Depends on how you look at it.
Magical Girl Escalation Taylor (Worm/Nanoha)
- Thread starter Silently Watches
- Start date
I just found this after reading the posting on ff.net so if I'm jumping in a wrong direction feel free to ask me to go back to lurking. It's all I usually have time to do with my job keeping me busy. Anyway, wasn't a stealth/cloaking mode an already established option for the barrier jacket earlier in the story? I believe it was a short duration option, but as she's already in swimwear mode (?) then find a big rock on the beach or even a tipped over umbrella, cloak, go high, uncloak at altitude with flashy change being an advantage to misdirection of supposed arrival, then you can either go back to ground at the entrance with Laura or stay airborne for recon. Frankly, stealth seems to be getting severely underused in this. I will admit to being the guy in fps games with the sniper rifle, but that's because it works so effectively. The template is for bombardment and the backstory specifically state the orginal Calamity Witch had to sneak past enemy lines to gain her title using Ragnarok on a city. She should be getting at least a small modifier boost towards stealth and long range sensory skills (as in having and using Wide Area Search for example) just as part of the base package set. Like I said, this can be used for either choice and would deal with the worry about being outed.
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Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
Are you talking about what Lacey did while playing hide and seek with Samantha in her interlude? Because that wasn't a Barrier Jacket mode. It was a spell in the Infinite Enhancement template she has, specifically the spell Cover. The stealthiest a Barrier Jacket can be is doing exactly what Taylor's using hers for right now, changing its appearance to look like normal clothes that still have all its defensive properties.
It was more that she snuck past an anti-air perimeter that was set up to shoot down battleships. Those are a LOT bigger than a single person.
All that said, no reason for you to go back to lurking. Join us in the insanity!
Next chapter is written and proofread, but thanks to my job schedule, it won't get posted until tomorrow evening-ish.
I just binged this, so I'm not sure if anybody has gone over this yet, but is it possible to artificially construct linker cores for non mages? Since unison devices can be made, which are essentially little artificial mages, doesn't that mean that it's now possible to create an artificial linker core that can be transplanted into a person?
Hell, since it's biological, Bonesaw or Panacea could probably just create these organs on their own, so long as they have an example to work off of.
Hell, since it's biological, Bonesaw or Panacea could probably just create these organs on their own, so long as they have an example to work off of.
This brings to mind the possibility of using it to make camouflage clothes with custom patterns tailor made (no pun intended) for whatever she is up against. How quickly can the pattern be reconfigured if say the user went from behind a tree (brown pattern) to behind a bush or shrub (green pattern) to change the colors to better blend in?
Compared to a true Stranger power/spell like an SEP field or invisibility it isn't much, but far superior to what the real-world has.
OK, now I guess I'm proving SV & SB's reputation for munchkining everything.
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Alayne
The Reader
- Location
- Home of the Vikings
Eh, we can't create Linker Cores and implant them. We can on the other hand create an elixir that gives the drinker a Linker Core. To prevent bad side effects we need to give them a bunch of other elixirs first though. The details should be somewhere under the Informational tab. Take a look at that.
Well, if I remember correctly Bonesaw was captured and on a tight leash and Panacea was caught helping Glory Girl patching up a mugger she'd beaten up, and possibly using her powers to master them into keeping quiet. So both are on leashes now.
QuietlyObserving
The Railgun That Walks Like a Bear
- Location
- Here.
"Foolish Villain! Anywhere there is injustice, a magical girl will appear! You've disrupted beachgoers for the last time! Calamity Witch, in the name of Nuclear Fission, will punish you!"
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
Eh, it's not really the same. Unison Devices don't have Linker Cores because they aren't organic. They are technomagical constructs and therefore have mana generators. You cannot artificially grow Linker Cores and surgically implant them. Or, well, you could, but without all the genes to make the proteins necessary to clear out the byproducts of storing mana, all you would be doing is consigning your new "mages" to death by acute mana poisoning.
As for Panacea specifically, mana is a black box to the Entities and Shards because they have no way of interacting with it as a species, so PanPan wouldn't be able to tell for sure which genes are magical and which genes are junk, and if she tried creating a Linker Core directly it probably wouldn't function right or at all.
All that being said, @Alayne told you right that Tim has the ability to create a mutation-causing serum that can give people a Linker Core. The information is threadmarked in the Informational tab.
About a second to adjust the pattern, but there will be a ripple of light in the mage's casting color (e.g., orange for Taylor/anyone with the Calamity Witch template).
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- Location
- Georgia
This makes me wonder how much Panacea would benefit from studying the mutagens or watching the effects of one. I doubt we'll ever get a chance to see that in story, but that doesn't stop the curiosity.
Just got off work...double checked and yes it was apparently Lacey with Cover where I remembered it from. In that case two options still available for future use if nothing else:
1. Small x/y tall z size coordinates Recursion Field to step into a pocket dimension just to get airborne and change clothing visuals. Has the same effect as the cloaking option. Easier to fake maybe, too. Pretend to trip on a pole on the beach that's actually your staff and it "falling" is the requisite twirl.
2. More iffy but didn't Taylor copy some of the Knight Template abilities? And wasn't there a little space left for something to be slotted in still? The full healer package would highly likely be beyond maximum capacity to add, but something basic to stabilize/freeze/stasis a target's health until help arrives similar to Taylor's time slow attack but on a cooperating target (the similarity would likely lower any drain for it too), alongside the Cover spell from the Healer Template would be a huge asset. Those two things would be priority grabs for me. Basically if you can't heal, then hide. Also, Barrier Jackets can't pull a wetsuit chameleon to either blend into cover or lower strain on a user casting Cover?
As to the AA targeting battleships, we can currently track screws dropped by astronauts doing satellite maintenace from the space shuttle using our current radar. The amount of space junk that has to be tracked is amazing actually. If my group was under orbital seige, anything large enough to hold a body, life support or no life support, would get a beam where it counts. There's a solidly good chance we can do that with real life tech right now actually. There's publically viewable videos of US ships using lasers to prematurely detonate RPGs fired at them. Considering the societies at war in this case having higher tech/magitech and massively better data handling/analysing abilities...
Suggested easy solution:
Edit the words "using a stealth drop pod" somewhere into that backstory section. Story flow isn't damaged, and a small potential hiccup vanishes.
I hope this helps a bit.
Edit: Anyone else with weird loading issues today? This entire page literally was not existing for me until after I posted.
There's a flicker of light when changing in the mage's color. Okay, nighttime set and stay with a black camo pattern, airborne, go for current sky color (blue, overcast grey, whatever), ground or underwater work using most appropriate camo pattern. The goal isn't perfection, it's being good enough to do the job of making the Cover spell use less strain or even just hiding without it.
Edit 2: *scratches head* "This message is awaiting moderator approval"... Huh? I thought it was polite and offering suggestions to help ideas work. That's what I try for anyway. What flagged?
1. Small x/y tall z size coordinates Recursion Field to step into a pocket dimension just to get airborne and change clothing visuals. Has the same effect as the cloaking option. Easier to fake maybe, too. Pretend to trip on a pole on the beach that's actually your staff and it "falling" is the requisite twirl.
2. More iffy but didn't Taylor copy some of the Knight Template abilities? And wasn't there a little space left for something to be slotted in still? The full healer package would highly likely be beyond maximum capacity to add, but something basic to stabilize/freeze/stasis a target's health until help arrives similar to Taylor's time slow attack but on a cooperating target (the similarity would likely lower any drain for it too), alongside the Cover spell from the Healer Template would be a huge asset. Those two things would be priority grabs for me. Basically if you can't heal, then hide. Also, Barrier Jackets can't pull a wetsuit chameleon to either blend into cover or lower strain on a user casting Cover?
As to the AA targeting battleships, we can currently track screws dropped by astronauts doing satellite maintenace from the space shuttle using our current radar. The amount of space junk that has to be tracked is amazing actually. If my group was under orbital seige, anything large enough to hold a body, life support or no life support, would get a beam where it counts. There's a solidly good chance we can do that with real life tech right now actually. There's publically viewable videos of US ships using lasers to prematurely detonate RPGs fired at them. Considering the societies at war in this case having higher tech/magitech and massively better data handling/analysing abilities...
Suggested easy solution:
Edit the words "using a stealth drop pod" somewhere into that backstory section. Story flow isn't damaged, and a small potential hiccup vanishes.
I hope this helps a bit.
Edit: Anyone else with weird loading issues today? This entire page literally was not existing for me until after I posted.
There's a flicker of light when changing in the mage's color. Okay, nighttime set and stay with a black camo pattern, airborne, go for current sky color (blue, overcast grey, whatever), ground or underwater work using most appropriate camo pattern. The goal isn't perfection, it's being good enough to do the job of making the Cover spell use less strain or even just hiding without it.
Edit 2: *scratches head* "This message is awaiting moderator approval"... Huh? I thought it was polite and offering suggestions to help ideas work. That's what I try for anyway. What flagged?
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Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
I've previously ruled you can't manipulate Recursion Field like this. Sorry.
Once Taylor learns the last skill in the Knight subtemplate (Reforge Armor), she is eligible for a second cross-training. However, you guys have no control over the spells available in cross-training, so you can't pick and choose like this. It's a choice between the templates themselves.
Suntan 13.6
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
[] Go with Laura to check the entrance. If this is an attack by a villain, that is likely where they are coming from.
-[] Have Perfect Storm scan the dome. What's it made of? Tech, powers or magic?
-[] Have Perfect Storm conference call Samantha and Dragon. Do they know what's going on? Can they find out what someone might be here for? Y'know, besides us.
Suntan 13.6
"Splitting up would be pretty stupid right now, don't you think?" you tell Laura, looking back the way you came once again before turning away. It grates that you are doing nothing to help them, but you also know that the people on the beach are probably far enough away from whoever is doing this to be safe if they would just get inside. "We stick together and watch each other's back."
"That sounds like a plan to me," Laura replies as her shoulders relax slightly. She was clearly no more eager to sneak up on the villains responsible for this by her lonesome than you would be. "Let's get moving."
The two of you run down the beach towards the entrance of the resort, and only when you get to the row of shrubbery creating a screen of sorts for the resort's private beach do you stop. While Laura is busy catching her breath, you turn your attention outwards. «Storm, I need whatever kind of analysis you can run on this dome as soon as possible. It looks… wrong.»
If anything, the strange roiling pattern in such insane colors reminds you of the strange place you found yourself when Perfect Storm first bound itself to you and clad you in your Barrier Jacket. You have never seen a color effect like that before until now, and that does not fill you with confidence.
The Intelligent Device chimes in acknowledgement, and you reach out to your Guardian Beast. «Sam!»
«Taylor, thank goodness. Where are you? I'm here in the cantina-restaurant thing. Vista and I are trying to get all the civilians calmed down. Do you need help?»
«I'm fine, I'm fine. Cailleach and I are moving closer to the bridge to find out who is responsible for all this. We plan on being discreet,» you add before she can demand you do just that. «We need information if we are going to make a plan for what to do about… all this.»
«Mistress,» Perfect Storm interrupts, «Analysis complete. Communication outside barrier prevented. Passage of physical objects not tested but low probability. In addition…» It trails off, and that sends a cold shiver down your spine. Your Device has only hesitated on a few rare circumstances, and as best you can recall, it never meant anything good. «Structure of barrier similar to Recursion Field. Parahuman effect not impossible, but current readings suggest magical source.»
«That's not good,» Samantha says into the ensuing silence.
"Alright, let's go—" Laura stops when she turns to look at you, and you hold up a hand for silence.
«I need you to do me a favor, Sam. I want Dragon's input on this, but if we can't contact the outside, bringing her in right now will make it obvious to Cailleach who 'Aunt Diana' really is. I know it won't be as bad as unmasking her for real, but she wanted that chassis so she could have normal experiences, and attaching her identity to it would interfere with that. Reach out to her and tell her to call me if she's willing to take that risk.»
You feel the telepathic connection go silent, and you look back at Laura to find the other girl staring at you. "What the hell was that? You looked like you were asleep or something."
That is an issue you do not feel like explaining right now, so you keep your answer to the bare minimum. "Samantha and I have a way of communicating silently. I needed to fill her in on what we are doing while she tries to round up civilians. It's a useful trick like that."
"Sure…" Laura does not look convinced, but she nonetheless starts moving again towards the bridge leading into and out of the resort.
«Dragon says she trusts your judgement. Mostly because she already realized she can't reach any of her suits or anything else. She's working on getting access to the security system right now.»
The ball is in your court again, and you nibble on your lip. Maybe it would be best to see what's going on with your own two eyes before revealing Dragon's secret. After all, if this is all the doing of one upstart villain, it should not be that hard to blast him or her to kingdom come and continue your vacation in peace.
Crossing part of the parking lot and stopping behind another hedge, you peer through the branches and feel your jaw drop.
"What the hell?" whispers Laura beside you.
"Perfect Storm, call Samantha and Dragon. Now."
"You're calling who now?"
You ignore her and keep your eyes on the bridge. What you are looking at is not a lone villain or a gang. It is practically an army. You can only guess at their numbers, but you would not place it as less than thirty and probably more like forty. They are also divided into different groups, and though some of them are mingling back and forth, it is easy to pick out who belongs to which group.
At the front is a group in thick, jagged armor. Each one is painted black and red and orange, and you cannot help the upwelling of irrational anger that these criminals are stealing your color scheme! They have the swagger of idiots who feel they are invulnerable, and you itch to prove them dreadfully wrong.
Behind them is the largest group, though not by much. These people all wear sleeker outfits primarily in blue and purple, and mixed among them are a number of shadowy figures that have to be one of the cape's powers. The more you watch, the easier it is to see that they are the ones who are primarily mingling with the other groups, and interestingly are rebuffed more often than not.
The third group look like they walked out of a weird pride parade, their costumes all pink and white and covered in feathers. No matter how flamboyant they look, they also have expressions of utmost focus, and immediately you want to peg them as the most dangerous group.
You cannot do so, however, because that honor falls to the capes in the middle. Their outfits are ghastly, red like blood and festooned with bones and spikes and blades, except for one cape who looks like a reptilian rhino. Most people would assume those bones are fake; they would be wrong. Alone out of all the approaching capes you recognize the group, and you are not ashamed of the fear that fills you. You could hardly be a Brockton Bay native and not have heard of the horrors of the goddamn Teeth.
After that fright, the other two groups are far less impressive. Several of the villains wear body armor and carry assault weapons, which really makes you curious. The last group hangs closest to the back with a couple of capes from the first and third groups, and these do not have a unifying theme, marking them as separate from all the rest.
Two screens appear in the few seconds you are looking at the threat coming for you, the left occupied by Samantha while the right shows Dragon's digital avatar. "Did you find the cape responsible for this?" Dragon asks. Her voice earns a short gasp from Laura, who ignores her lack of mask and just stares at the screen. You do not understand why she is this surprised; you told her you spend a lot of time with the world's foremost Tinker. Or did she just not believe you?
A question for another time.
"Capes. Plural." You wince. "Really plural. I'm sending you a video feed. I recognize the Teeth, but I don't know who the other gangs are or why they're working with the Teeth in the first place. Or even how they're here at all. I thought they got wiped out during the breakout from Brockton Bay."
"Only the Butcher died, and that one didn't stick," Samantha tells you. "The rest of them just up and vanished. How they managed that trick, though, I don't know."
"No one did. Not until now." You switch your gaze to Dragon's screen. Whatever is causing her to speak in such a bleak voice has to be bad, and sure enough her avatar has panic painted all over her face. "They didn't leave voluntarily. They were taken."
"Who could take them?"
"The group they're with now. Do you see the theme of their costumes? They are all modeled after something. Behemoth. Leviathan. The Simurgh." Your eyes grow wide, and she nods. "That isn't just the Teeth. It's the Fallen. The Simurgh family specifically is awash in Masters, and they have a habit of kidnapping and brainwashing other capes, even members of the Protectorate and Wards. The paramilitary individuals with them are probably their unpowered members. They tend to be used as foot soldiers."
"And the last group?" Samantha asks, her eyes focused on something off-screen.
"No telling. Perhaps capes they Mastered on the way here."
"What the flipping hell are the Fallen doing here of all places?" Laura says in a squeak. For all that she is an experienced cape, it is clear she is not eager in the slightest to tangle with some of the big dogs of the American villain scene. Not that you blame her.
You wonder the same thing as well. Your first thought is that they are coming after you, but despite the barrier around you being magical in nature, the idea that you are their sole target is too hard to believe. Maybe if Cassiel really had been a child in the Fallen's possession, you could see it, but not with how things are in reality.
"I expect they are lashing out." You look back at Dragon in confusion. "The Simurgh is dead. Leviathan was driven back not even a week ago. After their gods were battered around like that, they are going after revenge on anyone they can."
"Why would they come here, though?" repeats Laura. "There are bigger cities they could have attacked closer to where they live. New Orleans. Houston. Or if they want to do something in Florida, Orlando is just a few hours away and has a lot more vulnerable people. Kids and shit. It's a much better target."
You aim a glare in her direction for that suggestion. Attacking anywhere is bad, let alone somewhere where there are a lot of innocent children!
"Spoken like someone who has never dealt with the Disney Corporation's capes," Dragon says in a dry tone. At your raised eyebrow, she continues, "Disney has two different corporate teams. One is all flash and sparkle, essentially harmless but good for attracting positive attention from the media. The other works with their security teams. I have reason to suspect that this second team is made up of villains with murder charges that Disney is all but granting them immunity from, but we can't prove it. That's a topic for another day.
Moral of this story: Don't mess with the mouse!
"Samantha, get some people to help you barricade the restaurant. It looks like they're splitting up. They will likely go after the unlocked buildings first, so that should buy you some time. Taylor, come back here to the activities center. We need to come up with a plan for how to get everyone to safety."
"Why don't we just shoot them now instead? They're all together right now," you point out. "If we get rid of them, the problem's solved."
"Do you really think that is a good idea? With the variety of powers they have at their disposal together like this, the chances of one of them being a counter to high-rated Blasters goes up almost to certainty. All you would be doing is putting yourself in grave danger for no reward."
"I, uh, think Dragon might be right on this one," Laura agrees. "I'm more worried about Kayleigh. She said she was going to the spa this morning, so she's separated from everything else."
"Cassiel is still in the suite, too," you whisper. She does not exactly have the best spells with which to fight back and defend herself, so she will be helpless if the Fallen attack her. Or, perhaps even worse, she might try to protect herself by revealing that she is Ziz, making her an object of their devotion. You are not sure what you are more afraid of, but neither outcome is good.
"I'm turning on the security alarms and sending a message that everyone lock down whatever building they are in. It should buy them some time."
"Except if the Fallen want revenge as much as you think, they won't let a locked door stop them for long," Samantha says. "Let me see if I can organize these people, and we might be able to make a break for it. Especially if Taylor can swing by and provide cover."
"You can take care of yourself, though," Laura points out, her voice becoming shrill. "Kayleigh can't."
"We could split up," you remind her. "You find Kayleigh and get her to safety, while we do something else to stop them."
"You're the one who said splitting up was a dumb idea, remember? And that was before we found out it was the Fallen!" She takes a deep breath, then another, and then she whispers, "I can't take on a group like that on my own. My power isn't strong enough. And I don't have my team here for backup. I can't protect her from this by myself."
"I don't have backup, either," you remind her. You told her that you would watch each other's back, though, and the danger is far more real than you expected when you made that proposal.
Forty Fallen to fight, a bunch of civilians to protect, and only a scared villain at your side. You are never going on vacation again.
This should be all sorts of fun.
Apparently Ward went deep into the ins and outs of the Fallen. If you haven't read that yet and are worried about spoilers, don't be; I haven't read it either and have no plans to do so, so while I might look up their powers from the Worm Wiki, any personalities that are demonstrated will be my own creation.
Anyway, your choices for what to do next are:
[ ] Attack the Fallen now and stop the problem in its tracks
-[ ] Battle plan?
[ ] Retreat to the activity center and make a plan with Dragon
[ ] Evacuate Samantha, Missy, and civilians in the restaurant
[ ] Rescue Kayleigh at the spa
[ ] Rescue Cassiel in the suites
This is one of those situations where time is of the essence. Like with Arc 10, all these events will progress simultaneously, so whichever you pick is going to be under your control while the others are getting worse. Except obviously for attacking right now, and we would just have to see how that goes. Dice will probably be involved.
-[] Have Perfect Storm scan the dome. What's it made of? Tech, powers or magic?
-[] Have Perfect Storm conference call Samantha and Dragon. Do they know what's going on? Can they find out what someone might be here for? Y'know, besides us.
Suntan 13.6
"Splitting up would be pretty stupid right now, don't you think?" you tell Laura, looking back the way you came once again before turning away. It grates that you are doing nothing to help them, but you also know that the people on the beach are probably far enough away from whoever is doing this to be safe if they would just get inside. "We stick together and watch each other's back."
"That sounds like a plan to me," Laura replies as her shoulders relax slightly. She was clearly no more eager to sneak up on the villains responsible for this by her lonesome than you would be. "Let's get moving."
The two of you run down the beach towards the entrance of the resort, and only when you get to the row of shrubbery creating a screen of sorts for the resort's private beach do you stop. While Laura is busy catching her breath, you turn your attention outwards. «Storm, I need whatever kind of analysis you can run on this dome as soon as possible. It looks… wrong.»
If anything, the strange roiling pattern in such insane colors reminds you of the strange place you found yourself when Perfect Storm first bound itself to you and clad you in your Barrier Jacket. You have never seen a color effect like that before until now, and that does not fill you with confidence.
The Intelligent Device chimes in acknowledgement, and you reach out to your Guardian Beast. «Sam!»
«Taylor, thank goodness. Where are you? I'm here in the cantina-restaurant thing. Vista and I are trying to get all the civilians calmed down. Do you need help?»
«I'm fine, I'm fine. Cailleach and I are moving closer to the bridge to find out who is responsible for all this. We plan on being discreet,» you add before she can demand you do just that. «We need information if we are going to make a plan for what to do about… all this.»
«Mistress,» Perfect Storm interrupts, «Analysis complete. Communication outside barrier prevented. Passage of physical objects not tested but low probability. In addition…» It trails off, and that sends a cold shiver down your spine. Your Device has only hesitated on a few rare circumstances, and as best you can recall, it never meant anything good. «Structure of barrier similar to Recursion Field. Parahuman effect not impossible, but current readings suggest magical source.»
«That's not good,» Samantha says into the ensuing silence.
"Alright, let's go—" Laura stops when she turns to look at you, and you hold up a hand for silence.
«I need you to do me a favor, Sam. I want Dragon's input on this, but if we can't contact the outside, bringing her in right now will make it obvious to Cailleach who 'Aunt Diana' really is. I know it won't be as bad as unmasking her for real, but she wanted that chassis so she could have normal experiences, and attaching her identity to it would interfere with that. Reach out to her and tell her to call me if she's willing to take that risk.»
You feel the telepathic connection go silent, and you look back at Laura to find the other girl staring at you. "What the hell was that? You looked like you were asleep or something."
That is an issue you do not feel like explaining right now, so you keep your answer to the bare minimum. "Samantha and I have a way of communicating silently. I needed to fill her in on what we are doing while she tries to round up civilians. It's a useful trick like that."
"Sure…" Laura does not look convinced, but she nonetheless starts moving again towards the bridge leading into and out of the resort.
«Dragon says she trusts your judgement. Mostly because she already realized she can't reach any of her suits or anything else. She's working on getting access to the security system right now.»
The ball is in your court again, and you nibble on your lip. Maybe it would be best to see what's going on with your own two eyes before revealing Dragon's secret. After all, if this is all the doing of one upstart villain, it should not be that hard to blast him or her to kingdom come and continue your vacation in peace.
Crossing part of the parking lot and stopping behind another hedge, you peer through the branches and feel your jaw drop.
"What the hell?" whispers Laura beside you.
"Perfect Storm, call Samantha and Dragon. Now."
"You're calling who now?"
You ignore her and keep your eyes on the bridge. What you are looking at is not a lone villain or a gang. It is practically an army. You can only guess at their numbers, but you would not place it as less than thirty and probably more like forty. They are also divided into different groups, and though some of them are mingling back and forth, it is easy to pick out who belongs to which group.
At the front is a group in thick, jagged armor. Each one is painted black and red and orange, and you cannot help the upwelling of irrational anger that these criminals are stealing your color scheme! They have the swagger of idiots who feel they are invulnerable, and you itch to prove them dreadfully wrong.
Behind them is the largest group, though not by much. These people all wear sleeker outfits primarily in blue and purple, and mixed among them are a number of shadowy figures that have to be one of the cape's powers. The more you watch, the easier it is to see that they are the ones who are primarily mingling with the other groups, and interestingly are rebuffed more often than not.
The third group look like they walked out of a weird pride parade, their costumes all pink and white and covered in feathers. No matter how flamboyant they look, they also have expressions of utmost focus, and immediately you want to peg them as the most dangerous group.
You cannot do so, however, because that honor falls to the capes in the middle. Their outfits are ghastly, red like blood and festooned with bones and spikes and blades, except for one cape who looks like a reptilian rhino. Most people would assume those bones are fake; they would be wrong. Alone out of all the approaching capes you recognize the group, and you are not ashamed of the fear that fills you. You could hardly be a Brockton Bay native and not have heard of the horrors of the goddamn Teeth.
After that fright, the other two groups are far less impressive. Several of the villains wear body armor and carry assault weapons, which really makes you curious. The last group hangs closest to the back with a couple of capes from the first and third groups, and these do not have a unifying theme, marking them as separate from all the rest.
Two screens appear in the few seconds you are looking at the threat coming for you, the left occupied by Samantha while the right shows Dragon's digital avatar. "Did you find the cape responsible for this?" Dragon asks. Her voice earns a short gasp from Laura, who ignores her lack of mask and just stares at the screen. You do not understand why she is this surprised; you told her you spend a lot of time with the world's foremost Tinker. Or did she just not believe you?
A question for another time.
"Capes. Plural." You wince. "Really plural. I'm sending you a video feed. I recognize the Teeth, but I don't know who the other gangs are or why they're working with the Teeth in the first place. Or even how they're here at all. I thought they got wiped out during the breakout from Brockton Bay."
"Only the Butcher died, and that one didn't stick," Samantha tells you. "The rest of them just up and vanished. How they managed that trick, though, I don't know."
"No one did. Not until now." You switch your gaze to Dragon's screen. Whatever is causing her to speak in such a bleak voice has to be bad, and sure enough her avatar has panic painted all over her face. "They didn't leave voluntarily. They were taken."
"Who could take them?"
"The group they're with now. Do you see the theme of their costumes? They are all modeled after something. Behemoth. Leviathan. The Simurgh." Your eyes grow wide, and she nods. "That isn't just the Teeth. It's the Fallen. The Simurgh family specifically is awash in Masters, and they have a habit of kidnapping and brainwashing other capes, even members of the Protectorate and Wards. The paramilitary individuals with them are probably their unpowered members. They tend to be used as foot soldiers."
"And the last group?" Samantha asks, her eyes focused on something off-screen.
"No telling. Perhaps capes they Mastered on the way here."
"What the flipping hell are the Fallen doing here of all places?" Laura says in a squeak. For all that she is an experienced cape, it is clear she is not eager in the slightest to tangle with some of the big dogs of the American villain scene. Not that you blame her.
You wonder the same thing as well. Your first thought is that they are coming after you, but despite the barrier around you being magical in nature, the idea that you are their sole target is too hard to believe. Maybe if Cassiel really had been a child in the Fallen's possession, you could see it, but not with how things are in reality.
"I expect they are lashing out." You look back at Dragon in confusion. "The Simurgh is dead. Leviathan was driven back not even a week ago. After their gods were battered around like that, they are going after revenge on anyone they can."
"Why would they come here, though?" repeats Laura. "There are bigger cities they could have attacked closer to where they live. New Orleans. Houston. Or if they want to do something in Florida, Orlando is just a few hours away and has a lot more vulnerable people. Kids and shit. It's a much better target."
You aim a glare in her direction for that suggestion. Attacking anywhere is bad, let alone somewhere where there are a lot of innocent children!
"Spoken like someone who has never dealt with the Disney Corporation's capes," Dragon says in a dry tone. At your raised eyebrow, she continues, "Disney has two different corporate teams. One is all flash and sparkle, essentially harmless but good for attracting positive attention from the media. The other works with their security teams. I have reason to suspect that this second team is made up of villains with murder charges that Disney is all but granting them immunity from, but we can't prove it. That's a topic for another day.
Moral of this story: Don't mess with the mouse!
"Samantha, get some people to help you barricade the restaurant. It looks like they're splitting up. They will likely go after the unlocked buildings first, so that should buy you some time. Taylor, come back here to the activities center. We need to come up with a plan for how to get everyone to safety."
"Why don't we just shoot them now instead? They're all together right now," you point out. "If we get rid of them, the problem's solved."
"Do you really think that is a good idea? With the variety of powers they have at their disposal together like this, the chances of one of them being a counter to high-rated Blasters goes up almost to certainty. All you would be doing is putting yourself in grave danger for no reward."
"I, uh, think Dragon might be right on this one," Laura agrees. "I'm more worried about Kayleigh. She said she was going to the spa this morning, so she's separated from everything else."
"Cassiel is still in the suite, too," you whisper. She does not exactly have the best spells with which to fight back and defend herself, so she will be helpless if the Fallen attack her. Or, perhaps even worse, she might try to protect herself by revealing that she is Ziz, making her an object of their devotion. You are not sure what you are more afraid of, but neither outcome is good.
"I'm turning on the security alarms and sending a message that everyone lock down whatever building they are in. It should buy them some time."
"Except if the Fallen want revenge as much as you think, they won't let a locked door stop them for long," Samantha says. "Let me see if I can organize these people, and we might be able to make a break for it. Especially if Taylor can swing by and provide cover."
"You can take care of yourself, though," Laura points out, her voice becoming shrill. "Kayleigh can't."
"We could split up," you remind her. "You find Kayleigh and get her to safety, while we do something else to stop them."
"You're the one who said splitting up was a dumb idea, remember? And that was before we found out it was the Fallen!" She takes a deep breath, then another, and then she whispers, "I can't take on a group like that on my own. My power isn't strong enough. And I don't have my team here for backup. I can't protect her from this by myself."
"I don't have backup, either," you remind her. You told her that you would watch each other's back, though, and the danger is far more real than you expected when you made that proposal.
Forty Fallen to fight, a bunch of civilians to protect, and only a scared villain at your side. You are never going on vacation again.
This should be all sorts of fun.
Apparently Ward went deep into the ins and outs of the Fallen. If you haven't read that yet and are worried about spoilers, don't be; I haven't read it either and have no plans to do so, so while I might look up their powers from the Worm Wiki, any personalities that are demonstrated will be my own creation.
Anyway, your choices for what to do next are:
[ ] Attack the Fallen now and stop the problem in its tracks
-[ ] Battle plan?
[ ] Retreat to the activity center and make a plan with Dragon
[ ] Evacuate Samantha, Missy, and civilians in the restaurant
[ ] Rescue Kayleigh at the spa
[ ] Rescue Cassiel in the suites
This is one of those situations where time is of the essence. Like with Arc 10, all these events will progress simultaneously, so whichever you pick is going to be under your control while the others are getting worse. Except obviously for attacking right now, and we would just have to see how that goes. Dice will probably be involved.
[X] Rescue Cassiel in the suites
I DON'T want to know what the Fallen will do if they find their Goddess.
I DON'T want to know what the Fallen will do if they find their Goddess.
Jack of Olives
Rolled a '3' on their Con score
- Location
- The land of fruits and nuts (California)
[X] Retreat to the activity center and make a plan with Dragon
She's got a lot of experience with this kind of thing, and this was her recommendation. I'm inclined to follow it.
She's got a lot of experience with this kind of thing, and this was her recommendation. I'm inclined to follow it.
Well, shit. I suspect we'll be gaining the ire of Mama Mathers after this.
"Don't fuck with The Mouse, ya dig?"
First time I can recall Laura losing her composure like this, but really I can't fault her for such a reaction given just who the opfor is and the numbers disparity.
Going to consider the options and others' arguments before voting, because choosing incorrectly here could be Bad.
Fencer
Writer
- Location
- 2nd shift
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Confer with Dragon. Identify as many capes as possible. Take out any armed unpowered and vulnerable capes. Given the nature and level of the threat nonlethal now means civilian casualties later. Maybe spare any mastered heroes if you can, but otherwise remove as many threats as possible at the outset and then fallback and plan for the next clash.
Edit: i mean she can teleport so really shock and awe then retreat has pretty minimal downsides.
Edit: i mean she can teleport so really shock and awe then retreat has pretty minimal downsides.
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Mother Nyx
Mother of Elpis
- Location
- The Kei Klub
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Is unleashing Cass on them an option? LOL.
- Location
- Nowhere
I'm going to take a guess that the last unidentified group is Mastered mages, likely with the Behemoth capes as defensive support (energy control of some kind?) and the Simurgh capes as maintaining control over them. The Behemoth capes could also have something to do with the semi-Recursion field and why it's weird. It might be worth trying to blast them to potentially knock out or weaken the field and possibly get friendlies back on the field, not that they could be fully trusted.
Could we also set up our own Recursion field while in this weird field? If it could be put up and I'm reading the FAQ right it should grab our entire group (except Kayleigh) and possibly split the enemy forces. Even if it didn't split the enemies it would remove the civilians from the fight.
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
Except for the capes who didn't get pulled into Recursion Field. After all, all the allied combatants you have would be pulled in, leaving the civilians defenseless.
We don't know the full compliment of parahuman powers they can bring to bare at this time, so it might be possible that they have something which could hit us in between shooting and retreating or master Cailleach with a glimpse or some other exotic effect. Combining our collective indirect firepower and mobility with good sensors and we might be able to devastate them later so long as we avoid falling for tricks by rushing an attack before having a decent grasp of what we're facing.
Cassiel's precognition could be a huge boon in this if we can link up with or at least contact her, as it would allow us to thwart the Fallen's maneuvers and execute difficult attacks with minimal chance of failure and a good chance of great success. If we feel the force disparity is truly difficult to match, we might want to try unisoning with her even though as far I am aware we have not tested or trained with her and don't much experience in unison mode combat.
I do agree that listening to Dragon is likely for the best given her extensive experience with these situations combined with her massive data processing. We still might want to get as much sensor data as we can of the Fallen's forces without alerting them to our presence, so that Dragon has something more to work with.
edit: unison with Dragon might also be useful despite low compatibility since the multiple tracks of thought could allow us to coordinate tons of indirect fire along with Cailleach to rapidly defeat them, with Cassiel feeding us information and guidance to avoid the counterattacks and strike for maximum effect.
Vista would combo very well with our's and Cailleach's indirect firepower by twisting around spaces to herd the Fallen into killzones.
Samantha could serve as a blocking force or a fast reaction reserve as needed.
edit: scanning for Kayleigh to see if the Fallen have gotten to her and then porting there with the appropriate level of force to extract her might work.
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- Location
- Vancouver, Canada
[x] Attack the Fallen now and stop the problem in its tracks
Fencer
Writer
- Location
- 2nd shift
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Ok point... alright how about falling back then playing sniper like against saint? Ziz fanatics are priority targets. Teleport after every shot.
- Location
- Georgia
It annoys me to no end to realize a day after making a comment that I've made that exact comment several times already. I apologize for wasting whatever seconds of your life I stole through this repetitive re-conceptualizing. I'd say that I'll try to do better, but know very well that I'll forget this again. =/