11th January 2011
Wei cowered in the darkness of the dumpster, his heart pounding in fear. The sounds of the ongoing battle had stopped, and he held his breath, hoping that the E88 Capes would not notice him.
To his horror, the lid of the dumpster was suddenly ripped open with a surge of telekinetic force and he rose in the air, seeing the towering figure of Faust in his terrifying changer form. Wei whimpered, trying to go back into the corner of the dumpster, his eyes wide with terror.
"Please," Wei pleaded, his voice trembling.
Faust regarded Wei with an indifferent gaze, his voice cold and menacing. "We have an agreement, Wei. I plan to keep it and I suggest you do the same."
Faust leaned forward, his voice low and commanding. "The Empire 88 capes have fled, and Armsmaster is on his way. You will need to leave before his arrival. If you value your freedom, you will do exactly as I say."
With a flick of his hand, Faust indicated the direction opposite to where Armsmaster would be coming from, towards the territory controlled by the ABB. Immediately Wei dropped down on the ground.
"Go," Faust ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Leave this place. If you are wise, you will disappear into the night and never speak of this encounter to anyone."
Wei nodded frantically, understanding that his only chance at freedom lay in obeying Faust's command. With one last fearful glance at the towering figure before him, he scrambled out of the alley and fled into the darkness, his heart racing with fear and relief.
As Wei fled into the night, Danny focused his powers through the Crown, seeking to glean information from the young man's mind. With a surge of energy, he asked the Question, 'What does Wei know about the ABB and its members?'
Lost 1 Willpower-> Now at 3/7. Use the Crown of Truth.
Instantly, Wei's memories flooded into Danny's mind. He saw glimpses of conversations, meetings, and dealings with the Asian Bad Boys (ABB), the rival gang to the Empire 88. Wei had been a fairly high-ranking member of the ABB and was part of many discussions about the ABB's operations, territory, and plans. The biggest jackpot was the information on the ABB capes, Lung and Oni Lee and their plan to recruit a third.
Lung, also known as Kenta, was a powerful and infamous villain in the Brockton Bay. He was a tall, muscular man who could grow dragon-like features, including scales and clawed hands, which became more pronounced as he used his powers.
Lung, in addition to transforming into a dragon-like creature, also had a form of pyrokinesis. The transformation starts with small scales appearing on his skin and his body growing in size. As he continues to fight, he becomes larger and more draconic, with his strength, speed, and durability increasing dramatically. In his full dragon form, Lung is a towering, fire-breathing behemoth capable of immense destruction and fighting Leviathan in single combat.
Lung's power has a unique aspect in that it grows stronger the longer he fights. The more damage he takes, the more he heals and grows in power, making him a formidable opponent in prolonged battles.
Then there was Oni Lee. Oni Lee, a notorious villain, was known for his distinctive appearance, wearing a mask of a traditional Japanese oni.
His power was a form of teleportation combined with duplication. He could create up to three duplicates of himself, each with the ability to teleport short distances. These duplicates were indistinguishable from the original and can also create their own duplicates, leading to a rapidly expanding army of clones.
Each time Oni Lee teleported, he left behind a brief afterimage, making it difficult for opponents to track his movements. This, combined with his ability to rapidly create duplicates, makes him a highly elusive and unpredictable combatant.
Then he was hit by the final piece of information and Danny's heart sank at the implications of what he had learned. Lung was planning to recruit the Cornell Bomber, a notorious villain known for her destructive and indiscriminate bombings. A bomb thinker.
As the memories receded, Danny knew that he had gained valuable information that could be used against the ABB. With a sense of purpose, he turned his attention back to the arriving Armsmaster, knowing that the night's events were far from over, his mind already working on how to handle the hero. This night was far from over, and Danny knew that he would need to be at the top of his game to outmaneuver Armsmaster and emerge victorious.
Armsmaster raced through the city streets, his motorcycle roaring beneath him as he rushed towards the fight. As he rounded a corner, he caught sight of his quarry ahead, their figures disappearing into the darkness.
After the sheer chaos following Faust's total destruction of the Merchants and the Brockton Bay Drug trade, the PRT or more specifically Piggot vastly overextended, using the excuse of Parahuman powers to arrest the crooked cops and other Gang sympathizers who were named in the investigation. A laudable effort to clean up the corruption exposed in the various departments.
But angered by the overreach of authority, the Police and other departments struck back, publicly exposing a frightening amount of corruption in the PRT, running their name through the mud, or at least started doing so.
Though the Proctorate had been largely distanced from this, Armsmaster knew that he had to gain some impressive victories if he wanted to get out of this completely unscratched. Thus when the Light show appeared and reports of the Empire fighting Faust came in, he rushed to the fight. Determined to catch the Empire Capes, he pushed his bike to its limits, the wind whipping past him.
With a massive boost, Armsmaster's motorcycle soared through the night sky, crashing into the roof of the building where the fighting was going on. The impact was jarring and letting out a silent groan, he staggered to his feet, his armor battered but otherwise undamaged. He looked around, his eyes narrowing as he spotted Faust, in his changer form, standing before him.
Armsmaster knew that if he fought Faust, he would be in a tough fight. But Armsmaster was not one to back down from a challenge. Armsmaster approached the transformed Faust, his expression unreadable as he surveyed the scene before him. He noted the unconscious form of Rune, the imprisoned Victor, and a number of Red, spiky Gorillas.
"Faust, what is going on here?" Armsmaster demanded, his voice firm.
Faust straightened, his demeanor displaying a more serious, almost soldier-like bearing and nothing like what Velocity had reported. He looked at Armsmaster with a steady gaze, as if weighing his words carefully before speaking.
"Armsmaster, what you see here is the result of the Empire's attack against me," Faust began, his voice steady and authoritative. "I was attacked by Krieg, Fenja, Menja, Rune and Victor. I transformed and summoned the army" He gestures to the Red Gorillas, "and captured Rune and Victor. The rest fled the moment they knew you were nearly here. Thank you for that."
He gestured towards Rune and Victor. "Victor's capture was a tactical decision. He had no real powers beyond being skilled so capturing him was easy. Rune was tricker but during the battle, she fell from her platform."
Armsmaster listened to Faust's explanation, his mind working to separate truth from deception. His lie detector indicated that Faust was telling the truth about Victor's capture, but he couldn't shake his suspicions about Rune's fall. Faust's account seemed plausible, but there was a nagging doubt in the back of Armsmaster's mind.
"Thank you for the explanation," Armsmaster said, his tone neutral. "I will take both Victor and Rune into custody. As for you, Faust, I suggest you cooperate if you want to help Brockton Bay as you stated to Velocity."
Faust nodded, his expression unreadable. "I understand," he replied. "I will cooperate fully."
Faust then turned his attention to the Red Demonic Ape army. "The army you see before you is my projection." He waved his arm and the army vanished. Faust's revelation about the Red Gorillas being a projection took Armsmaster by surprise. Armsmaster's expression remained unreadable as he processed this information, his mind racing with the implications.
"I need your help with Victor though" Faust said, knocking Armsmaster out of his thoughts.
Faust's request took Armsmaster by surprise. He had expected Faust to be more antagonistic, but the independent Hero's willingness to seek his help was unexpected. Despite his reservations, Armsmaster knew that capturing Victor was paramount, and if Faust was willing to cooperate, he would take advantage of the opportunity.
"Very well," Armsmaster said, his voice firm. "I will help you subdue Victor. But I will not tolerate any further injuries on the Prisoners. Rune will need medical attention after this and you are lucky it was the result of her fall and not because of you."
Faust nodded in agreement, and with a wave of his hand, he released Victor from his prison as the earth shifted and walls sank down into the ground. Armsmaster wasted no time, swiftly moving in to sedate Victor before the villain could react. With a powerful tranquilizer dart, Victor was rendered unconscious, his threat neutralized.
Armsmaster then looked at Faust, his expression stern. "I need you to stop the light show and drop your changer form," he said firmly.
Faust nodded and with a wave of his hand, the changer form dissipated. The dazzling light parallelly show faded, leaving Faust standing before Armsmaster in his human form once more.
Armsmaster watched closely, ready to act if Faust tried anything suspicious. To his surprise, Faust compiled without resistance, his demeanor calm and controlled. Armsmaster couldn't help but feel a sense of respect for Faust's willingness to cooperate.
"Thank you, Faust," Armsmaster said, his tone sincere. "You've made the right choice. Now, let's secure the Prisoners. The Protectorate is on the way. They will be here in another five to ten minutes. We need to guard the Prisoners till they arrive"
"Before that, a Warning," Faust began, "Just found out that Lung is looking to recruit a tinker, a Bomb tinker. She's an Asian woman, University age. Recently was on the news as the Cornell Bomber."
Faust's warning about Lung's intentions regarding the Cornell Bomber caught Armsmaster's attention. The thought of Lung recruiting such a dangerous individual was troubling, especially considering the devastation the Cornell Bomber's bombs could have caused had they not been stopped by the New York Protectorate.
"A young woman of Asian descent?" Armsmaster murmoured under his breath, his brow furrowing in concern. "A bomb tinker... That could be highly problematic."
Faust nodded, his expression grave. "Indeed. Lung sees her as a valuable asset, someone who can provide him with the firepower he wants. You need to arrest her, quick."
Armsmaster agreed with that sentiment and knew that the information was valuable. With a nod of thanks to Faust, he activated his communicator, relaying the information to the PRT and requesting immediate permission to investigate the Cornell Bomber.
With that, Armsmaster turned his attention to Victor and Rune, preparing to take them into custody. As he did so, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Faust's story than met the eye. The truth would eventually come to light, but for now, Armsmaster had a job to do.
Knowing he would not get another chance, Danny used the power of his Crown on Victor and Rune, asking the Question, 'What does they know about the E88'
Lost 2 Willpower-> Now at 1/7. Use the Crown of Truth.
Instantly, their memories flooded into Danny's mind. He saw glimpses of conversations, plans, and secrets that the Empire 88 had kept hidden. Victor knew about the Empire's smuggling operations, their plans to expand their territory, and their dealings with other villainous groups. Rune, on the other hand, knew about the Empire's internal structure, their leaders, and their connections to other organizations.
With this newfound knowledge, Danny knew that he had gained valuable insight into the Empire 88's operations. Armed with this information, he could work to dismantle the Empire from within, striking at its heart and bringing about its downfall. With a sense of determination, Danny turned his attention back to Armsmaster, knowing that the battle against the Empire was far from over.
Note: So in other news, Armsmaster rolled surprisingly well in social combat. His Social algorithms troubled Danny more than Armsmaster normally would have but ultimately failed to a Social specced Exalt. Those +1s really came in handy
IC CHOICE TIME:
[] Pass on the information on both the E88 and ABB to Armsmaster anonymously.
-This preserves your anonymity but they may not take it seriously.
[] Pass on the information to Armsmaster as Faust.
-They take it seriously but as a result, all of Brockton Bay will know that Faust has some sort of thinker power.
OOC Choose 2: (Since you got info on ABB, E88 and punched people in the face, the ABB action and Go out and punch people action have become redundant. So You can choose two of the following)
[] Go in for Power testing.
[] Look up the Pros and Cons of being a Protectorate Hero. Maybe they are not useless?
[] Forge Alliances with Local Heroes, Procetorate
[] Forge Alliances with Local Heroes, New Wave
[] The Lawyer PI want to meet you. Apparently the Police Department has reached out to them and they told you that you kicked a hornet's nest, Especially with Brandish on the Warpath. They want to meet you, preferably this week. (NEW)
[] Faultline told you of some locations in Brockton Bay to make your Lair. Perhaps you can go visit them? You do not have the cash to buy them yet but at least checking them out will not hurt. (NEW)
