Hound55

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG (Closed)

I should have some stuff up tonight. Taking my computer to work, so unless it gets uncharacteristically busy I should have a couple posts here.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG (Closed)

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG (Closed)

Isaac cut a path down the dark alleys, jumping mesh fences to get back to his car, when he sensed it. Movement just ahead, he heard a scraping of heels on the concrete, before seeing a dark silhouette move into the shadows of a wall up ahead. Isaac kept pace, but slid into the shadows himself whilst he put his balaklava back on.

A stick-up man. Less than 30 metres ahead.

Time to scare him straight...

Suddenly the figure stepped straight out of the shadows next to him, somehow he dropped right in Isaac’s lap. He’d never seen anyone else move that stealthily. But the attacker cared little for using it’s stealth, letting out a blood-curdling screech as it lurched for Isaac.

“Shit!” Isaac exclaimed, and threw a right cross as a reflex.

A sound like paper tearing, followed by what the Vigilante would come to know as a demonic howl, and Isaac then looked at his handiwork.

There was a lot out of the ordinary.

The first thing he noticed was that his attacker had wings, the second thing... well, he’d punched a hole clear through it. Third, he noticed that just above the new hole he’d created in his would-be assailant also had a pair of horns on its head. Granted, the third thing wasn’t so surprising when you considered the first, but it still generally bears mentioning as something you don’t generally see.

“How--?”

The beast crumpled and flailed its wings in agony, Isaac decided to finish it off before wondering what the hell was going on and did so with a second punch, this time punching right through its face.

It moved no more. Silence once again filled the alleyway.

“What in the hell are you?” He thought to himself.

But not too long. After all, Isaac had engaged in adventures with one who was blessed by the Archangels of God and flew around on angel wings with an “angel-fire” sword. It wasn’t two big a stretch to think he could be dealing with someone from “the other place” especially when he was looking at one’s battered corpse in a dirty, piss-smelling alley.

But if that was the case, and he was dealing with some kind of hellspawn demonic creature from Justin Bieber’s future home (come on now, let’s not kid ourselves... that’s where he’s going – probably be the least fun guy there too...) then how the hell did he dispatch it so easily.

Then he remembered what the alien said:

Alien creature said <Destiny is one of the few connecting points that binds the magical world to the physical world. Can’t have one without the other, and one can only exist with the presence of the other.>

Alien creature said <--Can’t have one without the other, and one can only exist with the presence of the other.>

Everything pieced together.

Isaac took his bare fist and held it in the hole he created in the demon. He stretched his fingers out and the hole grew, without his fingers ever touching flesh.

“Their machines... they work using magic. That’s why they wouldn’t work. I don’t have a destiny. Destiny’s a fundamental point of magic.”

He put the pieces together.

“I’m no longer a conduit... I’m not conductive to magic. That’s what it meant. I’ve never BEEN magic, but I’ve been open to its effects. Demons are inherently magical creatures.”

Isaac took a few seconds and literally punched and stomped the demon’s remains to nothingness before running on to the location of his car, only one block away now, whilst running the new revelations through his head.

He emerged from the alley out to the corner of a main road, and now clear from the close cover of buildings he saw it in the distance. The discoloured sky, the thousands of dark winged figures pouring up like a dark eruption. The near vicinity was mostly clear, a few demons were feasting on stragglers, but it was clear the demonspawn had mostly not reached the deep French Quarter of Lost Haven.

Then he saw his car.

His car with the young kid in the driver’s seat. And the seven foot demon perched on the bonnet like Satan’s hood ornament.

“Little punk’s tried to steal my car...” Isaac spat, running to the car.

The demon screeched on the hood, wings spread. Seemed a lot like the final act before it would plunge through the windshield and—

POC!

A small bolt pinged off the demon’s head, little more than an irritation, but more than enough to silence its fiendish howl.

“Gonna settle for the veal cutlet when you can have a whole beef tenderloin?” the metallic voice echoed through Isaac’s voice modulator.

The demon swooped from the hood of the car, flapping and screeching like a demented stork.

Once again the sound of tearing paper could be heard as he punched right through the devil, two halves slumping to the ground on either side of him.

“Yeah, you should’ve stuck with the veal. Beef does tend to be a hell of a lot tougher.”

Isaac walked up and tapped on the window. The boy was rolled over in the chair, arms over his face too scared to stare his fate in the eye. Still terrified of the demon which the boy believed would jump through the windshield at any moment.

“Oi! Kid!” he tapped on the window again.

The small boy in his early teens peeked out from behind his arms, surprised the beast was gone, he then looked to the window where Isaac stood. Isaac made a gesture to wind the window down.

The boy shook his head.

Isaac made the gesture again and scowled, before reaching into his pocket and holding up the car key for the boy to see.

The boy glumly nodded and wound the window down a crack, just enough that conversation could be clear and unmuffled, but not far enough that someone could get at the boy with anything.

“Of all the cars I could take in this city to get away from this I had to steal the broken piece of—“

Isaac cut him off with a simple command “Pop the hood.”

The small boy reached across and pulled the hood catch on the old sedan, and Isaac moved to the front of the car and lifted the bonnet. He plugged the battery back in and fixed the rotor distributor.

“Thought you could hotwire a car, huh?”

“I have! But this stupid piece of—“

Isaac saw a van come roaring down the street towards Armageddon, he squinted down the street and saw the reason why.

“Wait here...” he told the small boy.

Isaac waved down the van he had recognized to be a press van from its antennaes and extra equipment. The van pulled over to a stop.

“So... where are you headed?”

The driver looked at him, then the discloured sky in front then back to the figure in black.

“Really?” the driver sarcastically spat.

“Fair enough.” Isaac responded, understanding the foolishness of the question.

“Got room for one more?”

The driver and his co-worker in the passenger seat looked at him like he was an idiot.

“There’s a story in it for you.”

The passenger snorted, “Yeah, what story?”

“Something ranging between ‘Hero Saves City, Possibly World’ or ‘Costumed Idiot Dies Trying’...” he replied, pointing across the vehicle at the remains of the demon.

The pair looked across and saw what he was pointing at. “That was you?”

Isaac shrugged. The pair in the van looked at each other.

“Alright, hop in.”

“Yeah, just hang on a minute...” Isaac said, walking back to the car.

“Alright, here’s what you’re going to do, kid. I trust you wouldn’t try to steal a car if you couldn’t drive the thing, so you’re getting the benefit of the doubt. You’re going to take the East Bridge through Royal Park, then you’re going to keep going, here’s a fifty for gas and don’t stop til you hit you run out. If you see anyone trying to hitch a ride you pick them up and you GET THEM OUT. Got it?”

The small boy nodded.

“Go.”

The car was a cheap sedan, he’d paid cash and never signed the pink slips. His name was nowhere to be found in the buyer’s history, a necessity in the preservation of his other life. He’d get a replacement easily enough... assuming he lived through this.

He watched as the car did a full u-turn and burnt rubber tearing down the street.

Isaac walked back to the van, stopping only to eradicate one more screeching devil with a single punch.

The pair in the van looked on wide eyed.

“Might want to get the handheld out and keep it with you while this guy’s around...” The driver said to his passenger.

The rear door of the van slammed.

“Alright, let’s get going then.”

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG (Closed)

*Gestures at NeutralNexus*

"On yer bike, son..."

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG (Closed)

If you double post in the IC you have to do a lap of the forums with your pants around your ankles.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG (Closed)

A version of the Aquilifer (the current one's - as soon as I get another post up for him - grandfather) counts amongst their number but I have to sort things out with Raptorman before we find out about some of them (who may just cameo in that next post...)

Stay tuned...

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG (Closed)

Raptorman, flick me a copy of the WWII stuff youve come up with by PM as well.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG (Closed)

The original guild site was the second universe.

When Isaac was dragged into this universe, he simultaneously replaced this world's version of himself who was spontaneously hurled into another universe to "accommodate" him.

Basically in all the other worlds where he exists there's versions of himself getting pulled out and thrown into other dimensions at the same time he landed in this one.

He did quite a number on reality...

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG (Closed)

Done!

Hahaha

HA HA HA!

BAAAAAH HA HA HA!

Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty I'm free of that exposition-laden arc at last!

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG (Closed)

Previously... said
<‘What I’m doing’ was attempting to analyse your greater destiny with a mana-physical providence-scanner, so that we could gauge how big a threat you are.> The creature continued. <Only we can’t because you’re an [Searching for equivalent...] [Approximation: idiot, imbecile, dunce]! Every being has a greater line of destiny in its universe. Generally speaking, interdimensional travel puts a hold on that destiny, where it will still be in effect upon the being’s return.>

...

<No, you [Searching for equivalent...] [Approximation: idiot, imbecile, dunce]. Do you have any understanding about the nature of infinity? The likelihood of you ever returning to your home-world where your destiny will once again take effect is infinitesimal. It’s essentially the difference between 99.99 recurring and 100. It’s mathematically insignificant. It’s, for all intents and purposes, impossible!>

<We can’t see your destiny, because due to the nature of infinity, somehow in spite of the fundamental laws of magic YOU no longer have a destiny! Our damn equipment won’t work... so we can’t gauge your threat level!>

The creature went to a control panel and hit a button. The jar next to Isaac went through the floor and heavy glass or plastic security panels dropped from the ceiling and encased the dark figure.

<So if we can’t properly gauge your threat level, we can’t risk letting you go free. We may not be able to see it on the screen, but your destiny ends here...>

Isaac threw his palms up against the transparent panelling.

“Whoa! Whoa! Wait! Hold up! Hear me out!”

The creature seemed to turn to look at the man in black.

“Let’s just think this through... your superiors would NOT want you to hit that button!” Isaac tried to give as convincing a glare at what he figured was the creature’s eyes. Difficult considering the circumstances.

<[Searching for equivalent...] [Approximation: explain, elucidate]>

Yeah, Isaac, explain... and make it good.

“You are part of a peacekeeping force that is responsible for protecting the timespace continuity throughout the whole universe...”

<The multiverse.> the triggerhappy creature corrected, clearly unamused from the slow pace that Isaac was explaining his defense.

“The multiverse. Yes. And as said peacekeeping force you can traverse through time in your role. You view organisms destinies to gauge their threat level so that you can treat them appropriately...”

<Your grasp of the situation seems correct, but this is getting tedious...>

“...so it would seem to me, the only reason why such a peacekeeping force would exist, is because somebody has foreseen a set end of the multiverse. There’s a legitimate fear that somewhere out there is someone who’s pre-destined to end all existence.”

<Yes! And that might be you! Which is why..!>

“No! It’s not! You just stated it yourself. I HAVE no destiny.”

<No SET destiny... which means you’re liable to do anything! And in the absence of anyone who HAS got such a destiny...>

“But what if there’s not..?” Isaac offered, a wry grin shining through his black balaklava.

<What??>

“What if there isn’t an absence? You’re out there looking for a truly malevolent force. Someone who seeks to destroy all we know and care for... what if that’s still out there?”

<Then we will find it. We will find it and it shall feel the full force of the...>

“And it will make no difference.” Isaac stated matter-of-factly.

The atmosphere seemed to thicken. With just that observation Isaac felt the control of the entire situation swing.

“...after all. It’s destiny. Isn’t it? Whatever that creature is, it has its destiny that it will succeed, and your little team of intergalactic Superfriends is destined to come up short.”

<You can’t seriously think we’d be willing to let someone as potentially dangerous as you to walk free though, surely? You can’t think we’d let you off of this ship.>

Isaac would have to play his hand carefully here, it was clear that to some extent the creature was trying to save face and not be seen as easily manipulated by such a mediocre species as that which Isaac belonged to... but maybe he could use that to his advantage.

“Honestly, I’m surprised you’d consider anything else. You’d cart me around throughout space and infinitely more advanced worlds, thereby risking my escape onto a world with enough technology available that I could potentially ACTUALLY do this damage you’re worried about? Compared with the alternative which is to dump me on my “primitive” level natural environment. A primitive level environment which 'hasn’t even mastered FTL travel or solved its own energy crises?'” Isaac gave a wry grin.

Got ya, you disgusting blob sonovabitch.

The creature started to consider a way to wrangle back control. <But hasn’t your species been experimenting with off world travel.>

“Well, yes. That’s true. In 1969, um... 45 years ago, we went to the moon.”

One of the other creatures started making the strange gurgling noise of rushing air, not unlike a belch or fart which he’d heard before, Isaac interpreted it as laughter at humanity’s expense and that was just fine with him now.

<You only reached your [Searching for equivalent...] [Approximation: natural satellite, moon] [Searching for equivalent...] [Approximation: 45 years] ago?!?>

“If these things you use to translate work properly, then yes. It took just over a week for the crew to get there.”

More gurgling came as the aliens calculated how slow the spacecraft must have travelled what seemed, to them, such a meagre distance. Isaac didn’t take his eyes off of the creature with his finger at the button whilst the others laughed.

<I’m inclined to agree with him. The safest place for him is back on his own world. That way we know where he is and what time to use as a reference for him should we ever need to call on him again. I mean, what harm can he do there? Smash the timespace continuum with a rock?>

Isaac still didn’t avert his gaze.

<I... agree.>

The arrogant trigger-happy creature caved.

<There will come a day, when we will call on you again. We have basic data of your physiology. Your basic life expectancy, probable age period of your physical prime. You will be expected to serve the multiverse. But until that time... it would seem your natural habitat would be the most [Searching for equivalent...] [Approximation: humane, ethical] place for you. We shall return you to the time and place we picked you up from... Before we do, are there any questions?>

“Just one. I seem to have unwittingly travelled to a third world - separate from the first two. How can there be any explanation for that?”

<I don’t have time to explain all of the ins and outs of 4th dimension cosmophysics to you, but I’ll just say the multiverse is neither infinitely flexible, nor perfectly brittle.>

“What does that mean?”

<It means that while different worlds can tolerate SOME change, the amount of change from that second world’s natural course was so great that THAT specific universe could no longer accommodate you.>

“So it responded by dragging me out arsebackwards and throwing me into a different universe??”

<Well... no... universes aren’t sentient beings. That world couldn’t tolerate the change you’d undertaken. As you continued to exist, your actions worked against others greater destiny, so basically the multiverse had to generate a fresh [Searching for equivalent...] [Approximation: paradigm] and play musical chairs. You got shifted to this universe where destinies were changed. Your actions would by definition instigate the destinies of others in this new world and alternate versions of you were likely shuffled to alternate worlds which better allowed for cohesion as well. It seems likely tha--> The creature stopped, and paused for a second as if he just realised he’d been trying to teach the intricacies of contemporary political philosophy to a toddler.

<You know what, if it helps you understand it better, sure think that. “The universe responded by dragging you out arsebackwards and throwing you into a different universe.” Go with that.>

Isaac thought about it, his presence was enough to “Break” a universe? To get himself evicted to a whole other world?

<Anything else?>

“Yeah... that whole dig about magic and destiny?”

<Destiny is one of the few connecting points that binds the magical world to the physical world. Can’t have one without the other, and one can only exist with the presence of the other.>

“So... wait? I was magical before and I didn’t even know it?”

The creature gave that damned familiar derisive gurgling sound again, Isaac could have sworn he heard the same collection of grunts and clicks that would translate approximately into idiot/imbecile/dunce, before the headpiece was removed and he was sent hurtling back to earth.

Isaac’s feet gently hit the ground as if he hadn’t just been travelling faster than any other human being in history only seconds earlier. And his legs buckled and he dropped to his knees and vomited behind garbage cans.

He was back in the alley he had just run into when the aliens had picked him up.

Isaac cleared his head (having just emptied his stomach) and his mind raced, trying to take in everything he’d just been told.

“How long had he been gone? Could all of that have really happened? Could it really be true? He was thrown into another new world because the last wasn’t able to accommodate him? How could this world have come into being in a way that was MORE capable of accommodating him?” The questions outnumbered the answers and flashed across his mind. Suddenly his hip spasmed and he grabbed at the cause. His phone, set on vibrate had just gone off a number of times as if he hard a large number of messages. Isaac checked the alley was all clear before removing his balaklava. He quickly removed and stowed his over-clothes in his pack before grabbing his phone and briskly walking to where he’d hoped his car would still be parked.

He noted the date, and just how much time he’d missed - despite feeling like he’d only been gone fifteen minutes, before accessing his voicemail messages. First was Tony Morris, it was an address for the place he’d apparently rented to stay in, central east side just inside the French Quarter. Well, at least he had a bed without needing a hotel room. The second message was also Tony.

It was a lot more unusual.

“So yeah, it’s me again. Everything’s been organized as you asked. LHU is having an open day for prospective students for the next semester, but I managed to convince them to allow you to start early. Well... money does that. They’ve said they’ll email you your course guides and other relevant material and documentation, they’ve suggested you still go in for the open day since it’ll help you find your way around campus.” Isaac took his ear away from the phone and looked at it incredulously. “Speak to you soon.” And the message ended.

There were two more messages. Both were Tony getting increasingly irritated that Isaac hadn’t returned his calls.

“Well, at least I don’t have to worry about coming up with a cover story.” Isaac pocketed his phone and picked up his pace through the alleyway.

“I don’t know whether pre-Me is a genius or an idiot...”