Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
Fine. Hmph!As if I care what you're going to say.
*turns away and slams the door*
Magical Girl Escalation Taylor (Worm/Nanoha)
- Thread starter Silently Watches
- Start date
*turns away and slams the door*
[X] Light in the Darkness – Purity is one of the strongest Blasters in the country, and more than once you've heard her be referred to as "evil Legend". This is not someone you can afford to let go unchallenged, even if she hasn't been seen in Nazi company for a while.
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
Nobody's spoken up for almost 22 hours, so I should be safe to call it.
NEXT ACTIVITY
[X] Light in the Darkness – Purity is one of the strongest Blasters in the country, and more than once you've heard her be referred to as "evil Legend". This is not someone you can afford to let go unchallenged, even if she hasn't been seen in Nazi company for a while.
No. of Votes: 31
-[X] Try communication before combat.
No. of Votes: 7
-[X] Challenge her to a duel. This town isn't big enough for the two flying batteries.
No. of Votes: 1
[X] Endangered Species – You asked for powers with which to eliminate the gangs. You even received the powers of someone who apparently had made it her life's work to do the same. It's long past time you got started on fulfilling that promise. Find a gang and wipe it off the map.
No. of Votes: 18
-[X] The Merchants
No. of Votes: 11
-[X] E88
--[X] Focus on Stormtiger first, you want to eliminate their fliers and Blasters before you work through the rest.
No. of Votes: 4
[X] Eye of the Tiger – Spend your free time in the training simulator
No. of Votes: 12
-[X] Rust Shooter.
No. of Votes: 3
OTHER STUFF
[X] You've been keeping a lot from Danny, now and for a long time. You need to stop it, and this info on Coil can't stay secret. (various phrasings)
No. of Votes: 43 (70%)
[X] Contact New Wave and coordinate with them and the Privateers about Coil. (rewritten to say what you presumably meant)
No. of Votes: 16 (26%)
Total No. of Voters: 61
Light in the Darkness, and a chat with Danny. Should be doable.
I don't know exactly when I'll get this chapter out. This weekend and next week will be spent moving halfway across the country into my new house where my residency program is, so if I get it done during the drive, I should have it posted Sunday or Monday night. If I don't finish it by then, it'll get posted when I find the time.
NEXT ACTIVITY
[X] Light in the Darkness – Purity is one of the strongest Blasters in the country, and more than once you've heard her be referred to as "evil Legend". This is not someone you can afford to let go unchallenged, even if she hasn't been seen in Nazi company for a while.
No. of Votes: 31
Twei
Citino
Corypheus
jwolfe
KaneTW
KhazintheDark
Leanansidhe
Nalsala
Nidhogg
Planguy
Reinholdt
santtu1976
shade argost
Shulta
werehippy
zeromass
IMCRAZY64
Always Late
Archeo Lumiere
Bomrek
Captain Hunt
jwolfe_beta
LokiTheDarkGod
MrLZRS
Prefixmancer
RoninSword
SotDRPAvenger
The Stormbringer
tygerbright
VoiceoftheAbyss
VorpalMedia
Citino
Corypheus
jwolfe
KaneTW
KhazintheDark
Leanansidhe
Nalsala
Nidhogg
Planguy
Reinholdt
santtu1976
shade argost
Shulta
werehippy
zeromass
IMCRAZY64
Always Late
Archeo Lumiere
Bomrek
Captain Hunt
jwolfe_beta
LokiTheDarkGod
MrLZRS
Prefixmancer
RoninSword
SotDRPAvenger
The Stormbringer
tygerbright
VoiceoftheAbyss
VorpalMedia
No. of Votes: 7
-[X] Challenge her to a duel. This town isn't big enough for the two flying batteries.
No. of Votes: 1
[X] Endangered Species – You asked for powers with which to eliminate the gangs. You even received the powers of someone who apparently had made it her life's work to do the same. It's long past time you got started on fulfilling that promise. Find a gang and wipe it off the map.
No. of Votes: 18
No. of Votes: 11
--[X] Focus on Stormtiger first, you want to eliminate their fliers and Blasters before you work through the rest.
No. of Votes: 4
[X] Eye of the Tiger – Spend your free time in the training simulator
No. of Votes: 12
No. of Votes: 3
OTHER STUFF
[X] You've been keeping a lot from Danny, now and for a long time. You need to stop it, and this info on Coil can't stay secret. (various phrasings)
No. of Votes: 43 (70%)
CrummBumm
Chocolote12
Citino
Czlyydwr Llrngwl
Dacl73
drake131
Dreth
Edboy49
Fredo
In_lurk_Shadow
jedarol
KhazintheDark
KokuenDG
Metallix666
mike439
Nalsala
Reinholdt
santtu1976
Shadowdrakon
Shulta
SilverEagle21
Zap Rowsdower
zeromass
jwolfe_beta
Always Late
Archeo Lumiere
Bomrek
Captain Hunt
chrisleech
Helo89
landcollector
MrLZRS
Prefixmancer
RoninSword
Schielman
SotDRPAvenger
tygerbright
veekie
VoiceoftheAbyss
VorpalMedia
wtdtd
Chocolote12
Citino
Czlyydwr Llrngwl
Dacl73
drake131
Dreth
Edboy49
Fredo
In_lurk_Shadow
jedarol
KhazintheDark
KokuenDG
Metallix666
mike439
Nalsala
Reinholdt
santtu1976
Shadowdrakon
Shulta
SilverEagle21
Zap Rowsdower
zeromass
jwolfe_beta
Always Late
Archeo Lumiere
Bomrek
Captain Hunt
chrisleech
Helo89
landcollector
MrLZRS
Prefixmancer
RoninSword
Schielman
SotDRPAvenger
tygerbright
veekie
VoiceoftheAbyss
VorpalMedia
wtdtd
[X] Contact New Wave and coordinate with them and the Privateers about Coil. (rewritten to say what you presumably meant)
No. of Votes: 16 (26%)
Total No. of Voters: 61
Light in the Darkness, and a chat with Danny. Should be doable.
I don't know exactly when I'll get this chapter out. This weekend and next week will be spent moving halfway across the country into my new house where my residency program is, so if I get it done during the drive, I should have it posted Sunday or Monday night. If I don't finish it by then, it'll get posted when I find the time.
Last edited:
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
Pretty much.
No worries, RL always comes first. Usually.
HircumPrinceps
Goat Lord
- Location
- Seattle
Thank u for blessing us with this quest kind Ser.
First Impact 2.10
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
[ ] Light in the Darkness – Purity is one of the strongest Blasters in the country, and more than once you've heard her be referred to as "evil Legend". This is not someone you can afford to let go unchallenged, even if she hasn't been seen in Nazi company for a while.
[ ] You've been keeping a lot from Danny, now and for a long time. You need to stop it, and this info on Coil can't stay secret.
First Impact 2.10
Monday, February 21
The front door barely has time to close before you are in the hall. "Dad, we need to talk."
He is understandably startled by your sudden declaration, and he follows you back into the kitchen. "Okay, I'm listening," he says, pulling out a chair. "What do we need to talk about?"
"Well…. Um…." And you had a speech all planned out, too! "You see…. It's about Coil. He isn't a hero at all. He really is a villain."
Your father sighs and rubs his face with one hand. "I wish I could say that surprises me more than it does. And we were so eager for his help that we jumped into bed with him as soon as he made an offer." Looking up, he asks, "You're sure about this? No doubts whatsoever?"
"I had Perfect Storm look into it. He's involved in several criminal enterprises, both here and out of town."
«Distribution of illicit substances. Bribery. Contractual killing. Additional income is the result of involvement with various illegal gambling venues in other locations such as canine combat circuits, stock market manipulation, pre-arranged athletic competitions—»
"You get the picture," you cut in. "About the only way it seems like he isn't making money is off us. That laser rifle he sold us costs between ten and twelve thousand dollars a pop buying them from Pyrotechnical directly."
"Damn it." It takes a moment, but the pinched expression on his face shifts to a confused one. "When did you find out all of this? I mean, it sounds like you know quite a bit about what he's up to, but what made you start looking in the first place?"
You had hoped he wouldn't ask that, and now you have a choice to make. It is tempting to lie your way out of this, tell him that you started digging shortly after the meeting with Coil or something, but it is lies that got you into the mess. Lies of omission, admittedly, but still lies. It was lies that worsened the gulf between you that you are only starting to repair, too. 'I'm fine', 'I can take care of it', 'It's okay that you're always gone'.
You are done lying to your dad, you decide. All lying to him has done is cause the both of you more pain than either of you deserved.
"A villain named Tattletale contacted me on PHO the same day as our meeting. She and the rest of the Undersiders work for him, but her he hired basically at gunpoint, and she wants me to take him down." You shrug. "It took me a while to verify what she told me."
He gives you a small smile and a good-natured chuckle. "And you didn't believe her until you proved her right. It's a good thing I didn't think to call him today until I was already on my way home. Getting even closer to him under the assumption that he was who he said he was? That would have been egg on both our faces."
"Yeah, about that. I… kinda already knew he was a villain when I told you to call him."
"You knew all this before you told me to call him."
You wince at the flat delivery. That is not a good sign. Your father has a temper, and though he has never directed it at you, you still have seen him blow up a few times. It wasn't pretty. "Yes."
"Taylor, just…." He shakes his head. "You're the one who suggested I call him. You're the one who practically encouraged me to tie us even tighter to him. And you did all that even though you knew he is exactly the kind of person we formed the Privateers to fight? Why?!"
"Perfect Storm could trace the call to find out where his lair is, but I was worried ifyou knew before talking to him, he would have realized that something was up. And," you add quietly, "you seemed happy to have a partner, someone else you could count on for help. I didn't want to take that away until I had to."
"So instead of being angry that I was played like a fiddle by a supervillain, I get to be furious that I was played by a supervillain and my own daughter. Yes, that definitely sounds like the better option!"
"I made a mistake! I get that! But I was just trying to protect you!"
"I'm a grown man, Taylor. I don't need to be protected from my own mistakes. And I definitely don't need or want to be pushed even deeper into them!" he shouts back. "What were you going to do if, after being encouraged to associate with Coil, I sent the guys on a job that wound up breaking the law? If we became criminals on your advice? How would you have protected—"
Clamping his jaw shut, he closes his eyes and takes several deep breaths. You can practically see him count to ten in his head, though from how long it takes him, fifty is probably a more accurate number. When he opens his eyes again, the anger has been banked. Not extinguished, only hidden. "Just, go to your room."
"Dad, I—"
"Go. To. Your room."
Unwilling to push back, not when you were legitimately in the wrong, you silently leave the kitchen and walk up the stairs.
That could have gone better.
Tuesday, February 22
Partly in deference to your unofficial grounding – which, unknown to your father, was enforced by your traitorous Guardian Beast – and partly because you are still nervous about tangling with a flying artillery cape with a decade's worth of practice under her belt, you wait until the next night before you go looking for Purity.
As you fly downtown, you mentally review what you know about your current quarry. A powerful Blaster, Purity shoots lasers that do an incredibly amount of damage to whatever it is they hit. You've seen video clips from several years earlier of her demolishing a building with a single massive blow, and despite the protection you receive from your Barrier Jacket, you really don't want to try taking one of those hits on the chin. Even if you cast Strong Shield, you are still likely to be knocked out at the very least. You have magic bullets that curve around and follow their targets, but while she is not as flexible in her abilities as you are, she is far stronger, and only a fool would assume that the difference in experience won't tilt things in her favor.
Defense you aren't quite so sure about. On the one hand, her thread on PHO, her page on the wiki, and the myriad of sources Perfect Storm dug into showed no hint that she has any protective abilities, so it's entirely possible that one well-placed Flare Shooter could be the end of the fight. On the other, she has made the ABB her primary target, and between a teleporting suicide bomber and an ever-strengthening rage dragon who can throw fireballs, it isn't as if she has an unbeatable range advantage. Yet somehow, she has reportedly sent Oni Lee packing once and even fought Lung to a standstill for several minutes three different times before either the Protectorate arrived, his goal became impossible, or something else happened that no one besides the two of them know about.
The people discussing those fights saw them from a safe distance, and while you cannot blame them for that sensible decision, it does not yield much in the way of actionable intel.
Regardless of what exactly took place during that fight, the fact remains that she has survived fights with cold-blooded killers who have ways of hitting her back, so clearly she has some way of defending herself. If it isn't some natural toughness like Glory Girl's or a forcefield like yours, then maybe she has some other power that makes her impossible to hurt, like how Legend can turn himself into light. The worst-case scenario is that it is pure skill, because that means your chances of winning any confrontation with her are falling fast—
An eye-searing beam of white light catches your attention, and taking a fortifying breath, you and Samantha zip in that direction. You stay low to the rooftops, your dark outfits letting you blend in with the unlit rooftops. It also lets you search for whomever Purity is shooting with your mask's night vision mode.
Green and red bandanas hanging from their necks and arms. Asian facial structures. And that guy just pulled out a gun and is shooting back at their attacker. Looks like you found some ABB grunts.
Three Flare Shooters form in front of you and speed towards the gang members, and all of them collapse. You learned from your mistake with the E88 thugs: pack a little more power into the bullets than you had, and whomever you shoot with them will stay down longer. Unfortunately, that little light show highlighted your position, and their original pursuer cruises down to your level. A Flare Shooter forms in your left hand, your right tightening around Perfect Storm's shaft.
"Thank you," the Nazi powerhouse says in a voice of total sincerity. "I've been chasing them for the last ten minutes. I thought once their car was totaled, they would stop, but as you can see, that wasn't the case."
Well, that's a surprise. Of all the things you thought would happen, a villain thanking you was nowhere on that list. You can't see if her expression mirrors the emotion of her words since she is too bright to look at— And as if commanded by your thought, which is far from an impossibility, your vision distorts, darkening and brightening at random, until both your opponent and the rest of the night are equally visible.
Rather than the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Aryan ideal you are half-expecting, the glowing woman floating in front of you is actually rather plain-looking, unremarkable brown hair and eyes set in a cute but by no means beautiful face. She looks more like some random soccer mom than the second or third most powerful cape the Empire has in their ranks. She also isn't wearing a mask, which you suppose would be unnecessary if no one else can look directly at her without going blind.
"You're welcome?" you finally reply, still not sure just what you should say in a situation like that. "I can't let you kill them."
Purity's shoulders slump. "I wasn't going to kill them," she says. Her entire body, from her voice to her posture, radiates resignation. "I wasn't even going to hurt them. All I was going to do was knock them out and call the police to come pick them up."
"Really."
"Yes, really. You can put the fireball away. I don't want to fight another hero tonight."
Another hero. Now that is an interesting turn of phrase. It could mean that she's referring to a fight she's already had, but it is still early, so she would have had to had this fight basically right at sunset. Not to mention, her tone does not sound especially threatening. But the next explanation you think of makes even less sense. "What do you mean, another hero?" you finally ask.
If you thought she was unhappy before, it is nothing compared to now. "I left the villain life over a year ago. I've been working as a hero ever since. I'm on your side."
"You are?" you ask with raised eyebrows. Chancing a look over at Samantha to see what she thinks of all this, you find her floating beside and just behind you with her eyes narrowed to slits. Apparently the forcefield she has from being your Guardian Beast does not come with adjustable night vision. "Then why haven't you told anyone?"
"I have been. You can thank the PRT and New Wave"—that name she spits out with significant venom—"for making sure no one believes me."
There's not much you can say to that. She did spend ten years with the Empire; anyone would doubt her when they hear that she is a hero now. You still have your own reservations, and you heard it from her own mouth!
But if she's being honest? If she really has turned away from the Empire and is interested in helping people for a change? That is a major coup for the good guys. If she can be believed. "If you want to change people's minds about you, why are you targeting the ABB and not the Empire? As it is, everyone still thinks you're a Nazi."
"Attack the gang that knows what I look like, where I live, what my weaknesses are?" she asks in a dry voice. "That is reason enough to leave them alone all by itself. Besides, the Empire commits crime, but they still aren't as bad as the ABB." Your doubt must be visible on your face, because she continues, "I know the ins and outs of their organization, so I can tell you for a fact that they don't ambush people in cars and mutilate them or kidnap girls to sell as sex slaves. They're criminals, but at least they're civilized about it, which is more than I can say about the ch— about the ABB. After they're gone, then—"
Whatever she intends for the future is cut off when a man wearing a leering red demon mask appears in front of you without warning. And then he blows up.
Well, that was a surprise. Not what I had planned, but Oni Lee just popped into the scene and demanded a good showing. At least it means you don't have to fight Purity?
Anyway, how are you going to fight him? (Stunts/subvotes are recommended!)
[ ] Stay where you are and fire whenever he appears. Thanks to Homing Bullet, your shots will chase down whomever you aim them at.
[ ] Run him down yourself. Ignore the duplicates and always fly after the newest copy of Oni Lee, shooting as fast as you can.
[ ] Encircle yourself with Flare Shooters and wait for him to come to you. Against a close-combat fighter, turtling up is the best strategy.
Because Samantha has so many options available, I'll leave the decision about how best to use her to you. Stunts are the name of the game here!
[ ] You've been keeping a lot from Danny, now and for a long time. You need to stop it, and this info on Coil can't stay secret.
First Impact 2.10
Monday, February 21
The front door barely has time to close before you are in the hall. "Dad, we need to talk."
He is understandably startled by your sudden declaration, and he follows you back into the kitchen. "Okay, I'm listening," he says, pulling out a chair. "What do we need to talk about?"
"Well…. Um…." And you had a speech all planned out, too! "You see…. It's about Coil. He isn't a hero at all. He really is a villain."
Your father sighs and rubs his face with one hand. "I wish I could say that surprises me more than it does. And we were so eager for his help that we jumped into bed with him as soon as he made an offer." Looking up, he asks, "You're sure about this? No doubts whatsoever?"
"I had Perfect Storm look into it. He's involved in several criminal enterprises, both here and out of town."
«Distribution of illicit substances. Bribery. Contractual killing. Additional income is the result of involvement with various illegal gambling venues in other locations such as canine combat circuits, stock market manipulation, pre-arranged athletic competitions—»
"You get the picture," you cut in. "About the only way it seems like he isn't making money is off us. That laser rifle he sold us costs between ten and twelve thousand dollars a pop buying them from Pyrotechnical directly."
"Damn it." It takes a moment, but the pinched expression on his face shifts to a confused one. "When did you find out all of this? I mean, it sounds like you know quite a bit about what he's up to, but what made you start looking in the first place?"
You had hoped he wouldn't ask that, and now you have a choice to make. It is tempting to lie your way out of this, tell him that you started digging shortly after the meeting with Coil or something, but it is lies that got you into the mess. Lies of omission, admittedly, but still lies. It was lies that worsened the gulf between you that you are only starting to repair, too. 'I'm fine', 'I can take care of it', 'It's okay that you're always gone'.
You are done lying to your dad, you decide. All lying to him has done is cause the both of you more pain than either of you deserved.
"A villain named Tattletale contacted me on PHO the same day as our meeting. She and the rest of the Undersiders work for him, but her he hired basically at gunpoint, and she wants me to take him down." You shrug. "It took me a while to verify what she told me."
He gives you a small smile and a good-natured chuckle. "And you didn't believe her until you proved her right. It's a good thing I didn't think to call him today until I was already on my way home. Getting even closer to him under the assumption that he was who he said he was? That would have been egg on both our faces."
"Yeah, about that. I… kinda already knew he was a villain when I told you to call him."
"You knew all this before you told me to call him."
You wince at the flat delivery. That is not a good sign. Your father has a temper, and though he has never directed it at you, you still have seen him blow up a few times. It wasn't pretty. "Yes."
"Taylor, just…." He shakes his head. "You're the one who suggested I call him. You're the one who practically encouraged me to tie us even tighter to him. And you did all that even though you knew he is exactly the kind of person we formed the Privateers to fight? Why?!"
"Perfect Storm could trace the call to find out where his lair is, but I was worried ifyou knew before talking to him, he would have realized that something was up. And," you add quietly, "you seemed happy to have a partner, someone else you could count on for help. I didn't want to take that away until I had to."
"So instead of being angry that I was played like a fiddle by a supervillain, I get to be furious that I was played by a supervillain and my own daughter. Yes, that definitely sounds like the better option!"
"I made a mistake! I get that! But I was just trying to protect you!"
"I'm a grown man, Taylor. I don't need to be protected from my own mistakes. And I definitely don't need or want to be pushed even deeper into them!" he shouts back. "What were you going to do if, after being encouraged to associate with Coil, I sent the guys on a job that wound up breaking the law? If we became criminals on your advice? How would you have protected—"
Clamping his jaw shut, he closes his eyes and takes several deep breaths. You can practically see him count to ten in his head, though from how long it takes him, fifty is probably a more accurate number. When he opens his eyes again, the anger has been banked. Not extinguished, only hidden. "Just, go to your room."
"Dad, I—"
"Go. To. Your room."
Unwilling to push back, not when you were legitimately in the wrong, you silently leave the kitchen and walk up the stairs.
That could have gone better.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tuesday, February 22
Partly in deference to your unofficial grounding – which, unknown to your father, was enforced by your traitorous Guardian Beast – and partly because you are still nervous about tangling with a flying artillery cape with a decade's worth of practice under her belt, you wait until the next night before you go looking for Purity.
As you fly downtown, you mentally review what you know about your current quarry. A powerful Blaster, Purity shoots lasers that do an incredibly amount of damage to whatever it is they hit. You've seen video clips from several years earlier of her demolishing a building with a single massive blow, and despite the protection you receive from your Barrier Jacket, you really don't want to try taking one of those hits on the chin. Even if you cast Strong Shield, you are still likely to be knocked out at the very least. You have magic bullets that curve around and follow their targets, but while she is not as flexible in her abilities as you are, she is far stronger, and only a fool would assume that the difference in experience won't tilt things in her favor.
Defense you aren't quite so sure about. On the one hand, her thread on PHO, her page on the wiki, and the myriad of sources Perfect Storm dug into showed no hint that she has any protective abilities, so it's entirely possible that one well-placed Flare Shooter could be the end of the fight. On the other, she has made the ABB her primary target, and between a teleporting suicide bomber and an ever-strengthening rage dragon who can throw fireballs, it isn't as if she has an unbeatable range advantage. Yet somehow, she has reportedly sent Oni Lee packing once and even fought Lung to a standstill for several minutes three different times before either the Protectorate arrived, his goal became impossible, or something else happened that no one besides the two of them know about.
The people discussing those fights saw them from a safe distance, and while you cannot blame them for that sensible decision, it does not yield much in the way of actionable intel.
Regardless of what exactly took place during that fight, the fact remains that she has survived fights with cold-blooded killers who have ways of hitting her back, so clearly she has some way of defending herself. If it isn't some natural toughness like Glory Girl's or a forcefield like yours, then maybe she has some other power that makes her impossible to hurt, like how Legend can turn himself into light. The worst-case scenario is that it is pure skill, because that means your chances of winning any confrontation with her are falling fast—
An eye-searing beam of white light catches your attention, and taking a fortifying breath, you and Samantha zip in that direction. You stay low to the rooftops, your dark outfits letting you blend in with the unlit rooftops. It also lets you search for whomever Purity is shooting with your mask's night vision mode.
Green and red bandanas hanging from their necks and arms. Asian facial structures. And that guy just pulled out a gun and is shooting back at their attacker. Looks like you found some ABB grunts.
Three Flare Shooters form in front of you and speed towards the gang members, and all of them collapse. You learned from your mistake with the E88 thugs: pack a little more power into the bullets than you had, and whomever you shoot with them will stay down longer. Unfortunately, that little light show highlighted your position, and their original pursuer cruises down to your level. A Flare Shooter forms in your left hand, your right tightening around Perfect Storm's shaft.
"Thank you," the Nazi powerhouse says in a voice of total sincerity. "I've been chasing them for the last ten minutes. I thought once their car was totaled, they would stop, but as you can see, that wasn't the case."
Well, that's a surprise. Of all the things you thought would happen, a villain thanking you was nowhere on that list. You can't see if her expression mirrors the emotion of her words since she is too bright to look at— And as if commanded by your thought, which is far from an impossibility, your vision distorts, darkening and brightening at random, until both your opponent and the rest of the night are equally visible.
Rather than the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Aryan ideal you are half-expecting, the glowing woman floating in front of you is actually rather plain-looking, unremarkable brown hair and eyes set in a cute but by no means beautiful face. She looks more like some random soccer mom than the second or third most powerful cape the Empire has in their ranks. She also isn't wearing a mask, which you suppose would be unnecessary if no one else can look directly at her without going blind.
"You're welcome?" you finally reply, still not sure just what you should say in a situation like that. "I can't let you kill them."
Purity's shoulders slump. "I wasn't going to kill them," she says. Her entire body, from her voice to her posture, radiates resignation. "I wasn't even going to hurt them. All I was going to do was knock them out and call the police to come pick them up."
"Really."
"Yes, really. You can put the fireball away. I don't want to fight another hero tonight."
Another hero. Now that is an interesting turn of phrase. It could mean that she's referring to a fight she's already had, but it is still early, so she would have had to had this fight basically right at sunset. Not to mention, her tone does not sound especially threatening. But the next explanation you think of makes even less sense. "What do you mean, another hero?" you finally ask.
If you thought she was unhappy before, it is nothing compared to now. "I left the villain life over a year ago. I've been working as a hero ever since. I'm on your side."
"You are?" you ask with raised eyebrows. Chancing a look over at Samantha to see what she thinks of all this, you find her floating beside and just behind you with her eyes narrowed to slits. Apparently the forcefield she has from being your Guardian Beast does not come with adjustable night vision. "Then why haven't you told anyone?"
"I have been. You can thank the PRT and New Wave"—that name she spits out with significant venom—"for making sure no one believes me."
There's not much you can say to that. She did spend ten years with the Empire; anyone would doubt her when they hear that she is a hero now. You still have your own reservations, and you heard it from her own mouth!
But if she's being honest? If she really has turned away from the Empire and is interested in helping people for a change? That is a major coup for the good guys. If she can be believed. "If you want to change people's minds about you, why are you targeting the ABB and not the Empire? As it is, everyone still thinks you're a Nazi."
"Attack the gang that knows what I look like, where I live, what my weaknesses are?" she asks in a dry voice. "That is reason enough to leave them alone all by itself. Besides, the Empire commits crime, but they still aren't as bad as the ABB." Your doubt must be visible on your face, because she continues, "I know the ins and outs of their organization, so I can tell you for a fact that they don't ambush people in cars and mutilate them or kidnap girls to sell as sex slaves. They're criminals, but at least they're civilized about it, which is more than I can say about the ch— about the ABB. After they're gone, then—"
Whatever she intends for the future is cut off when a man wearing a leering red demon mask appears in front of you without warning. And then he blows up.
Well, that was a surprise. Not what I had planned, but Oni Lee just popped into the scene and demanded a good showing. At least it means you don't have to fight Purity?
Anyway, how are you going to fight him? (Stunts/subvotes are recommended!)
[ ] Stay where you are and fire whenever he appears. Thanks to Homing Bullet, your shots will chase down whomever you aim them at.
[ ] Run him down yourself. Ignore the duplicates and always fly after the newest copy of Oni Lee, shooting as fast as you can.
[ ] Encircle yourself with Flare Shooters and wait for him to come to you. Against a close-combat fighter, turtling up is the best strategy.
Because Samantha has so many options available, I'll leave the decision about how best to use her to you. Stunts are the name of the game here!
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Twei
I have a face!
- Location
- the land where they write things
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X]Coordinate with Purity to take down Oni Lee.
I'll figure out what that entails at a later date. V:
I mean, she isn't wrong. The Empire likes to think it's civilized and IIRC they really do try. And Purity's been around them long enough to have their doctrine ingrained into her mind and for them to know all about her. Still, she can probably become a hero.
Eventually.
Maybe suggest she vary up her prey a bit, later? Hit the Merchants or whatever other gangs are around, if she hangs around long enough to have that discussion.
Also:
[X] Hug the shit outta Dad, later. He's right, damn it. Even if you can't, personally, trust him to make the right choices, you can at least trust him with all the information, he's your father for crying out loud!
I'll figure out what that entails at a later date. V:
I mean, she isn't wrong. The Empire likes to think it's civilized and IIRC they really do try. And Purity's been around them long enough to have their doctrine ingrained into her mind and for them to know all about her. Still, she can probably become a hero.
Eventually.
Maybe suggest she vary up her prey a bit, later? Hit the Merchants or whatever other gangs are around, if she hangs around long enough to have that discussion.
Also:
[X] Hug the shit outta Dad, later. He's right, damn it. Even if you can't, personally, trust him to make the right choices, you can at least trust him with all the information, he's your father for crying out loud!
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- Location
- United states
[X] Stay where you are and fire whenever he appears. Thanks to Homing Bullet, your shots will chase down whomever you aim them at.
RoninSword
Sky God
- Location
- Canada
That conversation with Danny went about as well as I expected. But it needed to be done.
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
Well, the dirt-gathering looks to be proceeding smoothly.
And here we go...
Eh, we opened on a good start?
1. 'I don't need to be protected from my own mistakes'. If they end in you or other people being killed, we will be protecting you whether you like it or not.
2. Other than that, about
3. I do like how you've emphasized, in and out of character, that Taylor's a teenager. As in, thinks they know what's best, but they actually don't. It's something too many people honestly forget.
Here's hoping people don't start advocating to let Danny go after this...
1. *facepalm* Way to go on seeing through her mask Taylor, that totally won't come back to bite you in the ass./sarcasm
2. Well, she's opened on a good first impression.
And what does it imply...
1. So Purity didn't fight another hero tonight.
2. This'll probably burn the New Wave bridge, but frankly Kayden's worth more than the team that's half one giant ball of psychological issues, half do-nothings.
She's got good points, and even stopped herself from making a slur. I think that all adds to being legit in Taylor's book.
Hm... no, if they track a ash clone its not useful.
[X] Run him down yourself. Ignore the duplicates and always fly after the newest copy of Oni Lee, shooting as fast as you can.
-[X]You, Purity, and Samantha stay above the rooftops and keep moving. Less likely to get blown up that way.
-[X]Throw down Wide Area Search immediately. You need to keep find and lock onto the real Oni Lee.
-[X]When Samantha can ID and hit the real Oni Lee before he teleports again, she teleports in and goes for the takedown.
This seems like the way to go. Everyone here can fly, Oni Lee can't. If he escapes into the urban jungle, I se that as an acceptable tradeoff to not getting suicide-bombed.
Good, because there's no way I'm having Taylor or anyone else stay anywhere near the ground for this fight if I can help it. Still, given Samantha's melee-only skills, I'm reluctant to commit her to a scrap for the above reasons. Remember to read her character sheet guys, she can both fly and teleport and can use WAS.
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Hestia&theCourt
Turns out we're plural too.
- Location
- In transition
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Always Late
Seems like a good plan. We don't need to capture him, just not die to him. We can take him down later, at a place and time of our choosing.
Seems like a good plan. We don't need to capture him, just not die to him. We can take him down later, at a place and time of our choosing.
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
Indeed. Especially since doing so at this time would put us, and by extension Danny and the Privateers, squarely into the sights of the Rage Dragon.
You mean the glowing, right? It's explicitly mentioned that Kayden doesn't wear a mask.
Rather unfortunate, though. Taylor seems to pick up the "interesting" acquaintances/relations here, doesn't she?
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
Yeah. Still kind of breaking the whole 'don't look at what's under a cape's mask' thing.
Now all we need is to grab Bakuda before she joins the ABB, get to Trainwreck and that other tinker of canon!Coil's once he's out of the picture, and then we'll have a truly 'interesting' bunch.
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VorpalMedia
Inter-Dimensional Techie
- Location
- Wonderland Data Nexus 472b
[X] Always Late
- Location
- Pittsburgh PA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Always Late
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HircumPrinceps
Goat Lord
- Location
- Seattle
[X] Always Late
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
*intensely hopes that vote and stunts were right decisions*
Anyone else want to start praying the Litany of Command, it'd be appreciated.
Anyone else want to start praying the Litany of Command, it'd be appreciated.
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
I'm not sure what that is, honestly.
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
Of course, you're probably more familiar with the Ciaphas Cain version that's closer to the actual US military version:
When in deadly danger,
When beset by doubt,
Run in little circles,
Wave your arms and shout.
Just making light of bandwagon pressures is all.
The Stormbringer
Worm Fanfic & Crack Connoisseur
- Location
- Spaaaaace~!
[X] Run him down yourself. Ignore the duplicates and always fly after the newest copy of Oni Lee, shooting as fast as you can.
-[X]You, Purity, and Samantha stay above the rooftops and keep moving. Less likely to get blown up that way.
-[X]When Samantha can ID and hit the real Oni Lee before he teleports again, she teleports in and goes for the takedown.
-[X]You, Purity, and Samantha stay above the rooftops and keep moving. Less likely to get blown up that way.
-[X]When Samantha can ID and hit the real Oni Lee before he teleports again, she teleports in and goes for the takedown.
- Location
- Illinois
- Pronouns
- Ze/Zer/Zem
@Always Late, I like your plan, but if there are any doubts or concerns you have about them, I think we would be happy to help you with them.
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
1.
2. Ok, concerns...
- Barrier jacket no-sells fire damage, but not blast waves or shrapnel, AKA: 2/3 of what makes military explosives lethal. The battlefield is not an area to test damage reduction.
- Samantha can only teleport to 'known coordinates'. I have no idea how restrictive or loose that is.
- The only limit I know of on Oni Lee's teleporting is that each one takes slightly more of his mind and how long the clones last, not how fast he can do them. This means he can potentially beat Samantha's melee Alpha-strike.
- Not to mention there's no indication he has teleported until you see him again, the clone fades, or he blows up.
- I've said why I don't want to get Samantha next to a clone since it'll just suicide, but there's more than just that. Her Battle Frenzy explicitly lists that she can die mid-frenzy due to overwhelming injuries.
- Anyone who's had the stomach to look up IED/Suicide bomber casualty injuries... let's just say those are pretty debilitating for those who haven't. Again, this is not the time or place to be testing that damage reduction.
- Purity I trust to only fire if she thinks she has a shot, but she's not infallible. Property damage/civilian casualties are bad.
- I've got no idea if our homing shots will track the real Oni Lee or the clones.
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