Holding Out For A Hero: An Original Superhero Quest

Dud Grenade Conclusion
"Well, she was burning down half of Southlake by the time I got here. Didn't want her burning down the other half" You say.

"Eh, fair enough" Sunspot says with a shrug. It looks like he isn't taking it as an insult, at least.

"You know, you don't look so good. I don't know how good Cape healthcare is, but I know some healing magic. You want me to patch you up?" You offer.

Sunspot looks at you for a moment, seriously considering the offer before shaking his head. "No thanks." He says, waving you off. "I already have health insurance. If the government's paying for my healthcare, might as well use it, right?" He says before wincing and holding his chest. "Yeah, I'm gonna feel that in the morning..." He mutters, just for a second, his smile disappears and he grits his teeth.

"Look, you had my back, and I appreciate it. And... I know you're good people. Better than some of the other psychos in this town like Stampede and Operatie"Look, I gotta call in that Artillery's been neutralized, but I can give you a head start."

You think about it. It's about as good a deal as you're gonna get, so you nod. "Don't get killed out there, alright?" You say.

The smile is back on Sunspot's face. "You too." He gives you the finger guns before he turns to fly off. "And hey, And, well, don't cause too much trouble, alright?"

Sunspot takes off in the direction of some still raging flames, and you go the opposite direction. Technically, there isn't a road out that way, but going through some overgrown trees and over a fense take you outside of the neighborhood and away from the police blockades. From there, you disappear into the night, heading for your dad's place to meet with Gwen and Adrian.


--------------------------------

20 Miles West of Crush City. Underground hideout.

The Bulwark, as it was called, was the Hub of all of Ordinence's operations in the Southern US and Mexico. The only people allowed here were the highest of the high of her organization, and the most loyal people. People who had bled for her, who had proven their strength and commitment, who she would trust above all others in her organization.

Right now, she was in her Planning Room. A screen showing a map of the US.

There were two other people inside of the room. One was a large, muscled man, older man with black white and red armor. The sides of his head were shaved and his hair was pulled back. He had a tablet on the table between them, showing Artillery being loaded into an Armored van, the kind of van reserved for Powered criminals.

"When did this happen?" Ordinence asked.

"About 30-40 minutes ago, boss" The older man said.

Ordinance frowned as her subordinates reported on the Hartford situation. A half a million dollar shipment of guns, customized guns she had worked hard on, plus one of her top lieutenants were captured.

"I think we may have a rat" The other man said. He was relatively younger, a somewhat overweight man who wore a large pair of glasses. "As soon as the shipment got to the city, half the police force was on her, plus a cape showing up soon after?

Ordinence thought. "We just lost a good woman. It's gonna take some digging to get someone to take her place" Ordinance really didn't mean half of what she said. She had learned a long time ago that in this business, that you need to look for people who were loyal, smart, and capable and that often the best you could do is two out of three. Artillery was Smart and Capable, but her loyalty was questionable. Not that she would turn on the crew, but she long since suspected that she'd been starting her own businesses and not cutting Ordinance in. And since she was brought down by a no-named tin can, even her competence was in question. And she wasn't about to stage a breakout for someone who couldn't even hit two out of three. "But breaking her out would be too risky right now. Most we can do is get one of our contacts in the legal system to try and reduce her sentence. Maybe get her transferred to a lower security prison." Her two subordinates nodded.

"As for the guns, we might be able to get the guns back, maybe." She said. "Half a million dollars worth of guns isn't going to walk out of the Evidence Warehouse, but if we have our people take one or two at a time, swap them out with conventional guns, we may be able to re-sell them. Though we won't be able to sell them to our high-end clients, we may be able to keep this from being a total loss."

"But" She added. "that won't matter if our shipments keep getting hit. And that was the third time in as many months someone came after us. The doctor tracking down our people when we stole those chemicals from her? That could be a coincidence. Our people getting ambushed in the desert during a sale? Unlikely. But this? Someone's leaking intel and I want to know who"

She turned to the older of the two men. "Shell. I want this leak plugged. Find out who it is and let me know.. I'll take it from there."

Shell saluteded. "Got it boss. I'll get it done." Shell wasn't a fighter, which made him stand out among most of her other Lieutenants. But he was smart and loyal. She knew he could trust him to figure out what the problem was so she could eliminate it.

"And Battery. We can't have some footnote take down one of our people and not do shit. It makes us look weak. I want you take care of him." She ordered.

Battery smiled. "Understood, boss. Any requests?"

Ordinence thought about it. "I want you to make him suffer. And I want you to make sure that he's found when you're done with him. I'll leave the rest up to you. Understood?"

Battery's smile widened and a dark look entered his eye. "Emphatically."
 
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Niiiiice

I guess this brings us to the attention of the local underground bosses. If we can keep alive and fight off this threat I'm sure others are going to start looking at us more.
 
One if the things that is probably going to help us a lot is that between good materials for our armor, super powered durability and our barriers - we really are kinda hard to put down.

And that people so far just haven't cottoned on to it being both magic and strength. Focusing on one just means we shift to the other.

Though I wouldn't mind picking up a new evasive or offensive spell.
 
Probably want better offense. Our defense had been pretty sufficient to any surprise attacks, but we hadn't been very good at putting down opponents quickly.
 
...
www. hartfordpulse.com/news/crime/calls-for-black-valkarye-to-be-fired
Family of Robber Calls for Black Valkarye to be Fired From H.A.R.M.

The family of a criminal is calling for an officer to be fired after his attempted robbery ended with his death. Earlier today, a criminal, now identified as Reese Bachelor, attempted to rob a credit union, but was unable to open the vault, despite his powers. After several minutes, the police arrived and surrounded the credit union, whereupon Bachelor took hostage several bank customers, occasionally threatening to fire magic missiles at the police.

At around 9:47, a H.A.R.M. vehicle arrived, carrying, among others, Black Valkarye. Once arrived, she attempted to convince him to surrender. Which he refused, and summoned a ball of magic.Black Valkyrie, who has the power to manipulate blood, caused Bachelor to experience a fatal hemorrhage. He was declared dead on the scene.

The family of Bachelor have called for her to resign. "Reese was a good man and a loving father trying to provide for his family" Said Myra Bachelor, Reese's wife. "He made a mistake, but he didn't deserve to die like that! This is not how the police should act in this town. If someone has to die, let it be a real criminal not someone who was making a mistake"

Police Chief Michael Warman, when asked for comment, supported Black Valkarye's actions. "We will conduct an investigation to ensure that our officer acted properly and within the bounds of her duty, and she has been put on leave until the investigation has reached it's conclusion"

Black Valkyrie herself refused to comment.

www.sonews.com/artsandentertainment/mortiz-art-to-be-displayed-in-hma
Mortiz Art Displayed in Hartford Museum of Art

In a controversial move, the Hartford Museum of Art has announced that it will be displaying several paintings created by Mortiz, a villain also known as Victor Cartwright. The paintings were donated to the museum by a private collector who had purchased the paintings prior to Mortiz breaking bad.

The director of the HMA, Gregory Shortman, defended the decision to host the work of a murderer. "All art deserves to be appreciated, no matter the origin. Once the brush hits canvas, it is no longer just the painter's creation. The work speaks for itself. I hope that people who come here will come with an open mind and leave any judgements at the door"

The paintings themselves, show flashed of who Mortiz was to come, with often disturbing, but well executed imagery. However, is remains popular with critics.

"I'm glad that the HMA is doing this" Fredrica Santa Ana a local art critic. "I've seen Victor's art before. 'Weeping Sky, Stone Angels, they've moved me to tears. I'm not justifying what he's been doing. And my heart goes out to his victims. But

The mother of one of Mortiz's victims, Cassandra Takacare was livid when he asked about the new exhibit. "That ******* took my baby away. What that animal did to him, it goes beyond words. And some snobby shits wanna put up some paintings and talk about how good an artist he was? I hope they all end up part of his next piece. Let's see how good an artist they think he is when they're hanging from some rafters by their ribs!"

The new exitibion is scheduled to open in November, while Takacare, as well as others are calling for protests.

Mortiz could not be reached for comment.
--------------------------------------
From: s.chen@gmail.com
To: harmonyestatesneighborhood@HE.com
Subject: Fundraiser Party

To everyone,

First off, I want to say that I hope that everyone is alright. Thanks to the work of law enforcement, and the timely intervention of a local Vigilante, we've managed to weather this without anyone in our neighborhood losing their lives.

But some people have lost their homes. Some were destroyed. Some were even partially burnt and are in need of repairs. And some of us don't have insurance, or don't have enough insurance to cover repairs, or tide us over until our homes to be rebuilt.

That said, a few of us are planning on having a party to raise money for repairs. Roman's bringing out the grill, and DeSilva's kids are going to be playing music there, and we will be having a raffle. If you have time this Tuesday and you have money to spare, please give generously.

Sincerely,
S. M. Chen.

-----------------------------------------------
From: s.chen@gmail.com
To: northwestsunset@gmail.com

Sonya, it's Scott. I'm sure you got the email for the Fundraiser. And that we have a raffle going on. We're trying to get some prizes for the. I know you have that metalworking business. If you have any statues that you're planning on throwing out, would you mind donating them to the raffle? I'm not asking for anything too large, just a few smaller pieces that you might have lying around. Any help would be appreciated.


Sincerely

S. M. Chen
[] Sure thing. I have a few pieces that I can spare.
[] Sorry, but I don't have anything to spare right now. I hope you find something though.
[] If you want, I could make some new statues for the fundraiser. Message me back, and we can go over what kind of pieces you want. -.25 Expenses
 
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[X] If you want, I could make some new statues for the fundraiser. Message me back, and we can go over what kind of pieces you want. -.25 Expenses
 
[X] If you want, I could make some new statues for the fundraiser. Message me back, and we can go over what kind of pieces you want. -.25 Expenses

EDIT: Also not to sound rude but maybe rewrite the story about Black Valkyrie. The part about the man taking a hostage seemed disjointed.
 
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[X] If you want, I could make some new statues for the fundraiser. Message me back, and we can go over what kind of pieces you want. -.25 Expenses
 
Sorry, I didn't mean to post this yet. I accidentally hit post reply.

... But since I'm here, could someone roll Diplomacy?

Edit; I am so sorry that I havn't updated in a while. There really isn't an excuse that I have. Good news is that I'm almost done with the newest update.

I just need to roll a collective fight check for the party.
Agent 99 threw 3 6-faced dice. Reason: Fright Check 11 Total: 10
5 5 3 3 2 2
 
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Saturiday September 20 th, 2015
You, Adrian, and Gwen are walking through your neighborhood towards the cul-de-sac that the fundraiser will be. The sun is starting to set, painting everything in a red tint. You have a box of small, statues under your arm, the metal clanging as you walk. The neighborhood looks nice, even though you were fighting just a few streets down. The houses on Rayburn Drive got the worst of it. Some homes had holes blown in them. Some were gutted by fire. That, and the hole blown in the street by the grenade and the cars that were totaled. Insurance will cover some of it, but you know that the companies will do everything they can to not cover something. Which is why you're doing this fundraiser in the first place.

As you're walking, Gwen is trailing slightly behind you, hands in her pants pockets and looking down.

"Do we have to go?" She asks.

"Now, cupcake, it'll be good to talk with some of the other kids your age." Adrian says. "Besides, you don't want to just stay cooped up at home playing with your tablet, do you?"

"Yes." Gwen says with a huge smile. You can only let out a small laugh, and that makes Adrian chuckle.

"Why do we even need to go anyway? It's just some stupid party" Gwen says.

[] "This isn't just some party. We're raising money to help people rebuild their homes. Sometimes, you need to help other people" (Possibly gains the Quirk Charitable. (You're acutely aware of other's emotions, and will go out of your way to help them. Roll a self control roll when you could render aid in order to resist the urge.)
[] "Everyone deserves a helping hand now and then, Gwen" (Possibly gains the Disadvantage Charitable. (You're acutely aware of other's emotions, and will go out of your way to help them, even if they're an enemy. Roll a self control roll when you could render aid in order to resist the urge.)
[] "Well, we all need to out of the house. We've only gone to work, school and home for a while now" (No effect)

Gwen just gives an exaggerated pout. At this point, it's about showing how much she doesn't want to go more than her not wanting to do. "How about this, we can stay for 30 minutes. If you want to go by then, we can leave, alright?" You say, trying to compromise.

As you keep walking, you cross the street, a black SUV starts to drive past. You find yourself staring at it as it slowly passes by. The windows are blacked out, and it's crawling down the street. For a moment, you think what you'd have to do if someone had found you were The Vigil. If the windows rolled down, and gun barrels stuck out of it. What you'd do if the door opened and a Super came out, or if that SUV had some hired assassin. Without, thinking, you find yourself clenching your fist as you keep walking, not looking away from the vehicle.

As you look at the back, of the SUV, you find relief as you see a sticker on the back that says "US MARINES: RETIRED" and you remember that that SUV belongs to one of your neighbors. It belongs to one of your neighbors. You're jostled from your thoughts when your phone starts to vibrate. Glancing at it, you see it's Jasmine.

'At the red light by the abandoned house. Be there in 3 minutes. You mind if I park in front of your place?'

"It's Jasmine. She's on the way" You say

You text her back, letting her know it's fine before putting your phone away and continue walking. About a minute later, you get to the place. A few people are already setting up. You can smell cooking meat from a large grill someone wheeled out. You see a group of teenagers setting up some amps and instruments. Mrs. Millenhoff is setting up a face painting booth, and you even see Rob bringing out a pair of paintball guns and some paper targets from his garage.

"It looks boring" Gwen says. "Do we really need to stay here?"

"They're just finishing setting up, Sweetie" You say, tussling her hair, to her annoyance. "Let's just see how things are in half an hour"
------------------------
About 45 minutes later, the party is in full swing. People started to trickle in until around 50 of your neighbors were there. Some you hadn't had a chance to talk to in a while. Some you wish you could avoid. But overall, you're having a good time. You and Adrian are by the grill, eating his 2nd and your 4th hot dogs. The band is belting out a cover of "The World Waits for No One" That doesn't sound that bad. The raffle's been a success, even if you're sad to be giving you're work away. At least the money is going to a good cause.

Gwen is sitting in the bed of a nearby parked truck with some kids from around the neighborhood, talking, occasionally showing each other something on their phones. She's smiling and laughing, but whenever she sees you looking, she puts on an exaggerated frown. You just chuckle. She isn't going to want to admit to having fun, so you just let her be.

"Hey, Sunny, I gotta show you something" Jasmine says as she walks up to the raffle table. Apparently, she's visited Mrs. Millenhoff's face painting booth, since her face has a classic blue domino mask painted on.

"Hey Sunny." She waves at you. "Hi Adrian" She gives a shorter, slightly more formal wave to Adrian.

"How's it going Kells?" You ask.

"Oh, you know, the usual." She says. "Overworked, underpaid, and the boss is talking about 'trimming the fat' again"

"Ouch. My condolences." Adrian says. "Hey, if you think you need an exit plan, I can talk to Millie for you. See if she still needs someone in IT."

"Well, good news, our Programming Analyst bailed, so the position's open" She said with a small smile. "So his loss could be my gain"

"Assuming she doesn't have a brother in law who needs the job, right?" You say, joking.

"Or if she doesn't decide to just push the job onto one us" Jasmine says sardonically, still smiling. "So, how are things at the shop, Adrian."

"Alright, so when we were working on this car, one of the other mechanics found a bag of-"

Before he can keep going, Jasmine's phone starts to make a series of rings. Frowning, she takes the phone out. A few seconds later, your and Adrian's phones get alerts as well. You take yours out, as some of the other guests have similar alerts on their phones.

You read the alert. Apparently, there's an incident at On Target Shipping, a place that's about 5 minutes south of here. There's a fight there between two gangs of criminals that's taking place there with some of the criminals are Powered. Civilians are being advised to stay indoors and to avoid the area.

The mood starts to sour somewhat as the alert comes. Some people start whispering. Some even start leaving. But most people seem to go back

But you wonder what you're going to do. You have been thinking about being more active as a Vigilante. Going out to fight crime more often. To take being a Vigilante more seriously. But with more crime fighting comes more risks, something you're acutely aware of.

[] Go out and fight (You decide to go out and fight crime more often)
[] Go out and fight crime more often. But not this time. Right now, you need to stay here.
[] Stay here. In fact, maybe you should lay low for a little while.
 
[X] "This isn't just some party. We're raising money to help people rebuild their homes. Sometimes, you need to help other people" (Possibly gains the Quirk Charitable. (You're acutely aware of other's emotions, and will go out of your way to help them. Roll a self control roll when you could render aid in order to resist the urge.)
[X] "Everyone deserves a helping hand now and then, Gwen" (Possibly gains the Disadvantage Charitable. (You're acutely aware of other's emotions, and will go out of your way to help them, even if they're an enemy. Roll a self control roll when you could render aid in order to resist the urge.)

I like my heroic traits.

[X] Go out and fight crime more often. But not this time. Right now, you need to stay here.

Mainly this one because I dislike the other two more.
 
[] "This isn't just some party. We're raising money to help people rebuild their homes. Sometimes, you need to help other people" (Possibly gains the Quirk Charitable. (You're acutely aware of other's emotions, and will go out of your way to help them. Roll a self control roll when you could render aid in order to resist the urge.)
[] "Everyone deserves a helping hand now and then, Gwen" (Possibly gains the Disadvantage Charitable. (You're acutely aware of other's emotions, and will go out of your way to help them, even if they're an enemy. Roll a self control roll when you could render aid in order to resist the urge.)
What's the difference?
 
[X] Go out and fight crime more often. But not this time. Right now, you need to stay here.
 
[X] "This isn't just some party. We're raising money to help people rebuild their homes. Sometimes, you need to help other people" (Possibly gains the Quirk Charitable. (You're acutely aware of other's emotions, and will go out of your way to help them. Roll a self control roll when you could render aid in order to resist the urge.)
[X] "Everyone deserves a helping hand now and then, Gwen" (Possibly gains the Disadvantage Charitable. (You're acutely aware of other's emotions, and will go out of your way to help them, even if they're an enemy. Roll a self control roll when you could render aid in order to resist the urge.)

Full agreement with @Oshha - interesting things for characterization. And it's not like we've not been playing like it.


[X] Go out and fight crime more often. But not this time. Right now, you need to stay here.

We have responsibilities on the home front - and being here is one of them.
 
[X] "This isn't just some party. We're raising money to help people rebuild their homes. Sometimes, you need to help other people" (Possibly gains the Quirk Charitable. (You're acutely aware of other's emotions, and will go out of your way to help them. Roll a self control roll when you could render aid in order to resist the urge.)

[X] Go out and fight crime more often. But not this time. Right now, you need to stay here.
 
[X] "Everyone deserves a helping hand now and then, Gwen" (Possibly gains the Disadvantage Charitable. (You're acutely aware of other's emotions, and will go out of your way to help them, even if they're an enemy. Roll a self control roll when you could render aid in order to resist the urge.)


[X] Go out and fight crime more often. But not this time. Right now, you need to stay here.
 
[X] "This isn't just some party. We're raising money to help people rebuild their homes. Sometimes, you need to help other people" (Possibly gains the Quirk Charitable. (You're acutely aware of other's emotions, and will go out of your way to help them. Roll a self control roll when you could render aid in order to resist the urge.)

[X] Go out and fight crime more often. But not this time. Right now, you need to stay here.
 
[X] "This isn't just some party. We're raising money to help people rebuild their homes. Sometimes, you need to help other people" (Possibly gains the Quirk Charitable. (You're acutely aware of other's emotions, and will go out of your way to help them. Roll a self control roll when you could render aid in order to resist the urge.)
[X] "Everyone deserves a helping hand now and then, Gwen" (Possibly gains the Disadvantage Charitable. (You're acutely aware of other's emotions, and will go out of your way to help them, even if they're an enemy. Roll a self control roll when you could render aid in order to resist the urge.)

I like my heroic traits.

[X] Go out and fight crime more often. But not this time. Right now, you need to stay here.

Mainly this one because I dislike the other two more.

Oshha, you picked both the quirk and the disadvantage. Please only pick one or the other.
 
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