heard Karen's question. Knowing that some didn't live here, left the implication that she was talking about someone other than Starfire. He was quiet at first, looking for a way to phrase it amidst jumbled thoughts. Though his eye also shifted to his uncle. He was kind of hoping for a bit of an assist here, but Virgil found it instead coming from Clio.

"Well, I came here to...escape the family, I guess. Not that they gave me any reason to want to leave...it's just that, they're very tight-knit and I guess I wanted to spread my wings. Network a little bit? 

...What about you, V?"Clio
Virgil nodded slowly to her answer. It was interesting. It seemed to be simple enough, though reading between the lines, it seemed like her family was a little overbearing. In which case, he'd see it as only natural to want to branch out on her own. With that in mind though, she flipped the script over to him. There was a moment of hesitation but he smiled a little.

"Yeah...I can relate. I'm from Maryland, and where I grew up wasn't the greatest. It was nice and all, but as I got older, I felt like I had to 'grow up', if that makes sense?" Virgil would've stopped there, but he felt like that'd kinda be unfair to leave them still completely in the dark. So, he elaborated. 

"I had to get outta some habits I had and plus...there was just a lot of baggage back home. But I got a scholarship with S.T.A.R. here, so, it kinda worked out."

Virgil's eyes drifted off into the distance again with recollection of his life in the span of seconds. His smile vanished in the middle of that, but he caught himself though. He looked up at each of them and forced a mild chuckle out. He would've asked Karen a question about what it was like on her tour, but that would be overheard. So, he just settled on taking a bite out of one of his tacos.

Hidden 5 yrs ago → 5 yrs ago Post by Zoey Boey

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Zoey Boey better than the alternative

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Zoey Boey

better than the alternative

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Starfire!

January , 8:43 PM
Chipotle Mexican Grill, West 34th Street, New York City

Starfire smiled, keeping her hands folded behind her back and rocking back and forth on her heels. "Hello, Rayner." She looked down at the extendend hand with a blank look on her face. Then she looked back to Rayner, and back to the hand. Ah, a handshake! She remembered that from earlier. She placed her palm against Rayner's and grasped, giving him a firm and handshake. 
"I am here with my friends. There is Clio, and V, and Karen, and Jerome." She pointed over at the group of people she had entered with. "We were at a concert, but it was interrupted by an attacker. So we came here." Having explained herself, her eyes wandered back over to her friends. She waved over at the group, telling them with a gesture that all was well. The last thing Starfire wanted to be was a burden. Hopefully she had not embarassed them too much. After doing so her attention focused back to Rayner.

She then flattened her palms against the table and leaned in a little closer, lowering her voice to something that might be considered a 'whisper'. "I can't eat the food here. I'm not from this planet. That's why I was strange before." 

 She cocked her head to the side for a thought had just occured to her. "Are you from this planet? I hadn't thought about other people not being from this planet aswell."

Hidden 5 yrs ago → 5 yrs ago Post by JessieTargaryen

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JessieTargaryen Celestial Queen-in-Waiting

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Celestial Queen-in-Waiting

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Survival

January 2, 9:30 AM
The Shattered Scar, Near the Hub City Border

Hidden in the abandoned husk of what was once a gas station along the road leading into Hub City, the young hero looked back at the collection of survivors from all those years ago. Where their numbers had once been about twelve, now only six sat in various locations around the old building. Dirt was caked deeply into their skin, scars covered their bodies, and their clothes were torn from years of attempted survival in the Scar. Their frames were gaunt, each of them almost looking like some zombie out of an old Halloween movie from their malnourishment. Of the six, three were clearly in their later years. All of them above the age of 60, yet still holding on with the hope of one day seeing the civilization they had lost all those years ago. Two more were in their mid-30s, survivors they had found wandering in Central City after the destruction. Sitting between them, a little boy who looked about the same age that the young hero had been when she was still bright-eyed and full of innocence. Despite their varied experiences and ages, all their gazes lay upon the nanite-infused girl sitting just beside the front door to the gas station. 

The girl looked at the scared faces of the group before her, the wear and tear of the years in the Scar clear upon all of their bodies. Yet their eyes were hardened and filled with determination. One that showed their will to survive the hell they had been living within for the past ten years. "Okay. Hub City is less than a day's travel from here, just behind that big fence. We've nearly made it, just one final hurdle before we are finally there." She said to the group, looking at each and every one of them for a long few moments. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm thinking about McDonalds tonight." She said, with a diffusing smile to try to keep the situation in a positive manner. "Now, I'm gonna take a look outside before we all head out. Get your things packed, we're about to make it." She said quickly before getting to her feet and heading out the main door, a small sigh escaping her lips as she wondered just what the world was going to through at her today.

Once outside, the girl's gaze was on a careful swivel as she looked around the area to see if their pursuers of the last few days happened to be nearby. For the most part, it was a rather empty patch of land. Not much was moving, to either side of the road or along it. In the distance, she could see the fence standing like a beacon of hope for her little group. Marking the end of a decade's long battle, and finally, something that might resemble peace. However, the peacefulness of the girl's gazing towards their destination would soon be interrupted. She spun around suddenly as she heard the clear sounds of movement from nearby the gas station. She could see the shapes of three silhouettes moving together in a slight formation moving towards the rear of their gas station. It was evident from their movements that the group hadn't noticed her or her allies inside. Quickly, yet quietly the girl rushed over to the gas station and held a finger to her lips to signal for them all to be quiet as she arrived. 

"Here is the plan, our friends are outside. So I'm gonna go out there and handle them. When you hear the fighting start, I want all of you to run. I'll their attention on me." She said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. Without even waiting for any sort of response from the group, she was then moving in a crouch across the gas station towards the back door to the building. Careful to keep her steps light so to keep the sounds from her metal feet hitting the concrete floor to an absolute minimum. Slowly, the door did creak open as she was able to sneak out and move to hide behind a pile of boxes that were left unstocked whenever this gas station was abandoned. Peeking around the side of the cardboard boxes that provided her with a (flimsy) form of cover, she took stock of party that was stalking her group. Three individuals, two who she guessed were non-magi cultists, judging by how one bore a shotgun while the other was a very large man bearing a fire ax. One seemed dressed in robes and muttering small things under his breath. A mage, she assumed.

Lunging forward with all the might in her legs, the girl lunged out with her tail and managed to catch the group off-guard. As they were turning towards the source of the sudden sound behind them, her tail lunged out and grabbed the cultist with the gun by his head. Immediately flinging him directly into his ally bearing the ax. The two men shouted in pain and surprise as they were knocked to the ground, and the girl followed it up by forming a tri-barrelled machine gun at her right wrist, firing in a wide arc towards the opponents in a move meant to push the enemy on the defensive. Now that they were fully aware of her presence, the mage quickly caused the ground to rupture upwards to block the bullets for himself. The man who had been holding gun lay bleeding as the bullets from her spray tore a path up his back. Yet she was forced to retreat as the other man came in swinging with his ax, a mighty war cry leaving his lips as he swung wildly down towards her. Thankfully she was able to push back and dance out of the way of the incoming ax, just barely, as it slammed into the ground hard enough to break the pavement. 

The man never got raise his ax again, as the girl lunged forward in an explosion as retaliation to throw him off his feet. The man grunted and stumbled as she slammed her shoulder into him, as the wall of pavement behind them fell and the mage appeared behind the two engaged in vicious melee combat. The cultist swinging vicious blows as she deftly tried to dodge, or stab her tail into the fray to deflect from impacting her smaller frame. She knew these cultists were enhanced with their chaos magic, and that they could easily do permanent damage from even just a single blow. The girl's tail suddenly snapped up and yanked the man's right leg out from under him, sending him crashing down to the ground. Then immediately followed up with a single shot from her weapon to his forehead. "Two do-" She started to say as she turned back on the mage, only for her eye to shoot wide as she saw a blast wave from the mage tearing towards her. She shouted in pain and coughed up blood as the wall she was slammed into exploded against her back, and she was sent rolling through the gas station. Her body came to a rest with a hefty impact against the opposite wall, and she was just barely able to look out and seek the distant figures of her group running towards the fence in the distance. Good. 

She was locked in a vicious battle, with various magics being thrown around the small area and the gas station quickly being reduced to rubble. Her ranged attacks seemed simply unable to connect with the mage, as he was always ready with some spell to defend himself. Then he was able to easily keep her at range, due to his many spells that covered a wide area. She was once again shot back into the rubble of the gas station, laying in pain as she found herself unable to react and get up as well as she had beforehand. The mage having seemed to stun her, and slowly moving over to complete his kill. A small smile was worn on her face as she knew she was at least able to get everybody else to safety and away from these mad bastards. 

Then she heard a scream from the direction her group had gone. The child in her group had seemingly broken away from the rest and was shouting at the mage towering over the girl. To her horror, the mage turned away from the girl as he seemed to decide to take down the child shouting at him, and the group that seemed to be running away. "No!" The girl shouted, roaring back to life as adrenaline flooded her system and kicked her into overdrive. The prongs on her tail sunk deep into the man's back, as the girl stood up behind the mage groaning in pain and looking back towards her. Her face clearly displaying rage clear as day, before she flung the mage to the ground and a single shot rang out from her weapon. Then rushing forward, she scooped up the child who had been paralyzed in fear and made her way back to link up with the group once more. 

Within a couple of hours, they had finally arrived at the great fence that separated the Shattered Scar from Hub City. The girl moving forward despite her various wounds to attempt to flag down anybody working at the barrier, hoping that they would be able to get through and escape this hellish nightmare. That alone was a production that eventually was ended whenever she channeled her nanites to make her arms become a very reflective surface and flashed her makeshift mirror towards the buildings on the other side. A single guard made his way towards the second fence on the opposite of a bit of no man's land, inspecting them before speaking into his radio. Not long after, they were allowed through the gate but stopped on the other side by a group of guards who seemed well equipped enough to handle a full-on assault if one were to come. Despite the armed guard all around them, the girl was able to breathe a sigh of relief and felt a smile grow on her features as they were each asked to identify themselves. As each member stated their name, she felt the pressure leave her shoulders. They had finally made it, after ten years. Then came her turn to state who she was, and after a few moments of thinking, she looked the guard in charge in the eye and gave a confident response. 

"The name's Nano, from Central City."

Yes, I had her name be Nano for now, she is gonna add the Impulse once she gets the speedforce stuff as stated she will in the CS.

Hidden 5 yrs ago → 5 yrs ago Post by praxitilies

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praxitilies

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praxitilies

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[Redacted], North Atlantic Ocean.

"Go! Just keep running!" A young man screamed to his friends, lungs burning in his chest even as he ran after them. Perhaps friends was too strong a term for them. Acquaintances. Classmates. Fellow inmates. Fellow survivors. In any case, four youths fled through the trees in the gathering darkness of mid autumn. The blood pounded in the young man's ears even as his breaths came harsh and hot. His fellows were ahead of him, their forms fading into the gathering darkness of the twilight forest. His scream of warning seemed to be swallowed up by the oppressive silence in the trees, the sounds of animals and prey creatures had long since fallen silent on the island. Now the surviving creatures remained silent in fear, and the sound came from the infected. There was a low, quiet laughter that seemed to echo through the trees around the running teen. The chuckle grew in volume and seemed to grow closer and closer to the young man, whose fear prompted him to break into a cold sprint, desperately trying to catch up to his allies.

A young woman crouched behind a tree, clutching a larger teen tightly. The laughter had stopped, as had the screams of her friend. Now the only sound that could be heard was the whisper of the wind in the trees. Leaves rustling as they broke free from their branches and joined the soft bed of decaying plants on the forest floor. Her shoulders shook as stifled sobs wracked her frame and shivers of terror coursed through her spine. "Oh God, it got Craig..." She whispered, eyes streaming even as the older boy held her close. 

"Shh, it's ok. We're going to be ok. He bought us time to hide." The larger teen whispered in her ear as he looked around at the empty forest around them. The quiet felt like a physical weight on his ears, his own heartbeat thundered and his breathing seemed to be as loud as the screams that their friend had released when the... thing that had been chasing them had caught up to him. He had to control his breath. He had to be quiet and keep Sandy as still as possible. It could still be out there.

"Both of you shut it! What if it hears us?" The third boy hissed at the others, knuckles white around the bent iron rod he was clutching. A poor excuse for a sword clung to like the last piece of driftwood in the grasp of a drowning man. He wiped the sweat from his eyes as he peered around the trees they were taking refuge under, scanning the shadows for movement. His ears strained against the silence, desperately listening for the tell-tale signs of a hunter stalking its prey. His eyes were wide as dinner plates and his vision blurred with each pulse of his racing heart. 

A quiet chuckle broke the silence. A low staccato of mirth, malevolent and dripping with malice. The trio clustered closer to each other as the young man with the iron rod stepped back towards the tree, eyes darting around the gathering gloom. 

"I know! Just look what my loud mouth got me!" Came a mocking cry from the shadowed canopy above the terrified survivors. Twin pinpricks of gleaming gold shone out from the darkness like sunlight reflected from polished coins. The trio look up at the sound, and a wet thud drew their attention to the ground again. The severed head of their fallen comrade gazed up at them through unseeing eyes that are still locked in their final moments of terror, while the mouth gaped open leaking blood from its missing tongue.

The girl screamed as the loud cackling returns. The pinpricks of light vanished as a rush of displaced air whipped past the vision of the three. A thud and a crunch of fallen leaves are the only sounds before another rush of air and the burly boy is forced to the ground by a shadowed blur with a choked scream that lasts mere instants before interrupted by the awful sound of flesh and sinew tearing. A splatter of meat and blood is cast across the forest floor as a clawed hand tore the youth's throat from his body. The young man with the iron rod releases a cry of fury and terror as he swung his makeshift weapon with the desperate strength of a cornered animal at the hunched figure savaging the young man on the floor. The rod whistled as it parted the air and then abruptly stopped as the clawed hand of the monster caught it mid swing. 

"Now that wasn't very nice." The creature said quietly, rising to its feet as its latest victim lay gurgling on the forest floor. The boy's chest had been torn open from navel to throat with chunks of gore and torn flesh floating in the gathering pool of blood in his exposed chest cavity. 

The screaming girl turned and ran from the monster, muscles burning as her breaths came sharp and shallow. The creature's head whipped to the side and watched her go, releasing the rod and wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of it's mouth. "Aww, I just wanted to play a little..." It whined, a predatory grin on its sharp features. Teeth, serrated and pointed like those of a shark, dripped with fresh blood as he watched her go. The boy with the rod seized upon this opportunity and swung the rod again at this murderous creature only for the rod to sail harmlessly through empty air. 

The girl was running. She could hear the last survivor screaming something at her. Her heart was in her throat and she could feel cold sweat pouring down her face and chest. Her foot caught an exposed root and with a sickening crack and electric jolt of agony she tumbled to the ground. She curled into a ball, hands clutching her head and desperately trying to blot out the sounds of mad laughter that drew closer and closer to her. The laughter reached her side then darted off into the distance before approaching again. Her eyes were screwed up tight and she abandoned any attempt at quiet as she sobbed. Fear and despair felt like a cold mass of writhing serpents in her stomach, and she retched between ugly cries and desperate moans for help. Her ankle throbbed with pain even as a fresh sensation entered her perception. The feeling of a cold claw tracing a thin, shallow line of angry red along her spine. She could hear her clothing tearing even as the putrid scent of decay and fresh blood filled her nose.

"Aww, you're crying..." The creature's voice dripping with contempt joined the sounds of her tears. She could feel his breath on her neck as his claw continued its agonizingly slow journey up her back. She retched again and bile filed her mouth as her empty stomach purged what little remained from her system. The creature made a noise of disgust and she felt the claw in her back pull back as the scent of death retreated a bit. "Oh come on now, really? It's like you want me to lose my appetite." The creature spoke to her like a frustrated parent of a toddler that had made a mess. She felt the air rush past her, and a strong hand grab her chin and lift her head from the dirt and dead leaves. Sharp claws stabbed into her face as the creature forced her face up towards his, where shining golden eyes with slit pupils met her own green eyes wide with terror. He smiled cheerfully, teeth straight and spotless, before vanishing entirely with a chuckle that faded away into the distance. She felt a blinding pain as the claws tore free from her face followed by the rush of air that lifted the leaves from the ground, rushing back in the direction she had come. She lay there, eyes glassy and skin clammy as shock began to take hold, while her friend screamed with shock that suddenly became a strangled cry before gurgling to a stop. 

She heard the quiet laughter returning to her side. Slow, deliberate steps that crunched through fallen branches and dry leaves approached her while silent tears leaked from her eyes. She felt the spreading warmth of the blood leaking from the shallow cut on her back spreading out even as the steps stopped just behind her. She lay there, still and quiet and the creature seemed to wait for something. 

"Get up." It snarled. The sound of bark being torn by claws filled the silence of the dark forest while wood chips fell  onto her legs. 

"I said get up!" It shouted, kicking her in the ribs and flipping her over on her back. Contempt was etched into the furious, bloodstained features of the slender man at her side. His eyes were like a pair of golden fireflies as they bore into her own. He wore dirty and wrinkled pants with a stained white shirt tucked into it under a long dark trench coat and a worn black vest. The brim of his hat cast his sharp, angular features in shadow that accentuated the hard lines of his face. The girl looked up at him and simply wept, the strength to even cry out failing her. 

"How boring. You could at least scream until the end, like the last one did." He scowled down at her before turning on his heel. 

"Fine. Be that way. Lie there until something else finds you. See if I care." The creature began a languid walk away from the girl on the ground, hands in his pockets and muttering darkly the whole way.

Soon enough he would fade away into the distance, and the battered girl would lie there on the forest until another group of survivors found her. For the briefest instant she felt a twinge of hope as she heard their hushed whispers approaching her clearing. She felt a flutter in her heart when the helped her to her feet and started walking with her deeper into the forest. There was a moment of joy that she had escaped the same grisly fate that had befallen her previous companions by some merciful twist of fate. 

And then, in the gathering dawn, she heard it again. 

Laughter in the trees.

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