Rising to the Call

The first night had been a disaster and you weren't afraid to say it. An utter catastrophe of the worst order that only luck had saved you from getting killed or worse.

It was only a day after you convinced Grey and Bobby to contract with you and to keep your nerve up you went out without properly figuring out what you could do. Grey's skill percolated into your mind and when combined with his active advice and your own deductive reasoning you were able to find a gang of Glasge easily enough, it was what came after that was the problem. You'd shadowed them, gathered evidence as they'd walked, your eyes piercing the night with comical ease, until they arrived at a poor butchers near Cowgate and started to demand money for "insurance."

As the poor man clearly couldn't pay they began to get angry until at last one of them head butted him...hard. The audible crunch of bones roused you to action as you leapt into combat, your and Grey's anger activating your spiritual form for the first time, punching a hand into the gut of the man who had laid a hand upon the butcher...and then going through it without any resistance.

And so you stood there, hand within a man's stomach as the group of thugs stared at you in awe inspiring fear, and you stood there desperately trying to catch up with what you just did...and then they started screaming.

Quite reasonably it must be said, you were considering doing the same, but their leader was the one that pulled a service revolver from his pocket after looking at the arm protruding from his belly and fired two shots into your head. Both of which went straight through, even if the blast deafened you.

It seemed like watching a ghostly woman take two bullets and not even flinch was enough for the criminals because they started to run, and after a moment's hesitation, you let them go, choosing instead to attend to the butcher, tending to his broken nose as best you could before returning home for the night trembling and terrified.

Grey was beside himself with fury within your mind, bellowing about how you nearly got yourself killed with outrageous over confidence while Grey simply whined concernedly. He wanted to void the contract between you then and there if it seemed like all you were going to do was get yourself killed, but with much convincing you managed to get him to stay.

But, he was right, running in was just going to get yourself killed and without knowing how your powers worked you were just going to end up killing someone else...or worse activating them when you didn't want to, and so you suppressed the instinct to go out into the night and trained.

And so you simply laughed at the headline of "Criminals scared away by ghost" with your family, taking in the gentle warmth of the smiles they had so long forgotten. They did not need to know that in the back of your mind you were practising the techniques shown to you by Grey, while in between seminars and in back alleys in the dead of night you unraveled what you were truly capable of.

Complete insubstantiality. It was incredible...you were basically beyond harm in this form, and you could touch others with a bit of effort. You could pass through walls, hit people and be completely immune to their counter attack. You may have to hold your breath as you went through objects completely, but that was a small price to pay.

And then there was Bobby.

The sweet little Dog had mostly kept you company within your mind, sleeping almost all the time, until the night of your second outing. This time it was against a group of the Consortium and you were doing much better, the thugs unable to attack you reduced to fleeing in terror at your presence covered in bruises...but not much else.

You just didn't have a means of bringing them down.

Then you were suddenly very solid, as Bobby sprang forth from your chest, incorporeal and charging with a thunderous bark far beyond what the little Skye Terrier should be possible of, biting at their ankles and bringing them to a halt, corralling them into a terrified ball that she easily restrained.

And for the last few weeks you'd worked like this, attacking the Consortium and the Glasge, harassing them, gathering evidence of their operations to pin upon the groups you targeted, growing more used to your powers. Eventually you'd managed to cow entire small groups into giving up without a fight, even getting one to confess their crimes to the police and now...now you were ready and at a pivotal crossroads.

"Tonight's the night lassy?" Grey's echoing voice boomed from within her head as she strode across Waverly Bridge, the stars shining down on her from the sky above. "No turning back after this. You've just been nippin at their heels before."

"Nipping?" You respond bemusedly "I've done more than nip Grey, there's dozens of them in jail because of what we've done."

"Nae. You've gotten a lotta em arrested, but ya nae gotten many in jail. Lassie evidence from a Vigilante is circumstantial at best and even then there's always more where they came from." He seemed somber, about that, but he had been a Nightwatchman most of his life. He'd know better than most that just putting some criminals in jail didn't change much. Even so you couldn't not believe that they weren't being put away...right?

Sighing you stopped, practically in the middle of the bride taking the chance to look over Princes Street Gardens, the rolling fields picturesque even against the inky darkness.

"Yes...you're right. But I can't stop now. They won't."

The statement has an awful finality to it, as if you yourself have signed a contract that will haunt you till your dying days, but if that is so then it is one you will shoulder willingly if you can prevent even a single death.

It would have been better if you knew anyone in a similar situation, so far the only rumours of another person with powers were a supposedly shape shifting woman all the way down in London...and most people dismissed that out of hand with good reason.

Grey sighed within your mind, but the veteran lawman seemed to have accepted by now that he wouldn't be dissuading you. "Alright then you young thing. More confidence than sense, but I guess that's why you have me."

Laughing lightly, you started to move again, reviewing what to do, as the evidence you had anonymously mailed to the police pulsed in the back of your mind.

In the course of your investigations you'd found that both the Consortium and the Glasge were having big meetings tonight. The Consortium was getting reinforcements of men and money from Newcastle to reinforce their flagging influence, while at the same time the Glasge were having a big recruitment evening with Kisser himself in attendance.

It was quite the coincidence and both would be massive prizes if you could successfully hit one of them. The Consortium's influence was weakening, this could be their death blow, but the Glasge were skilled and if given a chance could burrow in like ticks and be incredibly difficult to extract…

Grey was of the opinion that either was effective, so would leave it up to you, but was glad that you'd sent the information to the police. You could only hope they'd believe it and follow up.

And so you turned

[] [Hit] Waverly Station: The Consortium's position is too vulnerable not to take advantage of, and if they're allowed to reconsolidate then they could start a true gang war that could threaten many lives.
[] [Hit] Arthur's Seat: The Glasge are proving everyday that they may not be as established as the Consortium, but they're even more ruthless to make up for it. While its likely Temple will attack them, the fact remains that they're intent on staying and as long as Kisser is here that's not going to be changing.

Mind made up you started walking towards your target, feeling incorporeality swathing your being like a calm breeze, Bobby rousing from his sleep to yip excitedly at your side.

"Just one more thing, lassy, you finally decided on a name?" He sounded genuinely curious as he asked, and it was a reasonable question.

For the last few weeks the press had been calling you all manner of things, Spectre, Ghost, Poltergeist, even Banshee. But you'd decided to call yourself.

[] [Name] Write-in
[] [Name] Lady Ghost

And wear

[] [Costume] Write-in

To further hide your identity.
And so with a steady heart, you marched from the fearful imagination of the criminal masses, to become a very real legend in people's hearts.

Alrighty then this is the last part of the origin generation, handling costume and name, but its also when you choose the target you want to go after hard for now.

If you want to come up with a description of our young lassie too, be my guest and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

And with that let us hail Lord @Oshha

Although you had two very tempting targets you chose the Glasge and for a reason that made Grey sigh in disbelief. Intuition.

Both the Consortium and the Glasge had their advantages and disadvantages, and punishing either of them would be good for the city. In fact the benefits were so good that they were practically even. But you chose the Glasge, because...well something was off.

The Consortium was powerful, it was old and it had a level of resources that put any petty crime gang to shame. The residents of Glasgow maybe infamous for their level of ferocity, that alone wouldn't have been enough to turn them into a group capable of pushing the Consortium out of their city entirely...so how had they done it? Why were they a growing rival and not merely one of the dozens of minor gangs the Consortium regularly persuaded to act as their fronts?

That was your intuition and it shut Grey up as he pondered it seriously, before acknowledging that you might have a point, something is off about this, badly off.

So you cross the bridge ignoring the train station where you know a massive haul of weapons and laundered money will be arriving and stride into the depth of the old town, ignoring the smell and keeping to the shadows so your dress won't attract too much attention. It may not be strange in the new town, but here it would stand out...and you've attracted unwanted attention before, without dressing in something nearly as interesting.

As the lines of houses part into green meadows that still surround the small mountain and its surrounding foot hills, you look up at Arthur's seat straining your eyes to catch any sign of movement, but give up, instead looking around to see if there's anyone moving towards the seat that seem...out of place...and sure enough you just catch a glimpse of a group of rough looking men moving towards a pathway.

Trusting you've not yet been seen you sigh and allow your power to flow through you.

Its like settling into a warm bath if you're being honest, as your form takes on a wavy, slightly translucent state. Not the pearlescent glow that it is usually, but that interferes when you're trying to be sneaky. But in any state its more than enough to hide your identity even without the domino mask you slip into place to cover your face.

"Alright then. Grey let me use your power. Insubstantiality for now."

"Right you are lass. Lets get em, and be careful."

Checking it works you place your hand upon a tree, and push against the pressure, but instead of resisting you like a normal piece of wood, you find your arm going inside it with only a little bit of effort.

"Have some faith you worry wort."

Ignoring his grumbling within the back of your mind you start moving down to the path the group was taking and try to deduce from it where they might be going on the mountain. Somewhere isolated, and somewhere secure...not on the Edinburgh facing side of the mountain that's for sure...it was something, but not enough...but you knew Edinburgh well, and the geography of the area.

There were several places, but one of the plateaus on the top seemed most promising.

Not exactly the kind of place people would go to in the dead of night, and far away from any law enforcement, or rival crime organisations without needing to go into the effort of hiding safe houses or anything. Just a matter of distance.

Elegant, if unfortunately placed.

As best routes up the mountain were effectively paths worn into the rock and you didn't trust yourself to climb up...and as you couldn't turn into a bird or swoop through the air like "Fairy Knight" apparently could that meant you needed to go the old fashioned way, and thus the same ways as the Glasge.

Struggling as you went to climb the very steep path, you began to move up, holding to Grey's lessons and your own experience to try and hide and were even feeling pretty confident in yourself.

Until you came face to face with a yawning Glasge, taking a puff on a cigarette whose eyes widen to the size of dinner plates as you appear, looming out of the darkness.

And so he screams, and as he does he inhales his cigarette and as he does that he coughs...and he screams more.

Practically falling over himself as he turns and runs away up the mountain, you sniff and grimace at the sudden stench in the air as you continue your march up the mountain, at a far faster pace, listening to his screams as you went.

Finding where they were was no longer a problem at least.

Allowing the pearlescent aura to flow back around you, stealth no longer required as you had been seen, you summited the mountain, looking over the shapes of nearly fifty assorted thugs yelling at the man you had surprised while three mountains of muscle stood around bellowing at the top of their lungs in slow, dull voices to try and restore order…while striding towards you already was a short stocky man with an evil grin.

Then one of them must have noticed your presence, because he yelled and pointed, the lookout turning white again as the Glasge thugs all turned to look at you, while the man simply came up to you, eyes screwed up looking at you, as you remained silent waiting to see what would happen.

"Sae ye'r th' critter wha's bin scaring mah wee jimmies."

His accent was so thick you weren't even sure he was speaking english, but before you could get a word in he reached forward and launched his head forward.

You barely saw his head move as it flashed straight through were your neck would have been if you had not been insubstantial. As it stood, he instead went straight through you, head first stumbling slightly, but righting himself with practised ease.

"A'richt that's freish ah will gie ye that. Oy Mackie, looks lik' ye ain't blootert efter a'!"

As "Mackie" yelled back at him he simply went to crack his neck as you your fists into a boxing position and punched him square in the face as hard as you can, with what would be a very satisfying smack if you didn't feel like you just punched a steel wall.

Gritting your teeth beneath your mask you don't let them see the pain coursing through your hand as the man's head snaps back, a single tooth spat from his lips as he shakes his head slightly, before snarling.

"Alright then. Wee jimmies shaw this wee lassie howfur we treat wannabies. A'body punches her oot gets tae be a toughie na test."

Despite his statement, the thugs don't lunge at you. They're visibly disturbed, perhaps at the fact you're still standing, perhaps because you actually hurt a man you can only assume is Kisser, but they're not rushing you, and one even starts to pipe up.

"Eh Kisser, urr ye sure that." His voice was cut off as the now positively identified Kisser rushes the man, picking him up by the scruff of the neck and bellowing into his face, as you start walking towards the group.

"Of cours a'm bloody sure, ur yer lugs bunged up, or dae ah hae loosen em up wi' a winch?!"

With that he turns and throws him at you, but he just goes through you in your still incorporeal form, landing wheezing on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Git in thare ye boggin' bastards, or ah will mak' sure yer maws wilnae ken th' bodies!"

They're trapped between you, terrified of the known threat of Kisser and his three toughs, but they're freaked out by you and what you represent, an unknown force that can touch them and not be touched in turn…

What does Lady Ghost do?

[] Fight: You're uninjured and have an overwhelming advantage in insubstantiality, or you can bring out Grey and Bobby.
-[] Fight Kisser and the Toughs: The leader and undoubtedly the largest threat here.
--[] How do you fight?: Write-in
-[] Fight the thugs: The this meeting was supposed to be an induction, terrifying them will reduce the numbers the Glasge have, but there are a lot of them.
--[] How do you fight?: Write-in

[] Convince them to run: They're wavering already. Get them to run.
-[] Convince how: Write-in

[] Call it a night: There are a lot of guys here and you weren't expecting this. Magical powers or not, time to call it a night and plan your next move.

[] Other plan: Write in


Lady Ghost is unharmed.

Kisser is at -1 Toughness.

Tough Aon is unharmed.

Tough Dha is unharmed.

Tough Tri is unharmed.

50ish Glasge Thugs remain.

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You guys are so lucky Kisser isn't magic.

Alright how do you wanna play this then?

And all praise to @Oshha