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Goblin Queen [Worm/Exalted] [Crosspost]

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Just thought of something here: The PRT is unaware that Dinah is a precog here right ? They think her power is Mr Fluffles, so this could be very interesting down the line, furthermore they have no idea at all what a behemoth is capable of and one directed by a precog of Dinah's caliber could be all manners of fun(Mr Fluffles vs Leviathan :D)
 
Nigel Isaacs said:
Just thought of something here: The PRT is unaware that Dinah is a precog here right ? They think her power is Mr Fluffles, so this could be very interesting down the line, furthermore they have no idea at all what a behemoth is capable of and one directed by a precog of Dinah's caliber could be all manners of fun(Mr Fluffles vs Leviathan :D)
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No direct precognition against Endbringers, though.

Also, the amount of (official) Masters among the Undersiders continues to increase.
Gotta catch them all!
 
Tanuki is still typings~ but in the mean time, have a...

Teaser~

​


Navigator, for her part, seemed content to simply look at the vehicles in the parking lot as we walked to the entrance of the building. Not that I could blame her, after all, there was the fact that Dragon had a new mechanical suit parked just outside of the lot.

The immaculate silvery white mechanical marvel was longer than a big rig with attached semi-trailer from the nose to the end of its tail and, despite outmassing a small house, rested easily on four legs. I could see the heat shimmers from the twin jet engines that rose above the shoulders. Between the twin engines or on top of the oversized jetpack was a single cannon with a massive wide barrel.

The jutting angular wings with their missile pods that were longer than I was tall seemed almost an afterthought in comparison to the cannon. And yet, looking at the weapon systems of the dragon shaped vehicle, I could help but feel a cold sense of foreboding. There was a sensation of cold relentless purpose there, one that held no forgiveness nor mercy.
 
Tanuki love teasing apparently, and they are good at it. Also for some reason I cannot help but to think that Dragon's weapon will make things go worse...somehow.
 
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    The morning came soon enough.

    If one ignored what lay on the horizon, the day was shaping up to be a beautiful day, with clear blue skies and nary a cloud to be seen. This was in fact an ideal picnic day even if one discounted that it was friday the thirteenth, and there was doom drifting from the east.

    The songs of the birds were absent this morn. To the west, the skies darkened with birds as they took raucous flight while beneath them animals with their keen instincts fled the man made forest of concrete.

    Those who could leave had done so, and those unable to leave had bunkered down within the shelters.

    Everyone had been informed, given pamphlets in the mail, in schools. They even handed them out in the malls. Telling people about emergency procedures. Warning of the dangers, of what to do, where to go in every city.

    In any given city, at least in America, there were numerous multi-level shelters built and spaced about evenly so that everyone could have shelters for a few hours to a day or two if the area the shelter was in was hit hard and the doors couldn't be open without the help of rescue workers.

    People using the shelters in the event of a disaster, could bring larger pets if they could be trusted to behave. They could bring only necessary medical supplies and what they could have on their person. They weren't suppose to drive as it would be too easy to have an accident and cause a traffic jam when the disaster arrived. Of course, there were always stipulations and exceptions to every situation, and those were listed in the pamphlets.

    The probability given by this Pythia had slowly increased from almost certain to virtual certainty with a ninety nine percent by dawn.

    Our breakfast was light, and we stepped out into a ghost town, or rather, we drove within a ghost town. The stores closed, the lights in the buildings off, the roads empty while the traffic lights blinked like the unthinking idiots that they were. Even in the storm drains that formed the streets of the underworld of Brockton Bay, there were none who yet tarried. If anything, I suspected that these were one of the first places to be abandoned, given the specific Endbringer that drew close.

    The clarion call of the air raid sirens had long ceased in the night, there were none within the city who did not know of what came.

    Reinforcement had come, we had checked the TV announcements and the online forums... a virtual army of capes had descended upon Brockton Bay. With the unthinkable amount of warning given this time, everyone could prepare.

    They could make a statement, saying that they were heroes. Even those not commonly thought of as heroes could step forward and declare that here they stood, here they fought...

    And to encourage this spirit of uniting against a stronger enemy was the truce.

    Because of it, even the most bitter of enemies could fight side by side without worrying, too much, of potential betrayal and the backstabbing. No, they just had to worry about the very likely gruesome deaths that they might experience at the powers of the Endbringer.

    There would always be the threat, the possibility that someone might see the Truce as just an unspoken agreement, something to be discarded at the earliest of convenience.

    One simple thing kept it sacrosanct. Going against it meant that when it came to light, and it would, everyone would come down on the offender. Be they hero or villain. To break the truce was to stand in the way of defending humanity against the Endbringers and the S-rank villains and monsters. It was to stand in the way of those trying to help in the face of a great disaster.

    Such a person, such a truce breaker, had no friends and would find sanctuary hard to attain.

    Which was why it was safe for us to simply drive to the meeting place in the plain white vans with the license plates removed, well... safe beyond the fact that we were, one and all, parahumans and thus possessing powers beyond mortal ken.

    Still, with the city virtually a ghost town, it didn't take long for Grue and Tattletale to drive us to the meeting place. While there weren't any civilians left on the streets, we did run into police officers who passed us sheets of paper.

    The paper, with its helpful label of 'Parahuman Response', had a picture of our destination in black and white and directions beneath it on how to get there. It wasn't that far from our base, being in the area that divided the Docks from Downtown. A short walk, as it were, from the Boardwalk and the Market.

    The radio also gave us the location of where capes could meet up to join forces. More than that, there were signs here and there directing us.

    I might have called it the meeting place, but it was more accurate to call it the rally point. It was a fairly nondescript building that might have been a warehouse originally before being rebuilt into a bunker. It was six stories tall, was constructed of reddish bricks that had browned with time, dark tinted windows looked out at the bay. The building sat alone on a grassy hill, with a filled parking lot next to it. The sandy beach on the other side of the building meant that when Leviathan struck, this was one of the first points to be hit.

    I could see PRT uniformed officers standing guard around the parking lot and entrance of the building. There were a few PRT vans in the parking lot, with turret-mounted hoses and armored exteriors. If that wasn't a good indicator that this was the meeting place, there was also the mechanical monstrosity resembling more a giant and heavily armored knight, with cannons rising from its shoulders, standing next to a group of trucks that resembled armored boats with their crew of motley... gangers.

    That the Merchants' vehicles were the least exotic vehicles in the parking lot was a good sign that we were at the right place. Thus, it wasn't surprising for our drivers, Grue and Tattletale, to park our vans in the available spaces.

    It was when we were exiting the vans, that we caught sight of a pair of sleek futuristic jets landed in perfect synchronization. Their sleek lines were reminiscent of twin-bladed katars with stub wings. At the sight of the pilots, or rather their tags of 'Player 1' and 'Player 2', I had to raise an eyebrow. The notion of Leet making multiples of anything that worked was certainly concerning. After all, he had a certain reputation of not doing mass production.

    "Looks like Leet and Uber were serious about things having changed," Regent spoke up.

    Grue nodded in response. "Seems that way."

    "Cheating tinkers, gotta love 'em?" Tattletale's comment seemed almost unwarranted, as Bitch lead her dogs out of the van where she had been slowly bulking them up. The slower transformation meant that they would last longer and made it easier for the dogs in general. It also showed in the way the van's suspension shifted as the dogs got out of the van.

    They were, still, not quite at the full size that Bitch could make them, but they were large enough for my goblins to start fitting oversized armor and ranged weaponry on them as their growth accelerated. Mobile artillery were a thing.

    "Cute, Tattletale, real cute," I found myself frowning at my blonde teammate. My one solace was that Madison, or rather Glitter Girl, seemed to agree with me on Lisa's comment given the way that she patted my back and went 'there there'.

    Navigator, for her part, seemed content to simply look at the vehicles in the parking lot as we walked to the entrance of the building. Not that I could blame her, after all, there was the fact that Dragon had a new mechanical suit parked just outside of the lot.

    The immaculate silvery white mechanical marvel was longer than a big rig with attached semi-trailer from the nose to the end of its tail and, despite outmassing a small house, rested easily on four legs. I could see the heat shimmers from the twin jet engines that rose above the shoulders. Between the twin engines or on top of the oversized jetpack was a single cannon with a massive wide barrel.

    The jutting angular wings with their missile pods that were longer than I was tall seemed almost an afterthought in comparison to the cannon. And yet, looking at the weapon systems of the dragon shaped vehicle, I could help but feel a cold sense of foreboding. There was a sensation of cold relentless purpose there, one that held no forgiveness nor mercy.

    Lost in my thoughts, I almost missed the click as armor plates in the chest opened up on unseen hinges to allow a cylinder to slide down and out. The armored woman who stepped out of the cylinder stood for a moment, looking out over the sea as the cylinder slipped back into the craft and the armor plates sealed shut once more.

    I saw what she was gazing at silently. A storm front lay to the east, an endless wall of dreary grey clouds that advanced upon us, hanging over the ocean with an opaque curtain of rain descending down from it.

    That moment of stillness passed as she too headed to the building.

    Entering as we did at the same time, it was hard to miss the polite nod directed at my team... or rather at me. It was an odd sensation, to see that polite nod, that acknowledgement of me as an equal by the world's premier Tinker.

    Behind us, there was a muffled thunderclap as a group of a dozen people appeared in the parking lot before walking in after us. A single man in a blue and black uniform and cap stayed behind before vanishing in a softer crack with air being sucked in to account for his displacement.

    The color scheme of those behind us indicated that they were heroes, their age meant that they were Wards from another city.

    - - -
    Goblin Queen | An ending can be a novelty experience
    Worm / Exalted
    - - -​

    We walked into the lobby. Rows and columns of folding chairs had been set up in the center, facing a trio of widescreen television. Beyond them were a series of windows that overlooked the beach and the advancing storm wall.

    While I would like to say that we cut imposing figures, dressed as we were in uniform black armored costumes with glowing highlights tailored individually to match our themes... we didn't truly stand out. Not with how filled the lobby was with people. No, with Capes.

    I recognized a number of them.

    Certainly, the Empire Eighty Eight were familiar enough to me, gathered as they were in a corner of the lobby with all the pomp and gravitas of a group clad in the mythology of the Norse. I found myself waving with a smile at my first victory, Hookwolf clad in a layer of his metal hooks and barbs. He didn't quite snarl before glaring at us. Bitch merely snorted in response dismissively.

    I wasn't too surprise to see the Merchant capes, given the large mecha and support crew of merchants outside. I had to admit to some surprise at seeing Skidmark present, given his capture not too long ago. Still, it was surprising the amount of capes there were in the Merchants. I had thought that there were only Skidmark, Squealer and Trainwreck. There were certainly new faces, or masks, in their group where they sat. The way Squealer looked at me seemed to indicate that she hadn't quite forgiven me for my cheating ways.

    The crimson and black outfits of the Travellers was easy enough to spot. As was the white themed outfits of the New Wave team.

    Given the situation, the presence of the local heroes wasn't really surprising. It would be more surprising to not see the local heroes in attendance. Skipping this fight would be simply unforgivable. Not just to the public but to those who one's reputation counted, the local cape community.

    As such, I wasn't too surprised to see Emma in the armored dress that she had won in the fight, The scarlet and gold armor that I had woven suited her, almost as if it was natural that she was clad in that raiment and armed with a giant metal slab that fancied itself a sword. That she was with Sophia or rather Shadow Stalker and the other Wards was surprising. As was the fact that she seemed to be familiar with them. Despite the talking, the bravado, the occasional laughter... I could feel the unease, the fear that ran within their hearts.

    The younger members of New Wave, the second generation, were near the Wards. Not a part of the conversation, but giving a sense of solidarity. I could see Glory Girl holding hands with Gallant, their feelings for each other was clear without words needed. Panacea sat by Glory Girl in one of the folding chairs, her expression neutral and somewhat tired as if she had been busy with something last night.

    The presence of the Protectorate was almost obligatory, even if I did need some time to spot them where they were gathered near the television screens. I could see Dragon who had made her way to Armsmaster where he was talking with Legend and Miss Militia. It didn't take much work to spot Alexandria in her dark costume. For a moment, a single moment, I felt awe. I was looking at two thirds of the Triumvirate.

    Alexandria had always been my hero when I was younger, what girl didn't dream of being her. I remembered watching all her cartoons, read her comics... it was something so obvious that Tattletale had bribed me with an Alexandria lunchbox.

    And yet, that awe eroded with puzzlement as I tasted the sensation of righteous anger, banked and simmering. Naturally, I turned to look.

    It appeared that the warning time given for Leviathan had done more than expected.

    Lung was present, as was Bakuda and Oni Lee. At least, I assumed it was Bakuda in the female form-fitting power armor laden with exotic munitions. Oni Lee was similarly laden with Bakuda's bombs. Beside them were a number of cases that one associated with military ammunition and weaponry.

    Still, it was Lung that worried me given that he seemed larger than expected, and there was a shimmer of heat between his hands.

    Every now and then, he would nod at a new arrival or group of new arrivals. They were obviously capes that he knew, given the way that they nodded back at him respectfully. And given some of the design of costumes and their language, they likely were capes from Japan or had Japanese descent.

    Even with a full showing of the heroes and villains of Brockton Bay, we were still outnumbered by capes from out of town.

    And yet, I found myself looking for the third of the Triumvirate. It took some time but I eventually found him despite the riot of colors and costume.

    Eidolon stood behind one of the television, looking out the window. His costume was still the same as when he had first shown up in the eighties; a blue-green skintight suit that expanded into a hood, cape and sleeves that covered his hands, The interior of the hood and sleeves weren't shadowy, but glowed a soft green.

    The Parahumans Online forum had a verses subforum where members debated who would win, who was strong. If it came down to a fight, who would beat who. And outside of actual cape fights, the results were never really conclusively settled. This really was an outgrowth of schoolyard discussions and debates, where kids debated long and hard on the merits of their favorites.

    In any given scenario, there was always the 'outside of those guys' and they got ruled out because they were too strong. They were the Scion.the Eidolon, the Endbringers... true, I technically could count myself in that ballpark, but then no one really knew of what I could do.

    I smiled and gave the others a look before nodding at Eidolon, indicating that I would be away from them for a bit. I had to admit to some curiousity to why the man that was considered one of the world's strongest beings was pensive and seemed to be trying to psyche himself up despite not feeling it. All this while looking at the advance of the Endbringer.

    Perhaps, there was a history there unknown.

    Myself? I sensed a story there.

    The nod I got from the others indicated that they didn't mind my going over to talk to Eidolon.

    The closer I got to him, the more I could feel his emotions. It didn't fit with what I knew of him, nor of what I could feel of everyone else.

    Standing next to him, I was suprised to find that I was slightly taller than he was. Still, I didn't look at him and instead settled for looking at the oncoming storm. "It's magnificent, isn't it?"

    Even as I spoke, I was mentally imaging... crafting a bulwark of crystal against the strike that Leviathan must even be preparing to send our way when he made land fall and established his beachhead.

    "How so?" There was no... curiousity, no outrage in his voice at my question. More simply an acceptance that I was there and talking to him.

    A novelty, that was what this day was turning out to be. To be held in equal status by capes who one would consider top dogs. Or at least being able to talk to such.

    I licked my lips as I continued to look at the wall of clouds and rain. "A purposeful advance? Letting those who would stand against it know that it comes? It comes because something draws it."

    "Mmmm, there is that," the soft reply from him seemed at odds with his reputation, more... it didn't fit his emotions. "But it also destroys everything in its path, or tries to do so."

    "Well... yes." Here, I had to shrug. "It and the other Endbringers exist to make a point. We might not know the point of it, but it exists. That they reflect our beliefs, that it's so easy for us to match them to our mythology and name them thus... I would say that their creator's philosophical commentary on humanity is kind of implicit."

    "You think that they're projections or creations of someone?" Now, there was curiosity in Eidolon's voice. "And that they're not parahumans whose power has become too strong for their users to control?"

    "It doesn't make sense otherwise," I nodded at the clouds in the distance, the rain not quite concealing the waterspouts forming above the ocean. If this was a story, Leviathan was likely rising out of the water as it slowly and relentlessly walked up from the depths of the ocean. Thirty foot tall and hunched forwards, looking like an inverted teardrop with a long sinuous tail over fifty foot long, and limbs that moved gracefully and with strength. Projecting out to the world that it was here, and that the world may not ignore it, for it was the very essence of the unthinking and cruel sea.

    "I suppose it's a possible theory." Eidolon's nod was something that I barely caught in my peripheral vision, before he turned to walk away from the window. His last words to me were almost too soft to hear, but they were meant for me... thus I heard him. "Just try not to destroy the city or the East Coast in this fight, Rose Knight."

    ....

    What.

    Just what.

    My surprised silence was natural. After all, who expected to be told to be not too destructive... by Eidolon of all people.

    And yet, the way he spoke. It was as if he knew what I had gotten up to when I had faced the Empire and put on the show for my liege.

    Still, if anyone who could see what I had done that night, Eidolon or perhaps Scion would be the ones I would lay good money on.

    With one final look and nod at the center of the advancing wall of greyness, I turned about and returned and sat with the other Undersiders.

    It was perhaps, fitting, that it was at this point that Legend moved to the front of the room by the bank of television screens with Armsmaster. The talking in the room quieted down as everyone looked at the pair.

    The clearing of throat by Legend got our attention. His voice was something that people paid attention to. "We owe thanks to Dragon, Armsmaster, and Toybox for this early warning. Project Pythia has given us the time to gather, to prepare. Hours instead of the normal minutes, if that. We've had to jump straight into the fray once too many times."

    "Now, with the preparation, the advantage of time, luck and teamwork from everyone, I hold the hope that this will be one of the good days," He spoke and looked at each and everyone of us in the room.

    Hearing Legend speak in person was something that couldn't be matched by the recordings. He shone with the brightest part of humanity.

    "But you should know your chances." The look on his face now was almost sad. "Given the statistics from our previous encounters with this beast, a 'good day' still means that one in four of the people in this room will probably be dead before this day is done."

    That was when the other shoe dropped. Really, it was something that I expected.

    That this would not be a cake walk. That we could die.

    Each and everyone of us. Fate and destiny were blind.

    But I refused to accept this.

    Not here, and not now.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Well now, very interesting so the merchants and the ABB are part of the fight here and I noticed that there was no mention of missing wards, speaking of which it seems that Emma is rather close to the group, so does that mean she got into the PRT or is it just because she is Sophia's friend ? It is alo interesting that Eidolon remembers the timeline that never was, wonder what consequences this may have down the line.

    Ah and I am also curious to see if the undersiders' new uniforms(because given their description the term fits more than costume)have added features beyond extra style and armor given what raskha are capable of creating. Oh and Halbeard and Dragon having collaborated with Toybox is a nice surprise too, and so is the fact that Leet's trick worked out for him, this will greatly raise his and Uber's profiles. Now on to the fight.
     
    Rose Knight: "Hey Eidolon, I want to discuss the psychology of whoever is projecting these Endbringers."

    Eidolon (Oh that's just great. The girl who chatted a ward into a second trigger wants to discuss psychology with me. How do I get out of this? Maybe drop that stuff I read in the secret files?): "Please don't destroy the whole East Coast this time."
     
    Nigel Isaacs said:
    Well now, very interesting so the merchants and the ABB are part of the fight here and I noticed that there was no mention of missing wards, speaking of which it seems that Emma is rather close to the group, so does that mean she got into the PRT or is it just because she is Sophia's friend ? It is alo interesting that Eidolon remembers the timeline that never was, wonder what consequences this may have down the line.

    Ah and I am also curious to see if the undersiders' new uniforms(because given their description the term fits more than costume)have added features beyond extra style and armor given what raskha are capable of creating. Oh and Halbeard and Dragon having collaborated with Toybox is a nice surprise too, and so is the fact that Leet's trick worked out for him, this will greatly raise his and Uber's profiles. Now on to the fight.
    Click to expand...
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    Well... Browbeat would like to have words about how HE is an important cape... what do people keep forgetting him?

    Also, unlike canon, the Merchants showed up because Squealer has an interest... oh god, does she have an interest.

    As for Leet.... I have another interlude planned out for Uber and L33t. They might be going legit... but they're still very much something...

    jerkface said:
    Rose Knight: "Hey Eidolon, I want to discuss the psychology of whoever is projecting these Endbringers."

    Eidolon (Oh that's just great. The girl who chatted a ward into a second trigger wants to discuss psychology with me. How do I get out of this? Maybe drop that stuff I read in the secret files?): "Please don't destroy the whole East Coast this time."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Rose Knight "I'm helping!"
     
    Biigoh said:
    Well... Browbeat would like to have words about how HE is an important cape... what do people keep forgetting him?
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    Who now ? there never was a ward called"Browbeat" :D

    Biigoh said:
    Also, unlike canon, the Merchants showed up because Squealer has an interest... oh god, does she have an interest.
    Click to expand...
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    To show up Rose with the wares she bought from good ol' Steve ?

    Biigoh said:
    As for Leet.... I have another interlude planned out for Uber and L33t. They might be going legit... but they're still very much something...
    Click to expand...
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    Curious to see what will happen with them.
     
    Well, seeing as how Biigoh gave permission in the other thread, I suppose I should post here to say that we have been given permission to post suggestions for Emma's "Cape name". Exalted-style naming thematics would be appreciated, but it isn't actually needed. I'll do my best to keep track of any suggestions made in this post until Biigoh asks us to stop or chooses a winner. ^_^


    SUGGESTED NAMES

    ShineUCrazyStar's suggestion:
    Princess Stabster
     
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    All the jokes about Emma being distaff Fighter from 8-bit theatre tickle me so I vote some variation of 'Princess Stabster'.
     
    Uber found a way for him to bypass his only once limitation: He had Leet build a Star Trek like replicator which would then be used to replicate everything Leet will make.
     
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