DearTrickster

Mass Effect: Borealis

@Rtron

Wait waht. The RP had it's first birthday in February. RPG, IT IS STILL AUGUST

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

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Time: Afternoon - Present Day
Location: Berenice’s Nest - Carver (Outside Lost Haven)

Charlie strode through the field with purpose, heading back to the cottage, she did not feel eyes on her again like she expected as she crossed away from the forested treeline. Salamander probably had something to do with the protection. She was convinced nobody would be capable of calling her by her name anymore. Car-lee and Miss Charles, now. The real indication of Berry and Salamander being related by incredibly weird circumstances. Their bird-like behaviour was the other.

When she arrived back to the cottage she talked Berry into backing off into the sky, letting her know why. Her creator left behind a watcher and Charlie was going to find it, then chase it off.

“If I was a creepy necromancer’s watcher where would I be hiding?” Charlie said to herself, her eyes scanning the cottage anew looking for clues. The shinier objects Berry found caught the light of the sun, little light spots dotting Charlie. Once again she felt eyes on her that made her pause, still the dreamcatcher magic detector Salamander gave her was reacting to Berry. Charlie made a shooing gesture for the siren to continue flying further away the feathers reorientated glowing instead of blue tipped with red, now a deep purple.

I hope this isn’t a fancy mood ring.

She stared at the dreamcatcher, while she heard the faintest of skittering behind her. Charlie’s body tensed like a spring. The familiar pounced from the broken framework of the cottage a flurry of stink, scales and teeth flashed past her eyes snatching the dreamcatcher right from her hand.

“Hey!” Charlie shouted, a little hairless scaled imp of a monkey held the dreamcatcher in its dirty black clawed hands.

Black beady eyes stared wide eyed at the dreamcatcher then flicked up at the alchemist, barring rows of unnaturally pointy teeth in a guttural hiss, “Wench!” Black leather bat wings folded to it's body, three feet in length she guessed from head to tail. A bastard creation of multiple animals. It screeched when the beads heated up in its hands at Charlie’s towering approach. Using the butt of her staff she slammed it down on the end of the monkey’s scaley tail, even past her mask she could smell the rancid stench coming off it. Rotten eggs, weeks old garbage and boiled cabbage. Had Charlie a weaker constitution she would have hurled her lunch.

Quick as a whip the familiar attacked Charlie’s ankles claws seeking flesh, sharp teeth latching on. Charlie roared releasing its tail to swat at it with her staff, it scrambled out from under her climbing up her body it’s broken tail poised at a strange angle for her face. She snarled, “Get off!” This time finding success to swat it off her back. When it hit the ground with a thud she threw herself on top of it. The wiry monkey hissing, scratching at her in a flurry of small limbs.

The dreamcatcher forgotten.

For several minutes they wrestled rolling across the dirty floor, shouting various incredibly foul curses. Charlie finally found purchase to pin the monkey. She suffered from long gashes up her arms its claws slashing through her clothing, a few shallow cuts across her cheek and chin evident by the mask blooming with bloody spots. The pain from its bites stung at her ankles, she didn’t want to imagine the various bacteria making it’s way through her cuts.

The monkey was snarling and thrashing about in her pin, the tail now broken in several places being pinned by her knee.

“You piece of shit! I’ve got you pinned!” Charlie snapped maintaining all her weight on the familiar.

“Undesirable alchemist! You think you can hold me! Ugly miserable cow!” It snapped back in a strange nasally accent. “Wait until my master gets his hands on you! You’ll barely last a week under his observations! He’d-!”

Charlie drove her elbow down on its head ramming the imp’s jaw into the floor. “Shut up!” Slowly transferring weight from both hands, to pinning the monkey by one hand over it’s neck. She reached into her back pockets looking for some rope finding none, she improvised tearing off her bloodied mask with a huff. She balled it up in her hands remembering the composition for cotton off the top of her head, pulling iron from the blood. In her hand the mask change shape unfolding into a length of iron strengthened rope. It wasn’t very long considering the materials but it was enough to wrap around the monkey twice. She bound it’s arms together tightly along with its tail. Using the end of her boot on it’s chest she stood up.

Charlie carefully grabbed her staff, exhaled then used her staff instead of her foot to pin it. She stared down at the filthy creature. “I have no problem tossing you up to Berenice, I think a disgusting creature like yourself would only give her heartburn.” The monkey seemed to sigh relief, “Although I know a thing or two about birds of prey is that they take an exhilarating amount of fun in the hunt. The impact alone from her diving at you would be painful. You could make a run for it but we both know you’d be seriously fucked, crippled right where you lay.”

The monkey audibly gulped then its teeth chattered with fear, “My master named me Abaristus, not that an alchemist would know-” Charlie pushed her staff into it’s neck cutting it off, “I! Gck! Fuck!”

She eased off slightly, letting her staff pin it’s chest again. “What did you tell Sebastian you saw!”

It coughed, “Everything!” It paused looking up at Charlie, with some consideration. Gleams of hope through it’s eyes. “He can spare your family.”

Charlie was about to snap back then considered herself, it was talking now. “Go on.”

Abaristus grew with a little confidence, surprised at Charlie’s encouragement. “You can’t believe everything that ole Salamander has got to say, hmm? He did wrong by my master, yes.”

Charlie didn’t reply, letting the familiar fill the silence.

It grew bolder, “Who do you think taught my master necromancy? Gave him the tools to achieve his goals? Ole Salamander, he did. Now he’s here looking to kill my master.”

“Charlie.” It hissed out. It sent shivers across her arms.

It grinned a toothy sneer at her. “My master is powerful, the siren is his greatest creation. He’d be grateful if you brought it - er, her back him. You’re a scientist, think like one. My master is making strides, charting unmarked territory. You understand, hmm?” The familiar tried to sit up, “You’re more like my master than Salamander.”

“Hmm...He’d probably make you his acolyte, if you asked. I see a real spark of magic potential, now that I see you.”

“You think so?”

“Let me go, and I’ll go put in a good word or two. Then we can do some negotiation about bringing the siren back to my master where she belongs. She trusts her Car-lee.” It’s grin was full, “C’mon, Charlie.”

She had been staring hard down at the familiar fighting the bile building in the back of her throat from his stench and words. Then she peeked up at the sky seeing Berry, her wingspan was incredible. Graceful in flight, her existence such a rare instance. Charlie wondered briefly what being able to fly really felt like. When her attention turned back to the pinned imp, she was grinning herself.

“And that’s real fuckin’ rich when you slap scientist over murderer. Who are you trying to convince I’m anything like that poor excuse for a human? You weren’t listening very well when you said you were.” Charlie said venomously increasing the pressure, causing Abaristus to cough violently. “If your master wants Berry so badly, he’ll have to come slithering out of whatever hole he’s in. I’d love beat him black and blue myself.”

Abaristus snapped and hissed at her, it’s reasonable tone gone. “Wench! You are nothing! My master will tear you apart and keep you alive for days! Just watch!”

She lifted her staff up in both hands above her head, her boot on Abaristus’ chest again, the monkey was staring up watching the copper in the staff form around a spike. It was aimed directly at it.

“Tell him everything, Abaristus.” Was all she said, then in one swift move she plunged the spiked staff through the familiar's head. It’s screech of pain pierced her ears, it’s form dissipated in a small cloud of black fog around the spike darting off in every direction. She waited then sighed, relaxing. She knew she’d see it again, helpers and familiars to witches or magic users were glued to their masters. She could almost hear Carrie calling it magic basics.

Rolling up her sleeve, peeling back from the bloody scratches. She took a look at her ankles, the bite marks were deep, oozing blood as well. She patted her chin with the back of her hand, the bleeding had stopped on her face at least. She motioned for Berry to come back down, bending at the waist to scoop up the dreamcatcher. It collapsed back into a small ball once again, she smiled a little at it.

When Berry rejoined her she said, “Bought some time, we should get Salamander to set up some protections around the place so that imp can’t come back to spy on you.”

“If you need me I’ll be cleaning myself up outside.”

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

@fdeviant YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

Posts coming soon. Been working a lot lately due to other folks being on vacation, so I just haven't had time

@nitemare shape

Summer is just ridiculous at work rn.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

SAorry. I exist. I am here. I will get to work.

*cracks his knuckles*

@Hellis

Also I just really want the opportunity for The Ambassador to rib the likes of Rune. It'll be even worse than Queen Titania.

Rune: Insult Insult Insult
Ambassador: Insult Insult Insult

Result: Piles of Salt

Mass Effect: Borealis

Dex, Cafe

For as little time it took to set up her makeshift terminal in the maintenance house, it took more time to dismantle it then return everything back to how it was before the turian spy had begun her tampering. Probably a little too clean, she took a step back considering. It took a few minutes but she returned with a cloth cleaning the wall of access points, her handiwork going to earn them good points on their next inspection. Satisfied, she disappeared as quiet as a ghost through a hatch leading into the service tunnels. Missing the next round of workers returning.

The tunnels were a little cramped for Tanya, they were brutal on the tall turian. She managed with minor cursing finding the closest exit to sneak out of. Below some shadowy grates outside the cafe Dex peered up, listening. Eclipse boots walked across the grate, one salarian complaining about the fuss over one drell. The other, a turian pointing out the paycheck waiting for them when they caught him. When they turned a corner, mechanical talons slipped through the grates lifting them up with a grunt of effort. Dex lifted herself out of the tunnel, replacing the grate. She stood up to her full height to stretch, she tapped into the cafe’s grainy security cameras noting she was a little late to the meet up. Vellios managed a wink up at the cameras. Over the comms she heard Tanya checking in, Iosif and Serena. Drono and Vellios began the meeting while Tonka, Firuzeh and Khosin settled in themselves.

She kept to the safety of being out of eyesight, “Sorry I’m a little late. Had to pack in my handiwork.” Her voice broke in over the comms. “Recapping, Serena and Tanya have made some decent strides with fucking up the mechs. Everyone got in undetected, no suspicion has been raised save for…” She checked her notes on each crewmember then cackled at Drono’s entrance. She spelled it out, “88-IG-ORD66-SW? Glad the opportunity with the legalise didn’t go to waste, Balto.”

“That was the easy part. Now, we need to draw Eclipse away from the doctor’s office. Firu and Tonka smuggled in our weapons. We can do a trade off of weapons in quiet spots on the station close to our setup points. Sniper nests can be scouted. Tanya is in the tunnels waiting for escort.” Dex rhymed off what they had needed to cover. “Haze you got anything for us? You’ve had a good look at those maps, where should we set up.”

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

@Hellis HEY YOU, YES YOU

WITCH HUNT ARC, ARE YOU IN OR ARE YOU SQUARE? SCRUB

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

I'm not sure if you guys remember me or not. I tried joining about a year or so back (back when you're still in S1), then life happened and I quit this site all together. And now that I'm back I see that you all are still going strong and you made it to season 2! Congrats you all. You are awesome. Each and every one of you.

@Blue Demon

I remember you!! Come... join usssss.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

Featuring… @Indy Cooper as The Salamander

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Time: Afternoon - Present Day
Location: Berenice’s Nest - Carver (Outside Lost Haven)

Carefully The Alchemyst listened to Salamander, with the end of her staff she hooked the strings against the crystal lifting it up for inspection. Her staff hummed in the palms of her hands against his little creation. Charlie decided Carrie would be able to help her figure out what it really is.

“Thanks I guess.” She said squinting at the odd little contraption. “I actually don’t rely on technology to detect magic, I uh- usually play it by ear. If something feels weird then I trust my instincts.”

Charlie was convinced he really could do nothing to change Berenice back but she wholly believed trying to would only make things worse, she said as much. “I understand that there is little on Earth that can’t be broken down to it’s basics, but I think trying to do that with Berry would just mess her up more.”

Her right thumb glided across some smoothed copper knot in her staff, “I believe you when you say you want to get this ex apprentice of yours off the streets, then why did you destroy his book? With more time I could have figured out what other tricks he had up his sleeve, like being able to survive the magical equivalent to a bomb.” Charlie paced over to a tree to lean against, “Shit’s not adding up with what you say and do, Sally-Man.”

While challenging Salamander in any way seemed to send prickles across her skin, that brief glimpse of something when he spoke of Sebastian was setting off red flags.

“Studying that book would only have set it’s dark little seeds into your mind, girl. I have seen more over my natural lifespan than you will forget over yours. Do not presume that just because you don’t understand a thing, that makes it a lie.” His beard, already a thicket of iron grey and silver, began to bristle out in consternation as he jutted his chin out in irritation. His eyes flashed again, and this time, they stayed long enough to clearly be those of a blackbird, before he closed them and sighed. The trees around them rustled their leaves slightly with the motion.

“I understand your concerns, youngling. But studying Sebastian the way you mention will only lead to catastrophe for you and yours. Best to excise him from the world, quickly, cleanly, if necessarily with extreme prejudice, than to try and understand what he has become. His illusions may very well be better than mind, and he knows the human psyche well.”

His eyes went pitch, the whites vanishing in a flash of irritation. Not exactly a naturally human reaction. She glared at youngling and girl. Speaking down to her, not using her name. It was rubbing her raw. Before her temper flared she latched onto Sebastian, Salamander’s note of illusion magic. That would be really tricky but if he was good at messing with the mind, what was watching her a few minutes ago?

He studied her face for a moment, noting the slight fearful tension, but well masked by bravado. His face lightened considerably. “It is tiring, I must admit, to be suspect all the time, but I admire your resilience. So let’s play a game!” He folded his arms, grinning. “It is a very simple game, one I have played many, many times, all over the world. All you have to do to win is to guess my name.”

Charlie scoffed. She replied a tad sarcastically, “Must be tiring to be stuck dealing with this goddamn youth, all this unadulterated energy and rebellion.” She took a short breath in through her nose, curiosity winning.

“Alright I’m game. Do I get any hints?”

“Hmmm. Hints would make it a bit easy, but I suppose your brass has earned you...two.” He stroked his beard thoughtfully, then held up one finger on his right hand.

“One, I am not originally human.” Another finger went up. “And two, I have friends and relatives on every continent excepting Antarctica. Any more than that and it would be no challenge at all, I’m afraid.” He winked at her, appearing for an instant much more youthful, with high cheekbones and deeply tanned skin. The visage was so quickly gone it could have just been a wash of dirt over his face.

She watched him and saw the flashes of change.

Knew it.

She rubbed at some grit on her chin, then crouched down to the ground. Working through the riddle off of the two clues. His nickname was given and not chosen, wasn’t originally human to Charlie it must of meant he was some sort of animal or spirit? Carrie rambled about deities, demigods, and great spirits before. Charlie suddenly regretted not listening to those stories more closely. She studied his clothing more closely, noting feathers were worked well into his tools. The staff he had, the magic detector dreamcatcher...

His eyes seemed pitch twice before, reminding her of a pigeon but closer to a bird of prey than a fat shitter. She wondered idly how much he’d appreciate being likened to a pigeon, possibly about as much as she liked being called youngling. The common theme she remembered from Carrie’s stories was that these spirits were old, older than a lot of cultures. She stood back up, running her fingers through the dreamcatcher again. Then tapped the heel of her hand against her forehead.

He looked Native American briefly, she wished she had seen him like that longer to properly observe. Antarctica was only discovered in… She squeezed her eyes shut trying to remember basic history dates. 1840? 1820? Somewhere around there, she decided and there haven’t been any true discoveries of human inhabitation of it. Charlie still had no indication of a name, he had clues of being a bird but it really gave no concrete conclusions.

She was silent as the minutes passed while she thought, “Brainteaser, all I figure is you must be some sort of… spirit? You’re old, really old. Humans haven’t inhabited Antarctica, while there is evidence of humans everywhere else. Salamander was given as a name, not chosen.”

She huffed, a strand of hair flying up. “You’re probably connected to some Native American culture but hell if I know that is here in North America or someplace else. You’re obviously connected to some bird, all I can remember was the Coyote...” She felt she was grasping at straws staring at the dreamcatcher. “The Coyote was a- a Trickster? Or was it the spirit that created life?”

“Yeah I give up.”

“Hahaha! Very good, this is all good information. You may even yet make it! Don’t give up, that ruins the fun.” He turned his head to glance up at the hill, where Berenice could be spotted through the trees, probably tying something to one of her treasure lines. “Tell you what, you have until I leave town to guess. If you get it right, I will grant you a favour. You also get three questions from me that I will answer. In return for these rules in your favour, though,” his head turned back to Charlie, and his smile as he did so seemed almost childlike, but also eerily malicious. “You only get one guess.”

His right hand gestured in the air idly as he spoke. “I will guess that I will be here at most two weeks, though that may change, given how difficult it might be to kill Sebastian or teach the siren. So think hard, eh?”

Finally that little bit of praise got a smile out of Charlie, she glanced away mumbling, “Thanks, I’ll- uh, I’ll start thinking of some good questions.”

Pretending to fiddle with the dreamcatcher again, she asked. “So, I was going to ask before the brainteaser. You said Sebastian is into illusions and obviously necromancy.” She rolled her hand in the direction of the cottage. “Would have he have left behind an invisible watcher to keep an eye on Berry while he was away? Or was that yours?”

She stalked past him drawing a line in the ground between the edge of the forest and the field. “Soon as I crossed into the woods the feeling of being watched was gone. I hope it was yours, ‘cause whatever it was must’ve overheard my conversation with my family. I want to keep Sebastian as far away from them as possible. Especially if he’s stalking around Lost Haven.”

She peered over her shoulder at him, “I’ll be straight with ya’ Salamander. I want to stick around and help Berry. Helping you get rid of Sebastian will be hitting two birds with one stone. I know Lost Haven like the back of my hand, all the abandoned areas and spots where someone would disappear off the grid.”

The old man’s face hardened immediately, all traces of humour gone in an instant. “I do not use watchers, nor would I need one this close to where I am,” he said, voice full of concern. “As long as you mentioned no locations, it should be fine, but I would operate under the assumption you are being followed. It was probably Sebastian’s work, scouting his old laboratory.” His face creased into a frown, and it was several moments before he spoke again.

“Likely, if it has ceased watching you, it has gone back to report to him about the happenings here. He would likely suspect I would track him down eventually, but if it did not see me, which we can only hope to be so fortunate, he won’t have become nearly as defensive as he might otherwise. If it has spotted me, my task will have become that much more difficult.” He glanced at Charlie. “As is yours. You don’t happen to have any way of tracking down whatever it was, do you? Knowing my apprentice, it will be something physical, even if you can’t see it with your own eyes.”

She pursed her lips, “’Friad you’d say that. I mentioned to my family I was going to talk to a sorcerer who knew Sebastian, didn’t use your name. If he’s not an idiot he’ll prepare for anyone.” Charlie admitted. “I don’t really have the means to track magic objects, I mean I noticed it was watching me…”

She tapped her chin in thought, “If it’s a physical object, I can find it rooting around the cottage using this thing you gave me. You stay here while I go looking for it. The less the bastard knows the better.” She stood up suddenly grasping the dreamcatcher in her hand unhooking it from her staff. “I’ll have Berry leave while I look so she doesn’t set this thing off.”

“If all this thing can do is watch then it’ll have to watch while I ruin it’s day.” She grinned winking. She shuffled her mask up over her nose, set her hood up, adjusted the goggles over her eyes. Pulled on her gloves. “Nothin’ stays hidden forever.”

Fiddling with the radio on her hip she turned it up really loud, she found she worked best with some background noise, she spoke over it. “By the by, Salamander. The name isn’t Girl or Youngling. It’s Charlie. Now off I go to do arguably the most normal thing I’m probably going to do all day.”

The old man snickered. “If following invisible things around the coast of Maine trying to track down a necromancer to help protect magically created sirens is your idea of anything even close to normal, Miss Charles, then I may want to leave this town sooner than I thought. You know where to find me if you should need me. And if you come up with a good question.” With that, he sat back down and settled into the nook of tree roots he had been disturbed from and closed his eyes, for all the world looking like just an old man taking a nap in the woods. Excepting the sword, of course.

Mass Effect: Borealis

You see. This is why Serena admantly doesn't leave the hangar bay when everyone's asleep.

She's afraid of what she'll hear through Dex's doors.

@Rtron

Dex's sex life will never not be the butt of a joke. <3