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Project Prometheus (Original Setting Superhero Quest)

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MrKermie said:
Skits & Super(?)heroes
By MrKermie​

You are Rei Maruki. And right now, you are not having a fun time. Having your head face first on a lunch table, hands on your head isn't exactly a good look.

Mona sits down next to you, sounding concerned. "Hey! What's up?"

You turn to look at her, and groan out weekly. "Do you remember that project in Drama? The one where we got in pairs?"

Mona raises an eyebrow. "The one where you write out the script for a skit, and I'm in charge of filming and uploading it to the internet? What about it?"

You hold up your phone with a document pulled up. "Read."

When Metahuman Insurance Fails

(SCENE STARTS)

(I WALK IN, COMPLAINING ABOUT MY GRANDMA'S ASHES HAVING BEEN KNOCKED OVER)

MONA WALKS IN.

(…that's it. That's the script. The rest is blank.)

Mona's eyes widen. "Please tell me you've got the rest of the script on a previous version."

You slam your face into the lunch table again, alerting some other kids. "Nope. And I checked and double checked my schedule— I've got too many extracurriculars to make a good script within a week. We're cooked."

Mona stays silent for a second, before continuing. "Well, I was gonna tell you about my troubles today, but that's not really important compared to what you're going through."

"No, no. You should say your piece. Maybe it'll distract me."

"It's not that important, but ok. I was trying to go to a store to get some more merch of Valiant Silver, but then the weirdest thing happened. Someone had already bought out all the other figurines, so all I could see was this ugly ripoff figure at the back of the stands, all dipped in bright yellow…"

Something clicks in your brain. You slam your hands down, shooting up from the table. "Mona, you genius! That's it."

"Uhh… what's it?"

"Just meet me after school, in the theater. I've got a great idea that should be pretty fast."

Off Brand Metahumans
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Rei enters into what seems to be a generic room, before looking forward, past the camera. "Hey! Are you the employee on duty here?"

The camera turns around, to reveal Mona. She's in an apron worn over her clothes, and has some shades on. "Yes, I am. What do you want?"

Rei smiles, adjusting her jacket and cap. "My friend's a big fan of metahumans and their heroics, so I wanted to get her some merch for her stash. Do you have any reccomendations?"

"Oh yeah! Some new merch came in recently! I think you'll like it."

Rei bends down just out of frame to pick up a figure. "Oh great! She just loves…"

The camera cuts to a picture of a poorly painted Valiant Silver figurine, which was clearly dipped in all yellow. It's labeled as:

Brave Gold

"…who the fuck is Brave Gold?"

"She invented Magitech! It allowed her to run really fast and make small walls."

"…like, shield barriers?"

"No, I mean walls of light about two feet tall."

Rei takes a step back, pinching the bridge of her nose, before walking back up and continuing. "Ok, that didn't work. Do you have Adamant?"

"We've got Vibran."

Rei's eyes widen, and she leans in a bit. "…are you serious. Is he— well, Lady Leizi must enjoy his company a lot."

"Don't you mean Miss Mei?"

Rei groans and facefaults, before getting up and launching into a quick list of heroes.

"Ok, do you have Moon River?"

"We've got Sun Lake."

"Do you have Red Huntress?"

"We have Orange Stalker!"

"Do you have Earthern Owl?"

"We have Sky Worm."

"Do you have Hydrocity?"

"We've got Watercomplex."

Rei bites her lip, and seems to weigh her options. "…alright, what does Watercomplex do?"

"He's always very hydrated!"

Rei facefaults, before getting back up. "How the— how'd you find someone lamer than Hydrocity!?" She takes a deep breath.

"Ok, there must be something stupid here. Maybe you guys are being paid by Dominion, or Hero for Hire. Do you guys at least have merch of Scarlet Maturity?"

"Well, we don't have Scarlet Maturity, we have…" Mona breaks character for a second, and giggles.

"Old Red Hard."

Rei's jaw drops. She picks it up with her hand, and her mouth opens and closes a few times. Eventually, she figures out how she wants to react.

"OLD RED HARD?!?" Rei screams out, hands on her head. "LEVIATHAN'S BLOOD, WHO THE FUCK IS THAT!?!?!"

Mona stays quiet, a blank expression on her face, before quickly responding. "…I hear he works for STRENGTHS."

Rei throws her cap to the ground, before bending down to pick up something. It's a sandal.

"…I will send you to the QZ."

She nonchalantly throws the sandal right past Mona's head, before walking out of the store. As Rei's leaving, Mona fruitlessly reaches out a hand to stop her.

"Wait! …I, um, hear the Employee's Hand has better shops I think?"

(In case you're wondering, both Rei and Mona got an A on that assignment.)

Author's Note:

Inspired by Steven He. Specifically, this video.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
. . . my boy Hydrocity catching strays.

Have your +1. You monster.
 
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Issue #2.4: Faustian pt. 2
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] You refuse. Time for the stick.
    For a second, you're that terrified little girl without her mother again.

    Then you see Rosemary's face. You remember her funeral. You remember Harper bawling her eyes out, Rakeem punching a sandbag until his hands bled, Eve disappearing, Yazmin refusing to talk to anyone, and Nora locking herself in her lab until she nearly starved herself to death.

    "Did you really think bringing him here would get what you want?" you hiss, "My friend's killer?"

    "Hmm?" Scarlet Maturity frowns and appears to be paying attention for the first time since arriving.

    "Should I take that as your answer then, Lady Leizi?" Faust asks from the table. There's the barest hint of a smile on face."

    "Go to hell, Faust," you snarl, "Better yet, I'll send you there myself."

    Then, Scarlet Maturity moves. He's fast, so much faster than your mind can believe something that large can be. He shakes the earth as he leaps forward, but he's so quick he gets there before you feel the tremor. He raises his right arm and swings at you with the most casual of backhand strikes.

    Minor Success: DC 12. Moderate Success: DC 15. Major Success: DC 18.

    Stat Check: HIT 40. Justice Unlimited and Hiver have a collective HIT 32.

    The Audience has given you a +5 to this roll.

    You rolled: 13.

    13 - 4 + 5 = 14. Minor Success!

    Dodge, idiot.

    Hiver and Nora save you.

    Something makes your body move faster than your mind can give the order, but it's not until a blast of white light from Hiver hits you in the chest that you're far enough backwards to avoid Scarlet Maturity's swing. But even then, the speed of the air displaced by his arm still hits you like a truck.

    Nora's shield generator flares to life and dies, absorbing enough of the kinetic impact that it "only" shatters every bone in your right arm and cracks your ribs. You hit the ground hard, unable to brace your fall, and scream as you land on your injured side. Your breathing is quick and shallow, with an odd wheeze every time you inhale. You think you might have pierced a lung, but, somehow, you are alive.

    Just barely.

    The Shield Generator absorbs one injury level and is destroyed.

    Lady Leizi takes one injury level! Severe Injury!

    Lady Leizi takes one injury level! Critical Injury, Adrenaline!

    "Despite what you may think of me," Scarlet Maturity rumbles, "I do have my regrets about Apiray's death. She was something of a kindred spirit."

    "She was nothing like you," you wheeze.

    "Now, now, now," Faust interrupts, "Hiver, how exactly did you manage to do that? I didn't give you permission to violate your loyalty clause."

    "Fuck you, that's how," Hiver spits, trembling with fear . . . or is it rage?

    "Hiver, what are you doing?!" Été shrieks. Printemps looks just as bewildered and terrified. "You're going to ruin everything!"

    "I'm doing the right thing, Gwen. What I told you to do instead of signing that contract like an idiot! Who willingly sells themselves into slavery?"

    "An uncharitable interpretation of our agreement. But I'm less concerned about why you're violating your contract, than how. It is deeply concerning," Faust says. But his eyes don't match his words. They're sparkling with what is unmistakably delight. "This will require extensive investigation."

    "Fuck you both!" Hiver screams, "You think I'm scared of you?! My fiance is dead, my little cousin is dead, and I can't even live as myself! This is the worst life I could imagine! You can't do anything else to me!"

    It's at that moment Handyman makes his move. The form of the waiter contorts and changes into an armored version of Handyman's base form. He grows until he's nearly Scarlet Maturity's height and wraps his elbow around Faust's neck, blades extended from his biceps and forearm.

    "Nobody move!" he shouts, "Or Cryptkeeper here is gonna get a real close shave!"

    Été recoils while Printemps' eyes widen in betrayal. "Michelet, why?!"

    But Faust doesn't even react. "Now, what does that mean, Hiver? Suddenly, I find a very dull evening positively stimulating."

    Handyman tightens his grip until the blades are touching Faust's neck. "Hey, don't ignore me! You think I'll lose sleep over icing a corporate fuck like you?"

    Fausts acknowledges him for the first time. "How curious. A shapeshifting metahuman agent, already integrated into the restaurant's staff. Hiver, did you tip off Lady Leizi to our little trap? How long have you been free from your agreement, I wonder?"

    "Enough!" Handyman screams, "I'm serious!"

    "Then cut my throat and be done with it," Faust says.

    "W-what?"

    "You see, that is the weakness of an idle threat," Faust sighs. He flicks his wrist and something drops into his palm. "If one is not willing to carry it out, then one is merely placing themselves at a disadvantage."

    DC 10.

    Stat Check: HIT 5. Handyman has HIT 7.

    You rolled: 9.

    9 + 1 = 10. Success!

    In Faust's hand is a small, cylindrical object with a button on top. As he presses it, an energy shield—not unlike your own—becomes visible around his body and then rapidly expands, erupting with the force of a grenade. Handyman detaches his own arm and dives out of the way towards Balthazar, just in the nick of time. The table, gazebo, Été, and Printemps are all sent flying.

    Minor Success: DC 12. Moderate Success: DC 15. Major Success: DC 18.

    Stat Check: HIT 12. Handyman has a HIT 7.

    You rolled: 4.

    4 - 2 = 2. Failure!

    At the exact same moment, Scarlet Maturity leaps, the ground exploding underfoot. He clears the distance to Handyman in one bound, rears back, and throws a punch at his head. Handyman manages to yank away at the last second, the force of the blow annihilating half of Balthazar. A spray of shrapnel flies everywhere and a deep furrow is cut into the ground. It's as if a giant stuck his finger in the earth and dragged it through the building.

    You're fairly certain there were still people in there. There is a red mist among the debris.

    Handyman tramsutes his arms to blades of bone and jabs them in either direction into Scarlet Maturity's neck. Both bounce off, failing to find purchase, as Scarlet Maturity wraps one hand around Handyman's neck and the other around his leg.

    And then rips Handyman in half.

    Handyman takes one injury level! Superficial Injury!

    Handyman takes one injury level! Severe Injury!

    Handyman takes one injury level! Critical Injury, Adrenaline!

    Handyman is, miraculously, still alive, screaming in agony as Scarlet Maturity discards his lower half. You can see his body desperately bubbling, moving to replace his lost mass. Scarlet Maturity holds him aloft by the head and examines him dispassionately.

    "Hn. Amusing."

    "Gloating is impolite, Christian," Faust says, having gotten up from the ruins of the gazebo. Été and Printemps look shaken by what's happened, but follow him. "Lady Leizi's plan was masterful. It is merely ill fortune that no amount of clever planning can make up for an overwhelming disparity in strength. Now, dispose of your toy and let us collect what we came for."

    He eyes the destroyed restaurant.

    "And do be more mindful of our hosts. They've been more than generously compensated, but unnecessary deaths have the unfortunate tendency to affect our bottom line."

    Scarlet Maturity rolls his eyes but complies and moves to kill Handyman.

    As he does, the world goes insane.

    * * *​

    You are Menagerie Witch. And you are a hateful little girl.

    You know this about yourself. You think everyone else knows it too. You don't survive over a month at the mercies of Le Petit Prince and come out unscathed. You've recently taken to reading a lot of books at night, when your brain won't stop replaying the images of what he did.

    Most girls your age should be reading fantasy books by authors who will deeply disappoint them later in life. You've been reading veterinary science textbooks, trying to figure out how to better use your power. How to make your creatures stronger, faster, meaner, so, the next time there's a Le Petit Prince, you can bathe in his blood.

    You might have some other issues.

    But there is one book you've been reading for pleasure: The Count of Monte Cristo. There's something about a hatred that survives multiple identities and persists through decades that resonates with you, a need for revenge. To know your enemies are broken and can never hurt you or the people you love again. It feeds a dark part of your soul, the one that nurtured you and kept you alive while Le Petit Prince surrounded you with liars.

    But it's also the part of you that almost killed Lady Leizi and ruined your chances at a second family. So you keep it tightly leashed, and only let it free when you know it's time.

    As that monster out of your worst nightmares moves to kill Mr. Rhys, you know it's time.

    "KILL!" you order your creations, screaming so loudly you taste bile in your throat.

    Minor Success: DC 5. Moderate Success: DC 10. Major Success: DC 15.

    Stat Check: OPERATIONS 5. Menagerie Witch has OPERATIONS 7.

    You rolled: .

    17 + 1 = 18. Major Success!

    You brought all of your friends with you, just in case you needed to make more clones. Your shadows don't think, not exactly, but they have copies of your friend's minds and feel the way they do.

    You love Barkavious, Mittens, Nevermore, and Apep with all of your heart. They were with you through the worst of Le Petit Prince. They saw his every depravity; they felt what you had to feel. And they understand your hate.

    And so do their copies. From the garden hedges, a giant snake made of shadow strikes and buries its fangs deep into Été's arm. A dozen dogs the size of horse break free and savage her soldiers. But they're just the distraction—the real problem is Printemps' plants. You watched footage of how they could fire seeds like bullets. They could destroy your Nevermores and clip everyone's wings.

    So they have to go.

    Great, unseen shadow cats attack them from every angle, reducing them to scraps of chlorophyll. A stygian panther leaps on Printemps' back and drags him to the ground. But you're not the only one acting. Hiver immediately places a barrier of light around Lady Leizi and knocks Été and Printemps even further away with another well-placed shot. He fires a shot at the skinny man, but it fails as an energy shield flares to life.

    Similarly, neither of you can do anything to the monster that is Scarlet Maturity. He walks through your horde, destroying clones simply by touching them and dragging Mr. Rhys on the ground behind him. None of your friends can so much as make him flinch.

    So you turn to one person who can, who's hovering next to you and wringing her hands.

    "Blast him, Mona! What are you doing?!"

    "I-I can't get a clear shot. If I hit Rhys or Lady Leizi, they'll . . . they'll—"

    Mona looks at you with wide eyes as you navigate you Nevermore over and slap her. And then rub your hand because, ow, her head is really hard.

    "Are you a hero or not?! Stop playing pretend! If you can't find a clear shot, make one!"

    Mona stares for a second before shaking her head and slapping herself on the cheeks. "R-right! Follow me, I'm going in!"

    Mona dives faster than your eyes can follow. You kick your Nevermore in the ribs and direct your murder downwards. You have to hold back a shriek as the wind tugs at your face, but in a few seconds you're in the courtyard.

    You arrive just behind Mona. Who positions herself so there's nothing behind Scarlet Maturity and blasts him.

    DC 15.

    Stat Check: HIT 15. Black Swan has HIT 9.

    You rolled: 15.

    15 - 3 + 3 (Ambush!) = 15. Major Success!

    An explosion of nuclear fire that would have reduced Floating Venom Morpheme to ash erupts from Mona's arms and hits Scarlet Maturity directly in the chest. He drops Mr. Rhys and attempts to block the attack with his hands. He holds firm for a moment, and even takes one step forward.

    Then Mona screws up her face and the light intensifies. You see Scarlet Maturity's arms burn and blister—the first time he's been injured all night—before the ground under his feet dissolves and he's blown far, far away. The light fades and you see Mona missing her left hand up her wrist. You also see a great divot in the ground, like a titan split the earth.

    Mona sends you a message with her eyes. Keep everyone safe. Then she rockets after Scarlet Maturity.

    Hiver uses a series of barriers to bounce Mr. Rhys in the air and bring him next to you. You waste no time dismounting and guiding Lady Leizi to a Nevermore large enough for both of them. Hiver wordless helps Mr. Rhys on and then joins you on your mount.

    "Lady Leizi!" Faust cheers. He's smiling, but it's a creepy smile. Like the smile Ms. Yamato's kid had when he played with matches. Right before he burned their apartment down.

    "What a wonderful gift you've brought! I must know where you found her! Unfortunately, that means I also must insist you remain with us." He points at their Nevermore. "Été, Printemps, enough of your bumbling, please."

    Your eyes widen in alarm. Printemps has regrown his plants, and they're aimed at the both of you. You need to distract him so Lady Leizi and Mr. Rhys can get away! Y-you have to do something!

    But Hiver has the same thought, and beats you to the punch.

    DC 15.

    Stat Check: REPUTATION 5. Hiver has REPUTATION 7.

    You rolled: 15.

    The Audience has given you a +1 to this roll.

    15 + 1 + 1 + 3 (Hiver Knows the Truth!) = 20. Critical Success!

    Let him talk.

    "Hey, asshole! You wanna know how I broke your contract?! It never worked on me! I'll prove it!" Hiver takes a deep breath, panic and pure willpower in his eyes in equal measure, "Scarlet Maturity is the one boosting everyone's powers! It's his real power! His only power! He gets stronger every time he does it, and they don't want anyone to know!"

    A stunned silence follows as Hiver's pronouncement echoes through the destroyed courtyard. Lady Leizi's mouth drops open in shock.

    "Hmph. Almost right." The smile disappears from Faust's face. "There has been a change in plan. Kill Hiver and everyone else here. We'll extract what we need from Lady Leizi and then dispose of her."

    But before Été and Printemps can process his orders, your Nevermore with Mr. Rhys and Lady Leizi explodes away. You desperately follow, through a hail of ballistic seed pods as Hiver provides cover with his barriers. You send the Nevermore with Lady Leizi and Mr. Rhys to very, very outskirt of your range, not too far from the ground.

    Flames from a ballista made of fire ignites the sky around you, but you're too high up. You hug Hiver around the waist and let out a whoop of victory as you fly towards the heart of the French Quarter.

    "Great job, Mr. Hiver!" you shout. He grimaces.

    "Uhh, just Hiver. You can just call me Hiver, I mean. {Ugh, I don't even like 'Hiver'. Though guess I can rebrand now . . .?}"

    "Oh, sorry!" you say as the clouds grow thicker, "You were just so cool!"

    "Wait, really?! Y'think? Ermm, uh, I mean . . . y'think?!"

    The fog grows even thicker as it becomes even harder to see. You bring your Nevermore with your friends closer.

    "Yeah, you were so cool with all the bouncing you did with your barriers! How'd you do that?"

    "Years of practice, I guess. I've been a hero for a while."

    "Wow," you say. You fly in silence for a moment before you have a horrible thought. "Wait . . . is what you said about Scarlet Maturity true? He can make people's powers stronger?"

    ". . . yeah." Hiver looks through the fog. "They offered me another contract. If I signed it, then he would boost my power. I refused."

    " . . . did he boost Le Petit Prince's power?" your voice is low and deadly.

    "Clovis Laurent?!" Hiver says in alarm, "That psycho is loose—shit, he would be with Wonderland gone. Crapbaskets."

    "Answer the question, please."

    Hiver looks at you, concern shining in his eyes at your tone. But he thankfully doesn't ask the obvious question.

    "No. There was a big list of everyone he's powered up. I don't remember every name on it, but know I would have noticed if Laurent was on—wait." His gaze sharpens. "This fog is unnatural."

    Sure enough, you suddenly can't see your hand in front of your face. Out of nowhere, the spire from the top of a church appears in front of you. You yank hard on your Nevermore to avoid it, but the angle is too sharp and it struggles as you and Hiver cling to not fall off. You spiral down, down to the ground, and it disappears as you crash.

    Hiver catches you both with a barrier and guides you safely down. As he does, a voice echoes from the fog.

    "Oooooh, wipeout! Yiiiiikes, sorry, lil' sis! Nothing personal! Ya'll good?"

    A man appears from the fog, seeming standing in mid-air. He's dressed like an aviator, with a bright blue bomberjack and goggles over his eyes. His long messy hair drifts behind him, tangled with a red scarf around his neck. He throws you two a lazy salute.

    "M'bad! I was just told to stop a little witch girl and snowflake guy. Oh, fudge, wait." He hits his head. "There was a second part! Nearly forgot!"

    He pulls a screen out of his pocket and places a call. He then disappears into the mist, his voice echoing. "Okay, okay, wait dude. Is this big enough? No? You need two! Come, on man, this is bullshit! Okay, these two work? Yeah? Yeah. Alright, chill."

    There's a crack of displaced air. Then, from the fog, walks Été and Printemps with murder in their eyes.

    "You've made a terrible, terrible mistake, you ungrateful, horrible, wretch!" Été screams.

    "This pains me Hiver," Printemps says, shaking his head, "This pains me."

    "And naughty children must be put to bed!" Été raves.

    "After she finds us Lady Leizi, ma fleur."

    "Sorry, what was that?" You mime putting your hand to your ear. "I can't hear you because your outfits are too loud."

    "Why you—!"

    "Hey, uh, are we fighting the tiny, adorable witch-child?" the aviator says, "'cuz, I don't think I'm cool with that."

    "Blue Skies," Hiver whispers in your ear, never taking his eyes off them, "He controls water vapor. It's more dangerous than it sounds."

    "We carry orders directly from Faust himself!" Été informs him, "You will help us!"

    "Really? Aww, beans. My job suuuuuuuuuucks."

    "Get behind me, kid," Hiver whispers. There's a different tilt to his jaw, something new in his stance. He's what a hero looks like. "Go find Lady Leizi and, uh, the other guy. Get out of here. I'll buy you time."

    "B-but what about you?"

    "Don't worry about me." He gives you a small, sad smile. "This has been a long time coming."

    As he steps forward, you ball your fists in hate. This is bullshit! It's not fair! Why do you have to leave someone as nice as Hiver to his fate? Why does someone as horrible as horse-face get everything she wants? Why do good people lose?

    Why did Le Petit Prince kill your mom?

    Your friends feel your rage and come close. Apep in your hat, Nevermore on you should, Mittens around your legs, and Barkavious Rex by your feet. Your shadow rises and envelops you all.

    Minor Success: DC 5. Moderate Success: DC 10. Major Success: DC 15.

    Stat Check: OPERATIONS 7. Menagerie Witch has OPERATIONS 7.

    You rolled: 19.

    The Audience has given you a +1 to this roll.

    19 + 1 = 20. Critical Success!

    Heroes don't leave a friend behind.

    You reach inside yourself, deep into the place where Mr. Chaucer asked you to not go. It hurts so much at first, but you find what you need. Your friends are here. They all love you. You love them. You all feel the hate. The need for vengeance.

    And the hope that one day it will be a need for justice.

    You gasp as your new creation steps free. It has the head of a great wolf, jaw filled with daggers of shadowy teeth. Its body is that of a lion, paws padding silently on the ground. The dark wings of a crow extend from its back, while its tail is a hissing snake with ruby-red eyes.

    It towers over your enemies and you feel its heart beat in time with yours.

    Menagerie Witch takes one injury level! Superficial injury!

    Menagerie Witch's HIT temporarily raises to 7!

    "Echidna, kill."

    * * *​

    You are Black Swan, and you're questioning why you're flying towards Scarlet Maturity.

    He's . . . Scarlet Maturity! The invincible demon of Powers! One of the strongest metahumans in the world, right up there with King!

    And you're the only one who can fight him.

    You saw Lady Leizi's arm. You saw what he did to Handyman. You remember the feeling in your chest.

    There's a terrible responsibility that comes with your power. During your training it was emphasized over and over again that even the slightest lapse in focus could kill countless people. You had to think about every shot, measure every burst of power, keep the gnawing void at your core in check. Because, if you didn't, someone could get hurt. If you didn't, someone could die.

    But now, here was someone who could take it. Here was someone who deserved it.

    Your light ends and Scarlet Maturity crashes into the ground. He grabs the earth with one hand and rights himself as he skids to a halt. He stands to his full high and looks at his arms, already healed, in consideration.

    "Interesting. Who are you, girl?"

    You take a breath and answer.

    "Rude!~" you say, sticking out your tongue, "If you wanna learn a cute girl's name, you gotta introduce yourself first!"

    ". . . you can't be serious."

    "As a heart attack!" you say. Speaking of which, your nonexist heart is hammering in your chest. Your left hand is just starting to regenerate after that blast and he's 'interested'?!

    What a monster.

    "Hey, tell me something!" you say, tapping your chin, "What's your favorite flower?"

    "Why would you possibly want to know that?"

    "Duuuuuuuh! I gotta know what to put in the wreath at your funeral!"

    "You—ghkk!"

    A spear of light stabs Scarlet Maturity in the mouth, searing his tongue and knocking him backwards again. It costs you the pinky finger on your left hand, but the look on his face is worth it.

    "Did I say you could talk?" you say with your hands on your hips. Then you strike your Battle Pose™, "But if you really need to know the name of the hero that's gonna kick your butt, I'll tell you! I am the cute soldier of justice, Black Swan!"

    You fly up and get yourself ready.

    "Now, let's do this."

    Lady Leizi told you to run away if Scarlet Maturity ever showed up. She said you had no chance against him. You've already given him a good whack, and he seems more annoyed than anything else. You gulp.

    Well . . . she's not right about everything, right?

    Scarlet Maternity poses like a sprinter, and then kicks off the ground and into the air with a terrific force.

    Then the battle is on.

    ______________________________________________________________________________

    Your heroes are divided into three groups:
    • Hiver and Menagerie Witch are battling Été, Printemps, and Blue Skies.
    • Lady Leizi and Handyman are on a Nevermore, at the extreme end of Menagerie Witch's range. They could conceivably join the battle after one HIT check.
    • Black Swan is dueling Scarlet Maturity. The area around them is relatively desolate.
    Your heroes' health is as follows:
    • Lady Leizi has three injury levels.
    • Handyman has three injury levels.
    • Menagerie Witch has one injury level and a shield generator.
    • Hiver is unharmed.
    • Black Swan is unharmed and has a shield generator.
    What do they do?

    -[ ] Menagerie Witch and Hiver (write-in, subject to QM veto)

    -[ ] Lady Leizi and Handyman (write-in, subject to QM veto)

    -[ ] Black Swan (write-in, subject to QM veto)
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Originally, Faust's shield going off was going to deal an injury level to Rhys, which means Scarlet Maturity would have killed or incapacitated him. I decided it was unfair to do that as, although taking Faust hostage was discussed at length in the thread, it was not part of a vote.

    Maddie has a new mechanic! Yay critical successes.

    You guys ain't out of the woods yet.

    This update brought to you by jury selection having a lot of downtime.
     
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    ...well! I can see why Scarlet Maturity has been keeping his true power secret. Also, Ete, Printemps, kindly go fuck yourselves you insufferable pricks.

    Now, how do we get out of this alive?
     
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    O-O
    .... *wheeze*
    I...think I need to lie down... just... for a sec...because holy shit..
    Its nearly 10 pm where Im at so I wont see the clustefruck of a discussion this place is gonna have soon, so Ill leave this here. I have a point and If we start rolling Im MORE than willing to use it. Strategist of SV? The floor is yours.
     
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    Ok. Im no strategist but all I say is that I think LL and Handyman should probably leave, they are 1 injury from dying and they are sadly a liability right now. BSwan can hopefully play keep away from SM and attack freely since apperently they are in a desolate area (Stay the eff away from SW right now, also he gets stronger everytime he empowers someone!? WTF?) and MW just unlocked hybrids (oh the posibilities)... Sooo yeah. I think we need to do a fighting retreat, the longer we stay the higher the chance we ALL die here.
    Edit:
    And thats not counting enemy reinforcements getting here.
     
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    Alright alright...first things first, let's get some need to know information.

    1: Can Ete, Printemps, and Blue Skies' attacks go through Hiver's barriers?
    2: When Faust told Scarlet Maturity to kill everyone here, did that include Ete and Printemps? Or could we make an argument that he's planning on killing them?
    3: I'm assuming that the Powers group isn't going to fight to the death, so do have an estimate for when they'll flee?
    4: Does Scarlet Maturity have any sort of enhanced movement caused by his power?

    At the moment, I'm thinking that we fight off the trio, then we get the hell out of dodge while the getting is good. But that relies on Scarlet Maturity not having any enhanced movement on his own.
     
    hmm have leizi electrute the clouds to force blue skies to disengage and Handyman to shoot Ballista bolts is what I think leizi and handyman can do. Unless Handyman can create bots that are conductive to electricity for leizi to charge and him to shoot with. Handyman should be able to snipe through a combo of making telescopic eyes and balistic bolt to snipe one of the tree probably printems since his guns can shoot down nevermore.

    for BS I Think theres nothing we can do than just go full power with a blast using arm and legs straight to the ground and burry SM deep in the Earth, should delay him enough for BS to fly back to reinforce everyone else. Another is using speed to close in and uppercut blast him deep into space. We have a shield a generator and monas full health to take the risk and Guy might not think MOna is ballsy enough to close in for an attack, were fast to make it work atleast.

    For MW and HIver have echidna attack Blue skies since his ability to control water and clouds is too much battle control.

    Then hmm Printems gunds needs to some of the constructs needs to attack him.

    Edit: Okay yeh since SM is used to fighting flying enemies Mona need to close in and Hit SM with a full blast. A flyer having the balls and Invulnerability to take his attack should catch him off guard.
     
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    ReaperofInterest said:
    Alright alright...first things first, let's get some need to know information.

    1: Can Ete, Printemps, and Blue Skies' attacks go through Hiver's barriers?
    2: When Faust told Scarlet Maturity to kill everyone here, did that include Ete and Printemps? Or could we make an argument that he's planning on killing them?
    3: I'm assuming that the Powers group isn't going to fight to the death, so do have an estimate for when they'll flee?
    4: Does Scarlet Maturity have any sort of enhanced movement caused by his power?

    At the moment, I'm thinking that we fight off the trio, then we get the hell out of dodge while the getting is good. But that relies on Scarlet Maturity not having any enhanced movement on his own.
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    I'm not sure I can answer any of those questions. It's information you don't know.
     
    Bitterman said:
    I'll add in that Scarlet Maturity is:

    1) Aware of his obvious weaknesses (i.e., no direct, long-ranged attacks)

    And

    2) Used to fighting flying-blasting types.
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    In before he Thunderclaps BS out of the sky or just grabs a building and throws it at us, that or a piece of pavement or tries to impale us with a street sign javelin or... I think Ill stop now.
     
    Bitterman said:
    You huge Hiver around the waist
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    *hug

    Bitterman said:
    Hiver looks at you, concern shining his eyes at your tone
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    *shining in his

    Bitterman said:
    We carry orders directly from Fasut himself
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    *Faust

    Bitterman said:
    over and over again that even slightest lapse in focus could kill countless people
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    *even the slightest

    Bitterman said:
    He grabs the earth with one hand and rights himself as he skids to a half.
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    *halt
     
    hmm echidna is big enough to tower above people. SO send it against printemps to get rid of the range attacks, have other construct stall etes and hiver try to take down Blue skies. Once Printemps is down we can probably just run.

    Edit: Hmm since Leizi and Handyman are at the edge of the range then I think they can try for atleast 1 snipe attack using Handyman Bone Ballista to try and take down 1 of them, since theyre far away, the enemies would need range attack to deal with them. Once cover is blown, so need to take down Printemps and Blue skies since theyre the ones with Range Attacks.

    Also Ete should have low hit since she was primarily a buffer with flame weapons until she got construct a few months back so primarily targeting her could work to kill off one of them quickly.

    Printemps was ranged attack so should have decent hit also I remember his powers needing him to make plant guns so aiming to kill him off first could work too. Ete is emotional so I can see her fucking up if Printemps get hurts badly while not having the hit for close ranged fights.
     
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    Lady Leizi and Handyman need to get out ASAP. Can Maddie make a small summon to find them, or are all her powers focused on maintaining Echidna right now?

    As for SM, Black Swan ain't winning that fight. Trying to bring him down is a losing bet since he's Black Swan's direct counter. Using her full power just means we exhaust Black Swan while Scarlet Maturity can tank it despite injury and go interrupt the other fights. Instead, we need her to stall him for as long as possible.
     
    Ok...ok. I have some ideas.

    First, we have Hiver play defense while Menagerie Witch goes for Blue Sky. He was what allowed the bitch duo to come here, so he needs to go. Whether or not he dies is irrelevant, so long as he's gone. Hiver may or may not the full extant of his cousin and cousin-in-law's boosted powers, but he knows the basics, and more importantly, he knows them. He can distract them, preferably keeping the two off balance, maybe by just unleashing every grievance against them he has on them.

    Black. Swan, on the other hand, needs to keep Scarlet Maturity away. Her actually beating him is, unfortunately, extremely unlikely, but as long as we get a mission success, she doesn't need to. She can take the occasional potshot, but as long as SM is distracted, she's doing fine.

    LL and Handyman need to leave. We cannot afford to lose everyone here, especially since we now know SM's true power.
     
    ReaperofInterest said:
    2: When Faust told Scarlet Maturity to kill everyone here, did that include Ete and Printemps? Or could we make an argument that he's planning on killing them?
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    I say to this one. While we truly don't know, I say we could potentially exploit this and trick them psychologically into believing it could be true. That even if they succeed, they may not truly get out alive, and all that stuff.
     
    Everything we do should serve to fulfill a single objective. Get out of the ambush and back to the Apiary.

    ScorpioSting said:
    I was going to ask if Uiara had ever tried to drown him at one point!
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    I imagine Scarlet Maturity is like Saitama. He can't fly or breathe underwater, but he is strong enough that it doesn't matter. He runs and jumps good that he might as well be flying through the force of his muscles, and him clapping would be enough to part whatever body of water you're using to drown him like it was the Red Sea.

    Any plan that tries to send him up in space suffers from the problem that Scarlet Maturity could probably kick hard enough to land back on the earth in a few seconds.

    It's ridiculous, but you don't become one of the strongest metahumans of all time without being ridiculous.
     
    ok, I think I have a theory about Faust's power and why Hiver could escape it. It's the same reason he offered an exchange of information rather than simply "tell us what you want to know or die" the deal has to meet some very low minimal threshold of being fair. It has to be an actual exchange where both parties benefit. One party can benefit far far more of course, and he can apply pressure to make someone sigh a bad contract, but much like normal contracts there has to be an exchange of good or services. Hiver was miserable to the point where he consider death to be a step up, he had not received anything of value to him. Faust underestimated how much he was being forced to play along by Été so fell below the threshold of "fair" needed to make a contract.

    I'm not sure how useful this theory is but it does let us know what Faust's limits are.


    Edit: a possible way to use this. When hiver's contract did not take, faust did not know. He does not get feedback if a contract is not valid. in theory we could use this to trick him if we can trick him into trying to pay someone with something they do not value. By definition the payment would have to be worthless to them, but it would let us plat a mole that he might trust a fair amount.
     
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