As far as I can discern, before Yelena became leader, I think she was implied to be genuine friends with her based on this wog alongside another one few posts up from this
The consequence to abandoning Chatelet is that she dies and Faust pins the blame on Justice Unlimited, giving us -10 Rep and gives Powers the pretext to commit an all-out war against us. On the other hand, taking Global Justice would've given us Stockpile eventually, and likely has Plasticity and Perspective come as a package, though it requires us to make a deal with the Americans and give them something in return, either info on Project Prometheus or insight on EXCEED (and later on EXCEED-BEYOND itself). Both options being bad. That said, I believe Bitterman himself stated a while back that Global Justice consequence has the "most long term one."
The consequence to abandoning Chatelet is that she dies and Faust pins the blame on Justice Unlimited, giving us -10 Rep and gives Powers the pretext to commit an all-out war against us. On the other hand, taking Global Justice would've given us Stockpile eventually, and likely has Plasticity and Perspective come as a package, though it requires us to make a deal with the Americans and give them something in return, either info on Project Prometheus or insight on EXCEED (and later on EXCEED-BEYOND itself). Both options being bad. That said, I believe Bitterman himself stated a while back that Global Justice consequence has the "most long term one."
Here's the thing though: According to what Rhys said, the Americans were pulling out of Horizon one way or the other. My take on this is that, if we came in and gave Silvio advice, assistance, helped with missions, gave info, etc. his superiors would still leave him, but he'd see our support and go "Maybe I was wrong about Global Justice being the only organization that really helped people", and then he and the twins would have joined up.
Here's the thing though: According to what Rhys said, the Americans were pulling out of Horizon one way or the other. My take on this is that, if we came in and gave Silvio advice, assistance, helped with missions, gave info, etc. his superiors would still leave him, but he'd see our support and go "Maybe I was wrong about Global Justice being the only organization that really helped people", and then he and the twins would have joined up.
Part of that conversation was about convincing the Americans to stay to serve as a barrier for Dominion to not take total control over the Foot. As we've seen now, the consequence of leaving them alone was for Gertrude (or Faust if you believe the theory) representing Dominion, Jair representing Qsanyin, and the Americans to form up a new Hero group Crusade. This is Dominion convincing Americans to lend them aid in exchange for something, likely a similar deal to what we would've done except with a different product and a lot more resources.
I'll grant that the exact agreement we would've gotten is unclear since we didn't take the mission, and I think you do have a point that the Americans might eventually leave anyway, but I think the time they may have left would've depended on how much we would've given them. They might've given us Foot of the Ladder right away as well as a few DNA depending on the deal we made, but compared to Wolong's deal where we know he is a genuine good guy and investing in him all the way was completely worth it, Global Justice is more of an under-the-table sort where finesse is required and giving them too much might be a mistake. I think we'd have choose missions and information where we don't aid them too much while convincing them to stay and not deal with Dominion is worth the price.
@Bitterman Got inspired by the latest update and how they showed off the Ambrosia candidates, which made me want to write about my own despite me not being a writer. I'd like to thank @LucidProp and @Kermie for feedback they gave me in writing this
1 and 2 will be explored in a Fill-in issue you can vote for.
3. It would have been different. Missing any of the timed missions was going to hurt, but I can't say one would have been better or worse. No one would have known Black Swan can take Scarlet Maturity, so there would have been a lot more attempts at pushing you around via force.
Practically speaking either path could have led to things working out, but I will say that the more we learn about them, the less "allowing Americans to keep a foothold in the region" sounds like a good idea, honestly?
The authentic feeling of literally anyone throughout history whose had to deal with Americans involved in their government, business, or politics, lol.
It twa's a dark and foggy night, the world had been consumed by an ethereal dusk as many slept, dreaming of things to come. Some dreamt of a warm meal, some of visiting far off vistas, some of magic and powers and some were just dreaming of what they would do in the coming morrow. But for a chosen few, they were still awake during this time, night owls that preferred the moonlight, insomniacs that could hear the Call of Hypnos, Scoundrels moving throughout the Dark and Heroes Constantly vigilant of any incidents that may occur. Yes, this Tranquil Romanian night was truly calm… but not for much longer, for one those previously mentioned scoundrels was about to meet a rather unfortunate end. A pair, 2 males of distinct height, scarred and batter, decided to enter the Hoia Baciu Forest, a piece of Romanian Land that was considered Haunted by the locals, due to the many peasant lives lost within in ages past, and while there are no ghosts in this tale… monsters… oh monsters are a completely different story.
Bram: C'mon Nikolai we need to go deeper, once we reach the rendezvous' point, we can plan how we are going to spring the rest of the boy's from than jail.
Nikolai: Aye' hear ye. Just give a second, never liked these kind of places… makes me instincts blare.
These two fellows were Bram and Nikolai, a pair of lieutenants in one of the many criminal groups that fester the region Transylvania. They, alongside many others, were part of a group of Thieves that stole throughout the various Transylvanian States, Stealing anything that they fancy. Money, food, Wheat, electronics, you name it, they've taken it. The groups of petty crooks have been fearing rather well the past few moons, but much to their chagrin, just a nary few hours ago, they were intercepted and foiled by the Hero Team Blood Moon led by the Heroine Twilight Beast, an Umbrakinetic of infamy within the Transylvanian Territories, and Her pet Jack, an animal with "Meta Human" abilities (Not truly, for he was but an aspect of one of Twilight Beast's powers, a fact unknown to both her and much of the Public, due to not being able to truly scan Jacks Skeletal Frame). Either way the Vampire and Skeleton Duo had managed to intercept the bandit group mid robbery, easily capturing over a quarter of the group, with another quarter being capture once the Rest of her team arrived on the scene. Those that evaded capture promised to meet up deep within the forest, with plans of recuperating their wounds and perhaps saving their captured allies. Not knowing of the Dangers within…
Bram: Bah, you and your superstitions, you are to paranoid mate. Read to many horror stories when you were small. There's nothing out here, but us, the bugs, and the moon.
Nikolai: Perhaps, but me instincts have never led me wrong, and they will continue to do so. Something… just doesn't feel right.
Bram: Maybe your "instincts" need some good ol' alcohol to calm ye nerves. C'mon we burning moonlight, and I don't want to get an earful from Alexander, the old grouchy ass. The base is just ahead, hopefully the idiots are being quiet… at least the lights are off.
Nikolai: Aye, aye, I hear ye. Hopefully, we can grab some rations before heading to bed. I'm bloody starving…wait, something not right. Its quiet…too quiet, those lugs know to pipe down, but not THIS much…
Bram:*Slowing down, noticing what his friend has said* …You're right…*grabs a gun he had holster to his side* Behind me, and prepare to book it.
As the Duo neared their groups base of Operations, a cave with a small array of Tunnels, leading to various exit points, They notice a lack of Guards outside of the Main Entrance, a serious breach in protocol, even if they were half in number, they all been trained in the various aspects in order to keep the base secure, including guarding it. Anybody could guard the entrance, if there wasn't any guards it was already a Red Flag, and both were about to turn tail and leave, until they heard a scrapping sound slowly coming from the interior of the of the cave.
*Sree… Scree*
As the two froze upon hearing the sound they notice a figure leaving the mouth of the cave. A pair of fuzzy antennae, black and red chitin, many legs, a pair of pinchers for a mouth and two beady alien eyes greeted them. An Ant stood at the mouth of the cave, slightly deformed and the size of Great Dane, the creature stood still as it observe the duo. Before quickly moving towards them! As it approached the sound of *Bang* echoed in the forest and the ant fell, a smoking hole littering its head.
Bram: What in the Devils name!? Was... Was that a bloody ant?
Nikolai: Worse… it was most likely a Behemoth a weak one, but one non the less. What's worrying is that it was an Insectoid Behemoth, those always have a trick or three of their sleeves, and if it came from inside the base… we need to go NOW.
As those words fell of Nikolai's lips, the duo hear more *screes* emanating from the cave… and from the surrounding wilderness. The gunshot had done more than just slain a foe… it madethem realize that there were MORE of the Bastards, and they we heading straight for them!
Bram: RUN!
As the two ran in the only direction they did not here the insects coming from, they would narrowly succeed in not becoming a meal to the insects, unlike the rest of their team, who met a grisly demise at the mandibles of the Behemoth… the Queen that laid inside.
???: Are you sure they are going to come Celeste? We really can't delay much longer. We managed to quell their numbers, but it's a matter of time before some of them manage to escape.
Celeste: Don't worry Stefan, I'm aware. I've been told our guest have arrived into town recently, Adrian and Elena went out to escort them back, we will soon be able to mount our counterattack.
The two speakers were two of the five members of The team Blood Moon, Celeste Andelean and Stefan Popescu, aka Twilight beast and Tide Bite. They waited in a massive meeting room inside of the team's base, waiting for the rest of the team and guest to arrive, speaking off…
Short Circuit: Yo Twi, We're back and we brought guests!
Dragon Fly: "Brought" is an interesting way to say it, BF pretty much told us we were contacted for a job. Who would have thought we were being hired by a HERO Team of all people? Things just got interesting.
At those voices we can see 6 people plus skeleton dog enter the room. Among them where the missing members of Team Blood Moon, Adrian Black, and Elena Rivets , also known as Gargoyle and Short Circuit Respectively. Behind them stood the members of the Nomadic Behemoth Hunting team The Fabled. Carmine Jaeger the Blood Fang, Edelweiss Margare the cold tactician or General White, George Russel the puppet master Geppetto and on top of Jack, stood the diminutive fairy and Demolition Expert Azalea' Le Moon or Dragonfly.
Blood Fang: Indeed. Hello Twilight Beast, it's been a while.
TB: Quite so. If everyone could please take a seat, I' would like to explain why I contacted all of you. For you see, much like your team member has surmise; I have requested your appearance in order to request your services and to ask for a temporary team-up.
General White: A Team Up? That's quite the surprise, considering your mix of powers I would think you would be able to deal with pretty much anything that wasn't a city destroying threat. Also considering you asked for US; I'm guessing your problems are Behemoth Related?
Twilight Beast: Got it in one White. Last week we have discovered the disturbing news of a Behemoth creating a nest in the Hoia Baciu Forest. This discovery is thanks to criminals that are currently in custody, having their wounds tended to after nearly dying from blood loss due to the creature or creatures found withing their old base.
Geppetto: Creature's? As in Plural?
Tide Bite: Aye. After receiving the tip from the two we went towards the coordinated thy gave us and found a cave and near it were a bunch of ants, ants the size of big dog. They took one look at us and threw themselves at us, they were easy to beat, one hit and that was that, a normal civilian could probably do so as well, but the problem was as we went in the cave more and more just kept coming, FAR to many, we were force to leave before we were overwhelmed.
Dragonfly: The F*** you mean you were nearly "Overwhelmed" !? If there were that many Behemoths we need to leave Now!
Gargoyle: Calm your wings Dragonfly. Theres only ONE Behemoth, the problem is that the damn thing has a special ability.
Geppetto: A…Special Ability?
Short Circuit: Yup. While Behemoths cant Exactly "Breed" as it were. This Thing has the next best thing. We were lucky to see it outside of the caves one day, Ugly Thing, Looks like a disfigured Queen Ant. Anyway, we saw it hunting and killing a full-grown bear; after finishing its meal it went near a mount of dirt and release a Purple like sludge near it. Apparently, it was an ant hill, because a couple of minutes later we saw Ants growing near the damn thing, until they took the appearance of the ones inside the cave, damn things collapse for a bit, probably not accustomed to their weight and size, before the Behemoth released a pink smoke from her antennae and ensnared the new giant ants under its control, probably Pheromones, if the Books Celeste got from the Enthomon's is any indication. So yeah, one behemoth and a small army of mutated ants, squishy, but there's a metric F*** ton of them. Far to many for us to tackle solo, especially once the acid spewing mutants rear their ugly heads.
Blood Fang: And That's probably where we come in.
Twilight Beast: Yes indeed. If I were to show our cards, for sake of transparency. We have a quite sizable contract with the exact purpose of eliminating the threat. These drones have been leaving the forest on occasion and have targeting animals or crops in nearby farmlands, so the city has given us a sizeable bounty for the Queens head, with smaller bounty's for the mutated ants. In addition should we succeed, we would get a contract that would expand our patrol range. So in exchange of your services we get some territory while you gain the equivalent of a Named Behemoth's Bounty in pure Cash, with some extra thrown on the side. So how about it, would you care for some Bloody cooperation?
Blood Fang: …Hmm. I can tell you being honest with your intentions, but if it weren't for the fact that you've done your homework AND the fact that we agreed to help each other in the future, I would feel slightly annoyed…But Those are a lot of zeroes and there hasn't really been that many tough behemoths running around. I'm game at the very least. El, Geo, Lea, how about you?
General White: I can admit that I'm slightly annoyed at the assumption that we would be just ok with this, but the rewards are worth it, and its not like we are heading in alone.
Geppetto: I'm ok with it. Might be a good time to use a new Puppet I've been working on with Lea on our Spare Time.
Dragonfly: May need to limit my explosions and fire if we are heading into a cave, but I can adapt, sure!
Blood Fang: It's unanimous then. Alright Blood Moon, The Fabled will Accept the Contract. Now when do we begin?
Twilight Beast: *a small smile appears on her face* Wonderful, let us fill you in on what we've found out.
Authors note: Hey, I'm making stuff again! So yeah, say hello to a small crossover between my own Omakes. Featuring two hero teams from my Behind The Hero Series. The Fabled and The Blood moon's. These two teams need to confront a Behemoth that's been slowly amassing an army in the Romanian Wilderness, while Behemoths cant "Breed" (If I remember right) This Creature has circumvented that little tip bit by just growing normal ants to a huge size and mins controlling them to due her bidding. Most ants don't survive the procedure, and most are easily killed, but the Behemoth has been slowly getting better in its craft and getting stronger, eventually it can reach the Level of a Named Behemoth and Really cause some damage, but its currently a Silver slowly reaching Gold in power level. So the teams need to breach its "Fortress" and slay it. Making sure it doesn't escape, so they will probably divide into squads in other to lead most of the army outside (Dragon Fly gets to shine) while an elite strike team goes in and kills it dead.
[ ] . . . talk. Fuck this, the only way to win is not to play.
. . . aren't going to play ball. Monarch's presented you with a false binary: either you let her do as she pleases and attend the memorial like an honored guest, or you attack her and feed her public relations machine. Either outcome will suit her just fine.
However, when someone is trying to force you to pick between two bad choices, they're usually doing everything they can to keep you from seeing the third option hidden just out of sight.
Monarch will not be permitted anywhere near the Apiary or the civilians. You will not throw the first punch. These ideas are not in conflict.
You need her to voluntarily leave on her own. And to do that, you have to convince her that leaving is in the best way to get what she wants.
So, what does she want?
Minor Success: DC 5. Moderate Success: DC 10. Major Success: DC 15.
Stat Check: OPERATIONS 10. Valiant Gold has OPERATIONS 9.
You rolled: 3.
The Audience has granted you +2 on this roll.
3 + 0 + 2 = 5. Minor Success!
Calm down and think.
Legitimacy. You know that much. She doesn't want her metahuman organization to be viewed as a problem to be solved, but a "peer" to Justice Unlimited, Powers, New Dawn, and Crusade. That will lend weight to her claims that Crusade is going too far, and hopefully put pressure on them to stop taking action against her. Or, to at least keep the conflict limited to fights between metahumans—fights she'll likely win.
The only problem is: her "metahuman organization" is made of violent murders and sociopaths.
However . . . the difference between a Marrow Spider and Acid Rain is more their willingness to limit collateral damage than any kind of inherent morality. Powers was filled with monsters, but polite monsters who could largely be ignored. Now that you think about it, there is depressingly little daylight between the "heroes" of Powers and Monarch's forces.
A fact of which Monarch must be aware. Which is why she's taking this risk—she's trying to blur that line even further. If she can force the monsters under her to demonstrate some level of decorum, then a not insignificant percentage of people will be happy to ignore the problem she poses rather than pay the cost of dealing with it.
So what do you do? You remind everyone that the line exists and Monarch is on the wrong side of it.
"How?" you ask her dryly, "How exactly do you believe you are a 'peer'?"
You make a great show of sighing, crossing your arms, and tapping your foot expectantly. You then disable the external speakers in your helmet for a second.
"Everyone, follow my lead. Be ready for combat if this goes south."
"Roger, I'll be ready on barriers."
"My pretties will be prepared. Shelob thirsts for her first blood."
"Confirmed. This is Justice Unlimited's op."
"Uhh, I have more spiders with Coach J's head on them ready . . . I hate them so much.
Handyman doesn't reply verbally, but he clicks his comm twice in acknowledgement.
Monarch laughs imperiously at your question and sweeps her arms at her lieutenants.
"Asking me this, girl, all by your lonesome? We must commend your bravery, if not your common sense."
"There's no guarantee of what the outcome would be if a fight broke out," you agree, "But surely you're not a 'peer' just because of strength of arms? Or were you suggesting you're a 'peer' the same way The Defiance Unit or Supplication were?"
That doesn't throw her off.
"You are correct of course," she says, nodding, "We have as much in common with those barbarians as an alley cat has with the majestic lion. We have responsibilities to those we govern. To keep them safe from a world that would do them harm."
"Interesting choice of words," you say, rolling your eyes. The motion is mimicked by the eyes on your helmet. "I don't believe Justice Unlimited takes it upon itself to 'govern' anyone."
"Oh? And what do you call those who live under the aegis of your 'Apiary'? Again, we are disappointed. We thought you had more loyalty to your people."
She shakes her head, tutting.
"But we are hardly the first to take a more hands-on approach to protecting the territory that has been entrusted to us. For how many years did the people of the Foot give themselves over to Justiciar and her 'Edicts'?"
"That's another interesting word choice," you say, "They 'gave' themselves over to Global Justice. They wanted her there. Do you people want you there?"
"They need us," she sneers, "Were you there for the chaos after the Movement? Did you witness how close the NID came to utter annihilation? We saved them from that."
You can't hide the disbelief in your tone. "You believe they need you. . . because you saved them from the Wonderland prisoners you let out?"
"Is that what you believe happened?" she says mockingly, "Well, you may think whatever you wish. It does not change the reality of my duty."
You nearly bite and ask what she means, but you can't afford to let her distract you.
"Whether they need you or not, they haven't consented to your 'governance'," you shoot back, "There is an easy way to resolve this. Set up a plebiscite. Let the residents of the NID vote. If they elect to have you remain, then who could ever challenge your rule? Justice Unlimited would be happy to oversee the process."
You can feel Lady Leizi wincing somewhere in the distance. It would be difficult and costly . . . but it is something you could theoretically do.
If Monarch would let you, that is. She sneers again and throws back her head with a mirthless laugh. "Oh, we have no doubt you would. Just as we have no doubt what the result would conveniently happen to be. We are no fools, girl."
"Sounds like you wouldn't accept any answer you don't like," you say shaking your head, "Which begs the question? Why are you doing this?"
"Are you deaf—"
"No," you interrupt, "Why are you doing this? With your power, you could run away to anywhere in the world. Wonderland must have been one of, if not the only, prisons that could hold you. You could be free. Instead, you're here. Why?"
Her face is like stone. You see her glance at the hooded figure with her flag and back up.
"As we said, we have responsibilities. We are finished running for crimes whose punishments have long been meeted."
You see her eyes flicker back to the hooded figure. She's been very careful to not let it away from her side. She sees you looking and then stares you down.
You don't back away.
"Like, I said. You don't seem to be willing to accept any answer you don't like. Well, here's one you have to take: You are not welcome here, nor are we obligated to welcome you. You are not a peer. You are a warlord. If your intentions are truly peaceful, take your thugs and leave."
DC 15.
Stat Check: REPUTATION 10. Valiant Gold has REPUTATION 6.
You rolled: 5.
5 - 2 + 3 (Previous Minor Success) = 6. Failure!
As soon as the words are out of your mouth, you realize your mistake.
All of her lieutenants turn to Monarch, watching her intently. You can see the calculation on her face. While Monarch would like to be seen as legitimate, she cannot afford to be seen as weak. You just spat in her face and challenged her directly.
There can only be one response.
"You shall find that we step where we please, girl. We will not invite violence upon this occasion, but neither will we meekly accept offense either!"
With a wave of her hand, a spot on the side of the drill changes. You have just a second to see the ceiling of a dingy room before a metal ball the side of your head rockets forwards at terminal velocity. It punches through Doctor Silver's barriers and shatters them like glass.
Doctor Silver loses 1 charge! 2 charges remaining.
Then, the forces of Wonderland march forward.
Minor Success: DC 5. Moderate Success: DC 10. Major Success: DC 15.
Stat Check: HIT 45. The Security Team and Valiant Justice have a collective hit 47.
You don't dodge the projectile. There's too much danger of it hitting an innocent person. Instead, you stick an arm out and catch it.
The impact makes your shields flair and drives your feet into the ground, but you don't budge an inch and you don't fall. You never take your eyes off Monarch.
Available Shields: 2 (Module Rock, Advanced Energy Shielding).
You crush the ball in your hand and let it fall to the ground with a thud. And then, you give the order.
"Justice Unlimited, unite!"
Spiders with a human face pop into existence and begin leading the remaining civilians to safety.; your attempt at talking Monarch down gave Dreamcatcher enough time to get in position. A cowering man suddenly transforms into a fifteen foot platinum blue giant. Handyman has four arms in this form and tackles Heracles from behind. Handyman restrains both of the gladiator's arms while trying to choke him out. Heracles is stronger than Handyman, and slowly pulls free. In response, Handyman shoots jagged spines of bones out of chest and into Heracles' back.
The spines fail to pierce more than an inch or two into Heracles' skin, but it gives Handyman the leverage to put Heracles in a submission hold. Behind him, Acid Rain takes aim with a hose connected to a tank of some foul substance, but Doctor Silver blocks the nozzle with a barrier. Acid Rain seamlessly switches to a sidearm and fires, but Handyman has enough time to dodge out of the way. The acid washes off Heracles like bathwater and melts the ground where it touches.
Doctor Silver loses 1 charge! 1 charge remaining.
At the same time, Marie Marionette and Warpstar fend off a horde of shadow creatures. Marie Marionette fights with long tendrils of blood sticking out of her stump, as well as beads of water she conjures and fires like bullets. Warpstar tears through the clones of Barkavious and Mitten while sobbing.
"WaAaAaAaAaAaH! i HaTe KiLlInG aNiMaLs! ThErE's NoThInG fUn AbOuT iT! iT's SaD! WaAaAaAaH!"
Palisade attacks Marie Marionette from behind, her barrier around her body. Marie Marionette curls her remaining hand and Palisade's body seizes. But, the canny heroine has learned from their last encounter and immediately launches her barrier like a missile and smashes the heinous hydrokinetic.
Warpstar turns his head to look at the fight, but you strike before he can do anything.
Activate Module: Paper.
Four drones fly from your waist as your HUD changes to include a targeting reticle. Your right hand disappears as the armor extends and engulfs it, leaving the end of a canon sticking out. You feel your hand wrapped around a bar, in the center of which is a depression that acts as the trigger. In one smooth action, you aim and fire at Warpstar.
But you're a second too slow. He sees you, and his head disappears before it's hit. It reappears on your shoulder, sprouting like a mushroom.
"Oh, ThAnKs, I rEaLlY aPpReCiAtE iT. i HaTe HuRtInG aNiMaLs."
His arms sprout from your shoulder blades and reach back to grab your head in a reverse camel clutch. You feel your shield flare to life as he tries to break your neck.
Valiant Gold loses 1 shield! Valiant Gold has no shields remaining!
"I wAs OnCe KiLlInG tHiS cHiCk AnD, aLl Of ThE sUdDeN, hEr DoG lEaPt OuT aT mE! i WaS lIkE 'WoAh' aNd I aCcIdEnTaLlY hIt ThE pOoR tHiNg WaY tOo HaRd AnD iT dIeD! iT wAs So SaD! i CrIeD fOr LiKe TwEnTy MiNuTeS. eVeR sInCe ThEn, I'Ve BeEn TrAuMaTiZeD oR sOmEtHiNg."
You can feel your spine breaking. But you keep calm and focus on your HUD. Tag his right arm. His left arm. His left leg. His right leg. His head. . .
"So AnYwAy, I aPpReCiAtE yOu BlAsTiNg Me LiKe An IdIoT sO i CaN jUsT kIlL yOu InStEaD. tHeRe's NoThInG sAd AbOuT kIlLiNg PeOpLe! ThEy'rE lIkE aNiMaLs WhO sUcK—WoAh!"
The instant you finish, you activate Module Paper's pyrokinesis and light yourself on fire. The flames don't harm you through your armor, but Warpstar withdraws with a yelp. Without missing a beat, you fire where you know his head will be. Your timing is perfect and it impacts Warpstar right as his head reappears on his body.
"Ow, FuCk Me! ThAt WaS cOoL aS sHiT, bUt It HuRt! AnD—AwW, cRaPbAsKeTs."
Your drones swarm Warpstar, each one firing at a different limb. He teleports them before they're hit, but you drones instantly follow each limb to its new location. They do nothing to actually hurt him, but they keep Warpstar pinned down.
"I'm PiSsEd At HoW aWeSoMe ThIs Is!"
You have a second to breathe and you take in the rest of the fight. Heracles is engaged with Echidna, seemingly amused at the chimera's inability to seriously harm him. He catches Echidna by the throat, ignores her snake-tail as its bite draws blood from his arm, and squeezes her throat until she dissolves into a black mist and the red light around her fades.
Menagerie Witch's HIT drops to 4!
Doctor Silver gains +1 charge! 2 charges remaining!
Menagerie Witch shrieks in rage over the comms. "Pestilence and sick! For that, I'll tear off your di—"
"Focus," you bark.
The clones of Shelob swarm Heracles, doing little more than slow him down. Handyman and Palisade continue their battle against Acid Rain and Marie Marionette. The puppeteer seems frustrated by her inability to control Handyman's blood, and Palisade is using her barrier to keep the acid off them. Handyman lands a solid hit that drives Marie Marionette back, but she quickly smiles and kneels, creating an umbrella of blood over her head. At the same time, Acid Rain pulls out a metal stake and throws it into the ground. From the top of the stake, sprinklers emerge and douse the area in a colorless, fuming liquid. All of the grass immediately dies, and the ground melts into a muddy sludge.
Palisade pulls her shield back in just enough time, while a nearly opaque barrier of light surrounds Handyman as they're both drenched.
Doctor Silver's barrier absorbs two injury levels for Handyman!
Doctor Silver loses 2 charges! No charges remaining!
Palisade's barrier absorbs two injury levels!
Palisade loses 2 charges! 2 charges remaining!
Acid Rain moves to spray them again, but Stockpile does something and cuts the space between him and the Algernon-type. Acid Rain suddenly finds himself spraying empty space as Stockpile slashes open the hoses connected to his tanks at a distance without moving closer.. A horrific sludge drips out and burns the ground before the emergency valves kick in and seal the tanks.
"VG, I'm tapped on barriers," Doctor Silver says panting, "And that thing underground will be here any second! It's massive!"
"Link up with Menagerie Witch. Get the Hustle on some of her clones, as fast as you can," you order. You spy Monarch calmly striding through all the chaos, standard-bearer close behind her, walking as if she were on a Sunday stroll.
"What are you going to do?"
"Buy time," you say as you switch to Scissors and dash in front of Monarch.
Activate Module: Scissors.
You don't have superspeed—not exactly—but Module Scissors makes all of your movements efficient. There is not a wasted step, your balance is perfect, and you more dance across the ground than run. There is a faint red haze around your armor as it helps you move.
You race in front of Monarch just as Warpstar realizes your drones are no longer active and pulls himself back together.
Luck Check: 1. Unlucky!
The hooded figure shifts behind Monarch and says nothing. You realize said figure is short—maybe four feet tall with odd humps on their back.
"Yes?" Monarch asks imperiously, "You are in our way."
You glance around. "Strange actions for someone who vowed to 'not throw the first punch'."
DC 15.
Stat Check: REPUTATION 10. Valiant Gold has REPUTATION 6.
You rolled: 2.
2 - 2 + 0 (Moderate Success) = 0. Failure!
She laughs in your face. "I was merely removing the obstacle obstructing us. It was Justice Unlimited who escalated and began this childish brawl. However, we are magnanimous."
She claps her hands twice and all her lieutenants instantly respond. Warpstar appears next to her, arriving piece by piece. Acid Rain and Marie Marionette disengage from a panting Palisade and Handyman, while Heracles merely strides forward while crushing a Coach J-Spider in his hands.
"There, I have spared your brutish allies. Stand aside and they will remain unharmed. Persist in this action and face destruction."
You exhale in your helmet. Pivoting. She's pivoting. You rejected her peerage and challenged her authority. There was no way for her to gracefully exit after that. So, if you will not directly or tacitly give her the legitimacy she craves, she will ensure she is seen as mighty. So mighty that she was able to bend Justice Unlimited to her will.
Mighty enough that a small-time corp looking to undermine a competitor might come to her under the table. Mighty enough that the criminal elements might seek to ally with her. Mighty enough, that it's easier to leave her alone. Crusade won't go for it, but it would be a step in the right direction.
You see her smile as she waits for you to make your choice. Heracles crosses his arms menacingly while Warpstar shadowboxes the air.
"CoMe On! RuN iT bAcK! rOuNd TwO, rOuNd TwO!"
Your mind is racing, but you're stuck between two seemingly impossible choices. You wish the EXCEED-BEYOND had a module that made you smarter.
"They're animals," Stockpile says as he walks behind you, "The only thing they're going to understand is force."
You see a blue aura start to shine on him as energy gathers on his arms. There's another pulse from his suit and, again, your HUD pings.
Psychic Interference Detected. Counteracting.
"We just managed to get every civilian out of harm's way," you say through gritted teeth, "If this fight spills over to the Apiary, hundreds could die."
"And how many people are going to keep suffering if we don't stop them here?" he shoots back, "You tried diplomacy and it failed. We end this now and we can save the NID!"
"Do not," you warn him, "Whatever you're planning, do not do it."
But . . . is he right? Should you fight? Can you even stop her if you do? Would you just be leading everyone to their deaths? Do you let Monarch pass? Will this thief even let you make that decision?
You feel your breathing getting heavy as time runs down and you have to make a call. Stockpile tenses his legs—he's going to act. Do you join him? What do you do?!
And then, all of the sudden, your choice is made easy as you hear a sound that is sweeter than any music.
A sonic boom.
Minor Success: DC 5. Moderate Success: DC 10. Major Success: DC 15.
Stat Check: HIT 45. The Security Team, Black Swan, and Valiant Justice have a collective hit 55.
You rolled: 20.
20 + 5 = 25. Critical Success! Natural Crit!
Stockpile teleports several yards forward, charging Monarch. But you're not far behind, the red glow from Module Scissors clashing against his blue shine. You shoulder check his back and catch the swing of his glowing arm with a blade of psychic energy that extends from your wrist and engulfs your hand. He leans forward to overpower you, and you grab his free arm with your open hand to keep him from pulling away.
All the while, his armor pulses with light at quick, regular intervals.
Psychic Interference Detected. Counteracting.
Psychic Interference Detected. Counteracting.
Psychic Interference Detected. Counteracting.
You tune out the alerts on your HUD as he snarls at you.
"What are you doing?!"
"Saving your life—!"
Palisade and Handyman race past where you and Stockpile are, just as nuclear fire from the heart of a star blasts from the heavens. A beam of pure, white light carves a furrow deeper than you are tall between you and Monarch's forces. You go blind for a second, but, once the light disappears, you see Black Swan drift down from the heavens like a fallen angel.
"You heard the lady!" she shouts at Monarch, "No admittance for bad guys! No ifs, no buts, no coconuts!"
Never have you felt so relieved to hear such nonsense in your life.
Stockpile leaps back from you and glares at you with hatred. In that instant, you know the two of you will always be at odds. The world could burn and he would be fighting you in the ashes.
Meanwhile, Black Swan's presence has given Monarch actual pause. And with good reason—Black Swan was immune to Maire Marionette and Acid Rain, and Monarch had no fliers with her. Black Swan was free to float in the air and fire on them with impunity. Monarch's best play would be to get Heracles to the gardens where the civilians would provide cover, but he would have to get by you, Stockpile, and the rest of your team.
. . . not impossible, you suppose, but what would stop Black Swan from firing on everyone else in the meantime?
You see the same calculation playing out on Monarch's face. And then—
Luck Check: 18. Lucky!
—the hooded figure drops the banner and eagerly tugs on Monarch's cape.
"Look! Look! It's Black Swan!" a young, female voice says, "It's really her! Look, Mom—!"
The world grinds to a halt. The figure—Monarch's . . . daughter?—freezes in place as she realizes her mistake.
"Umm, uhh, I mean . . . I . . . I m-mean . . ."
Monarch's face is a mask of ice, but she's ever so paler. Her eyes scream promises of violence at all who behold them.
Black swan drops down next to you, mouth agape. You two speak at the same time.
"You brought your . . . daughter?"
"Your daughter is my fan?!"
You look over at Black Swan and instantly know what she's about to do. Your expression under your helmet tells Black Swan what exactly will happen if she gives into impulse. You know Black Swan knows this, and she knows that you know that.
You can not be held responsible for your actions if Black Swan does what she's thinking.
She does it anyway.
Faster than the eye can see, she zips across the trench and stops in front of Monarch and the hooded figure. The wind from her sudden deceleration knocks the hood back, revealing a severely dysmorphic metahuman girl, maybe ten or eleven.
DC 15.
Stat Check: REPUTATION 10. Valiant Gold and Black Swan have REPUTATION 16.
Who is staring at Black Swan with a look of undisguised awe.
Her skin is like a leathery bark—dried and cracked with rubbery sheen to it. You notice how the edges where different sections of skin meet have been carefully moisturized, and how a few have split and are weeping blood. She only has a few, thin strands of hair that do nothing to cover her head, and she's hunched over like someone many times her age with two large humps on her back.
Her face is especially strange. Her eyes seem unnaturally large, and are especially prominent given that she doesn't appear to blink. They are a foreboding, golden color that makes your armor look dull. She has no nose—just a hole where it should be—and no lips. However, her expression is unmistakably a smile, displaying all of her teeth.
"W-wow. You're so fast!"
"Yep," Black Swan says polishing her nails on her tunic, "Fastest girl in the west! And east! north too! Dunno about the south, but I'm coming for them!"
She giggles, a sound like rustling leaves. Monarch looks apoplectic.
The girl raises her hands eagerly. "C-can I see the Apiary? Can I? Apiary was always my favorite!"
Black Swan clutches her heart. "Not me?!"
"No, no!" the girl says quickly, waving her hands, "I only heard about Apiary! You're my new favorite! You beat Scarlet Maturity!"
"Darn tootin'!"
Black Swan is really hamming it up . . . is she like this with every fan? Why is she so nice to everyone but you?!
It's at that moment, Monarch's patience runs out. With another wave of her hand, a hydraulic piston of some sort erupts through a portal in the ground to strike Black Swan. She effortlessly moves out of the way, only to have Warpstar's upper body emerge from arm.
"BaCk OfF, bItCh!"
"Language!" Black Swan chides and then fires a massive blast into the sky out of the arm to which Warpstar is attached. When the light fades, her arm is gone and Warpstar's body is back in one piece.
Until he teleports to her other arm.
"DiD yOu JuSt BlOw OfF yOuR aRm To GeT rIdE oF mE? tHaT'S hArDcOrE."
"It'll grow back!" she shouts, and then she turns to the girl with a sad smile.
"I'm sorry . . . but with everything sooo . . ." She gestures to Warpstar sticking out of her, "I don't think you can see Apiary today."
"Oh." The girl looks crestfallen.
"Buuuuut, if you and your mom wait right here, I'll go get a pen and I can give you my autograph! And I'll grab us some funnel cakes! How's that sound?"
"Is funnel cake . . . yummy?"
"The yummiest!"
"HeLl YeAh, I cOuLd MuRdEr SoMe FuNnEl CaKe RiGhT nOw."
"You dare order our daughter," Monarch snarls, "Presumptuous—"
"Yeah, I do," Black Swan says, flying right in her face, "And if she and her mother aren't here when I get back, then no one is getting funnel cake."
The rest of Monarch's lieutenants arrive and surround Black Swan. You feel Stockpile try to move towards them, but you refuse to let go of his arm, even as your own heart pounds in your chest.
Black Swan will be fine. If anyone could be fine in this situation, it's her. She'll be fine.
The air is thick with the threat of potential combat, when the girl chimes in again.
"Umm, I'm sorry," she says looking down, "Don't worry about me. I don't need funnel cake. I wasn't even supposed to be here. Mom didn't know I was hiding in her throne room until she opened the portal."
She twiddles her fingers.
"I knew it would be too late to send me away then. I just . . . I just really wanted to come." She looks at the white dome in the distance. ". . . I just wanted to see what it looked like."
Black Swan softens her stance and sighs. "Maaaan, this is a mood-killer. I don't feel like fighting anymore."
She turns to Monarch.
"Just go? You didn't mean to put your daughter in danger, we don't want to hurt her, let's just call the whole thing off? I'll kick your butt later."
"You . . .!"
"My liege," Heracles says, speaking for the first time. His words trail off, but his protest is clear.
You can see Monarch internally wrestling with her conflicting desires, though her face is neutral. But everyone knows what will win out in the end and the tension has disappeared.
DC 15.
Stat Check: ESPIONAGE 10. Valiant Gold and Black Swan have ESPIONAGE 7.
You rolled: 17.
17- 1 = 16. Success!
You don't know what it is, but some instinct in the back of your head screams at you to look up. The sun is now positioned so it is slightly behind Monarch's forces, and for a second it blinds you. But then your helmet automatically polarizes, and you can see them.
Three figures, floating in the air, hidden in the sun for cover. Seraph, Sunlight Knight atop a fiery steed, and White Hawk who is racing toward Monarch.
No . . . not Monarch. He's racing toward the girl.
Like his namesake, White Hawk swoops from the sky and snatches the girl, taking back to the air before anyone can react.
"Princess!" Marie Marionette shrieks.
"GiVe HeR bAcK!" Warpstar shouts at the same time, emerging from White Hawk's back. He rains blow after blow on White Hawk's head, but merely shrugs it off, grabs one of Warpstar's arms, and breaks it with a great crunch.
"FuCk!" Warpstar cries as his upper body appears back on his legs. Already, the broken bones are twisting and resetting, but White Hawk zips away.
"H-help!" Princess sobs, "Moooom!"
But White Hawk is already too far away for anyone to catch him.
Anyone but you.
* * *
It is said that no two heroes are exactly alike, but one trait is common to all of them: when someone cries for help, they move without thinking. As if their body has a mind of its own.
That day, Valiant Gold was in the sky before she knew what she was doing. The armor on her right arm had changed, growing larger, thicker, and with the top of a great spike sticking out of it.
No matter how her armor let her challenge gravity, a person jumping could never catch someone flying. Unless another hero, also acting on instinct, created a blue barrier in the sky for her to land on and push off of.
As Valiant Gold drew back and prepared the strike, words she heard earlier in the day echoed in her ears:
I will be the justice lacking from the universe.
Ah, she thought in a timeless moment, That's why I'm here.
* * *
You don't take time to think about what you're doing. About the repercussions of striking a publicly-acknowledged hero to save the daughter of the most hated person in Horizon. About how you're only mostly certain this won't kill White Hawk. About how you're going to land.
You just think about the timing of your jump and the movement of your arm.
DC 15.
Stat Check: HIT 10. Valiant Gold has HIT 9.
You rolled: 19.
19 + 0 = 19. Success!
Activate: Pilebunker.
White Hawk doesn't have time to be surprised as jets fire out of your elbow and rocket your fist forward into his face. Right as you make contact, the great spike on your arm discharges with the force of a gunshot. You can feel the sheer kinetic energy rippling out from your blow and into his perfect face. The force sets you backward, him down, and Princess free from his grasp like a shucked oyster. Her robe flys off entirely, revealing a shirt and shorts underneath.
Module: Scissors Temporarily Disabled. Module: Rock Activated.
You can feel yourself become slower as Module Scissors leaves you ,your body suddenly unbearably heavy and clumsy. You lunge forward to try to catch Princess, but someone is ahead of you.
Stockpile. He followed you and has teleported in front of you. You see his hands reaching for Princess—
When Black Swan arrives and pulls her out of his grasp. Princess clings to her like a frightened barnacle, and Black Swan grabs your arm and helps lower you safely back to the ground.
The whole time, Princess is sobbing incoherently. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll never do it again! Mom! Mooooooom!"
"Hey, it's okay! The cute soldier of justice has got ya!" Black Swan says, trying to sooth her.
But that's not what you're looking at. The two humps on Princess's back . . . they aren't humps—they're additional heads.
They remind you of pictures you once saw of a girl born with her twin partially embedded in her body. Neither head is fully formed—they're more raised lumps of flesh than extra limbs. One is blood red, glowing, and shaped like a cow skull. The other is little more than eyes and a scalp filled with curly brown hair.
Princess catches you staring.
"Don't look! Don't look! Please, don't look at meeeeee!"
You avert your eyes while Black Swan tries to stop her sobs. As soon as you're back on land, Black Swan takes off her cape and drapes it around the girl.
"There, there . . ." she coos, "No one saw anything . . . it's okay."
You're on the opposite side of the ditch from Monarch, hundreds of yards from everyone. You can see your team and Monarch's forces converging on your location from different directions. As you move towards Handyman and the rest, a figure blurs into view in front of you.
White Hawk.
He's uninjured, the only sign of your attack a bruise that is rapidly swelling on his cheek. His expression is beatific, a serene smile on his lips with his eyes closed.
"We will take custody of this innocent child," he says mildly, "She's clearly suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Crusade is best equipped to help her find her real parents."
". . . that's not going to happen," you reply evenly as Black Swan huddles Princess closer, "Justice Unlimited is more than capable of caring for a single girl. Your concern is noted."
"Oh?" he says, tilting his head, "The events of today would beg to different. A memorial hosted by Justice Unlimited, attacked without warning? If it weren't for Valiant Red, White, and Blue, innocent people could have been killed."
"Oh, that's bullpoop!" Black Swan shouts, "Stockpile nearly—annnd there he is."
Sure enough, Stockpile flickers into view as Black Swan speaks. He confronts White Hawk, his expression unreadable through his helmet.
"Hawk, what's going on? Why didn't you hit Monarch? We could have ended this!"
White Hawk just shakes his head without taking his eyes off Princess. "I'm afraid I prioritized an innocent life over a decisive blow. Forgive my inexperience."
"Don't feed me that," Stockpile shoots back, "Who's the girl and why do you want her?"
"All will be explained in time," White Hawk assures. Then, he turns back to you, "But first, the girl?"
Seraph and Sunlight Knight float down behind him. Black Swan hisses and clutches her head as your armor pings.
Psychic Interference Detected. Counteracting.
In the distance, a great porcelain doll's head erupts from the ground as a gigantic effigy of a child walks towards you with unnerving precision. Space bends and Monarch and her lieutenants appear on its shoulder.
In the opposite direction, you can see Joules, Plasticity, and Perspective racing over, closely followed by Lady Leizi, Châtelet, Gentleman James, and Miss Naught. With so much confusion and competing motives, if everyone arrives at once, there will be a fight.
Black Swan looks at you, worried, as Princess clings to her chest. You feel your heart start to hammer in your ears again, but you grit your teeth and push down the rising panic. White Hawk reaches out his hand expectantly, his expression ever so less full of grace. His wordless demand rings loud.
Minor Success: DC 5. Moderate Success: DC 10. Major Success: DC 15.
Stat Check: OPERATIONS 10. Valiant Gold and Black Swan have OPERATIONS 13.
You rolled: 12.
12 + 3 (Saw Her Full Form) + 1 = 16. Major Success!
White Hawk and the rest of the former Horae Guard members came for this girl, that much is certain. How they knew Monarch would crash the memorial or that Princess would be with her—especially since Monarch didn't seem to know that—is beyond you. But they purposely stayed out of the fight until they could swoop in and snatch her; only Black Swan and yourself prevented them from getting away scot-free.
Additionally, if the looks Stockpile is giving them are any indication, there's a clear division in Crusade. Seems "Valiant Red, White, and Blue" is a leader in name only.
But who is this girl? You turn and look at her and something that's been bugging you clicks into place. She's at least ten, probably older. Monarch was only in Wonderland for approximately eight years. She's too old to be Monarch's biological child.
You think people would know if New Dawn had shoved a two-year old in Wonderland. Which means Princess was probably born there . . . Wonderland was segregated by gender, so was her biological mother pregnant when she was imprisoned? How did no one notice?
You and Uncle Gabriel are going to have a very unpleasant chat if you survive this.
But something else makes sense now. Why doesn't Monarch just run away? She can't if she has a daughter who looks this distinct. Everyone will know Princess is Princess, no matter where Monarch goes. And if people like the HoraeGuard are after her . . .
No place would be safe for her. Unless Monarch made one.
Monarch needed legitimacy and power so her daughter could have a safe place to live. You don't have time to totally process how you feel about that. Honestly? If Monarch's plan didn't involve releasing violent murderers upon the world and taking a borough hostage, your sympathies would be with her.
But if this all was for Princess? There was no way Monarch was leaving without her. Maybe if you had connected more or she had a reason to trust you, she might believe you would keep Princess safe for now, but that chance has long gone up in smoke.
Which makes your decision easy. But, first—
"Princess," you say without looking away from White Hawk, "Has your mom ever hurt you?"
"What?" Princess says, honestly baffled, "No! She's the one who makes the robot-man stop!"
You nod. Good enough.
"Black Swan, take her home. Tell Monarch to leave and never come back."
"Uhh, VG—"
"Now!"
"Who's to say we'll let you?" White Hawk says affably, "I'm again disappointed by Justice Unlimited, but it's hardly a surprise at this point. Valiant Gold, I cannot let you sell a little girl's safety for peace."
The four in front of you are ready for battle. Black Swan readies herself to fly. The rest of Crusade, Justice Unlimited, and New Dawn are nearly here. Monarch is seconds away. Your finger hovers over the trigger of a module that you're not entirely certain what it does.
Module: Dynamite. Nora's notes had just said, "Dang, I really cooked with this one!"
Luck Check: 12. Lucky!
Just as you're about to activate it, a voice splits the air.
"Fighting a memorial? Even I find this tasteless."
Scarlet Maturity rumbles into view, looking visibly annoyed. He is now wearing a baseball cap with Menagerie Witch's logo and has a championship belt slung over his shoulder that reads "#1 Strongman Contest Winner!". One hand has a bag filled to the brim with stuffed animals, the other he uses to munch on funnel cake.
You . . . guess he's been enjoying the carnival games and food stalls, you think a tad hysterically.
"Begone, worms," he growls, "Black Swan, as the most powerful here, why have you not just vaporized your lessers?"
"Uhhh, there's a child present?" she offers.
Scarlet Maturity growls again. "Fair."
"Excuse me, Mr. Marlow," White Hawk begins, "But this matter is not for Powers—"
"Enough, boy. I know your Horae Guard well. I'll tell you what I told them when they tried to recruit me so many years ago: those who try to reach the peak of the mountain without climbing it are little more than stains in the dirt. Now, begone. If you are still here by the time I finish this funnel cake, I will take offense. No matter if I am 'on suspension'."
You see that threat make everyone hesitate and seize your opportunity.
"Black Swan, now!" you order.
"R-right!"
In a flash, she's gone.
"You waiting for an invitation?" you say to Crusade, "Get lost."
White Hawk holds up his hands in mock surrender. "Very well. I hope Justice Unlimited can abide by the consequences of its actions."
As he begins to fly away, Stockpile grabs your arm.
"What is that armor?" he demands, "Did she make it? Are you insane?! Do you know what powers it?"
"Yes," you reply, shoving him off, "What powers your armor?"
You see his posture grow rigid. "This isn't over."
"Yes," you disagree. You see the doll withdrawing toward the drill and Monarch teleport away, "It is."
Without another word, you turn and walk away.
* * *
You are Lady Leizi.
". . . didn't know, Ellie. I was not privy to the inner workings of Wonderland, even as a council member. You can ask Lady Leizi; the opaqueness surrounding Wonderland was one of the major reasons NuGen split from New Dawn and became Justice Unlimited."
Gabriel holds his hands up in a placating gesture to the agitated Valiant Gold. Ellie stalks around the room, furious. You're in your office; it's been a few hours since Monarch withdrew.
Honestly, it's been a blur. The spatial distortion on the drill disappeared as soon as Monarch stepped through it, leaving the doll and digging implement behind. Dr. Ibis and Doctor Silver had badly wanted to examine them, but you thought it better to be wary of traps and had Black Swan vaporize both.
Then, you somehow made it through the funeral rites. There were several dozen religious ceremonies performed as well as a secular "prayer", but your mind was not on any of them.
To be honest, you were still a whirl at the revelations. Monarch's daughter? Divisions in Crusade? The unexpected debut of Valiant Gold?
Speaking of the inheritor of your best friend's will, she had blamed herself for the whole mess. You had reassured her that she did as well as anyone could have possibly hoped given the situation, but she still seemed dissatisfied.
Which made Gabriel the target of her ire.
"How? How did anyone let Wonderland operate like this for so long? Steelheart just did whatever he wanted with the place?!"
Gabriel sighs, a deep, defeated sound. "Yes. He was resistant to any interference and Yelena was more than happy to throw problems in Wonderland and forget about them. Many people were."
"Then how does a little girl end up in Wonderland?!"
"Yeah!" Mona echoes from the couch where she sits, "Princess was super sweet! And . . . she said the robot-man had been 'hurting her'. . ."
Gabriel puts his face in his hands. "I'm sorry, truly. I knew there was rot, but not how deep it ran. I have no excuses."
His honestly contrite behavior brings Ellie up short and she furiously throws herself onto the couch next to Mona. She looks at the ceiling.
"Lady Leizi . . . did I do the right thing, giving Princess back to Monarch?"
You close your eyes.
"I . . . I don't know if I would have made the same choice, in your position," you admit, "But no one died, and they were safe because of your decisions. That is what is most important."
Ellie huffs, but doesn't argue.
In the ensuing silence, you take the opportunity to skim through the dozens and dozens of messages you have in your inbox, a great deal of which are from Chihiro.
Luck Check: 7. Unlucky!
Most of them are requests for statements from various news agencies. You set those aside and resolve to answer them later. Some are expressions of condolence or outrage.
Minor Success: DC 5. Moderate Success: DC 10. Major Success: DC 15.
Stat Check: REPUTATION 40. Justice Unlimited has a collective REPUTATION 37.
You rolled: 2.
The Audience has granted you +2 on this roll.
2 + 5 (No Civilian Deaths) - 3 (White Hawk's Interviews) - 1 + 2 = 5. Minor Success!
Focus on the good.
But most were expressions of gratitude from those who had attended the memorial. White Hawk had done a circuit of television spots after the events of today, doing much to play up Crusade's role in the defense of the Apiary. He also "complimented" Justice Unlimited while also wondering how this all was allowed to come to pass and if the "innocent child back in the hands of a monster" was okay.
This set off an immediate backlash online from those who were actually at the event and disputed his characterization of what happened. The upshot is no one knows what to think about what happened. Which might be for the best.
No loss in REPUTATION!
You rub your head in frustration. Leviathan's Blood, how you hate public relations! Still, it all could have been so much worse. You look at the two girls on the couch and smile.
"One thing I am certain of, Ellie, is that you are a worthy successor to the title 'Valiant'. We did well the day you were given that armor."
Gabriel hums in agreement.
You see Ellie flush and sink into the couch. Mona slaps her on the arm.
"Yeah! You were doing a great job until everyone started fighting! And don't worry, Black Swan will always be by your side to clean up your messes!"
Ellie takes a deep breath and holds it in, visibly counting to ten.
"I'm just gonna let that one go."
Gabriel leans next to you and whispers. "My word. And she's not doing it on purpose?"
"No," you sigh, torn between amusement and despair, "No, she isn't."
Tomorrow are the interviews where your team is to be introduced to the world. Lady Leizi must attend an interview. But not everyone else needs to be interviewed if you do not wish. You can assume anyone interviewed will become known to the world at large with a general understanding of what their power is.
Anyone who is interviewed has a chance of gain at least +1 to the REPUTATION, possibly more. Finally, the more people you bring to the interview, the higher the DC 10 ESPIONAGE check you must pass to ensure no covers are blown. The ESPIONAGE check will start at 10 and increase by five for each additional person you choose to bring, not counting Lady Leizi.
[ ] Black Swan
[ ] Handyman
[ ] Menagerie Witch
[ ] Châtelet
[ ] Doctor Silver
[ ] Valiant Gold
Next, each member will be interviewed in pairs. Each interview pair will roll the REPUTATION check for the interview with their collective stats. Special bonuses will be awarded for interviewees that pair together nicely or have a good dynamic. Lady Leizi will be interviewed solo. If there is an odd number of interviewees, then someone will have to be interviewed solo as well.
[ ] Pair 1
[ ] Pair 2
[ ] Pair 3
You suspect Crusade will interrupt during Lady Leizi's interview, which is scheduled last.
The more I hear about this setting, the more I want to set it on fire, I'm just glad we've got a kernel of people who aren't complete fucking monsters.
Also, White Hawk apparently extremely immune to kinetic force, to the point where hitting them with a Module Ultimate does zero apparent damage.
Stockpile also apparently has a mindfuck aura attached to his armor too, which may be working on him as well?
The more I hear about this setting, the more I want to set it on fire, I'm just glad we've got a kernel of people who aren't complete fucking monsters.
Also, White Hawk apparently extremely immune to kinetic force, to the point where hitting them with a Module Ultimate does zero apparent damage.
Stockpile also apparently has a mindfuck aura attached to his armor too, which may be working on him as well?
Not sure what's funnier, MW starts rhyming naturally when enraged or she practices it beforehand for kayfabe purposes. Either or are definitely amusing.
If we don't already have an official Black Swan action figure with 24 pre-recorded quotes like these what are we even doing, that's money being left on the table.
No, it is adding a few interesting elements for sure. Also half making me wonder if you played Fear and Hunger given who White Hawk shares an expy of + the existence of the daughter, but very much adding some depth here.
Anyone who is interviewed has a chance of gain at least +1 to the REPUTATION, possibly more. Finally, the more people you bring to the interview, the higher the DC 10 ESPIONAGE check you must pass to ensure no covers are blown. The ESPIONAGE check will start at 10 and increase by five for each additional person you choose to bring, not counting Lady Leizi.
So we're rocking with a DC of 10 and the Espionage check we're going against raises by 5 for every person we add not named Leizi correct? Is the count for global or versus each pair we're sending specifically?
Also, Stockpile legitimately does not care he's a puppet apparently, as long as he gets VENGEANCE on Valiant Silver for apparently being responsible for everything that has ever gone wrong in the world since the dawn of time, and he's willing to break any rule--including the ones he's apparently railing against her breaking--as long as he can "Prove" she and everything she's ever touched is literal Satan and cast down from the cosmos, and any evidence to the contrary is just a lie.
And yeah, he's definitely using some Psychic Mindfuck stuff in that armor, given how every time he gets worked up, EXCEED-BEYOND starts giving out warnings of Psychic Interference, I almost wonder if it got sabotaged before it ended up in his hands so that he would Rebound in precisely the way that would make him a useful puppet for the Philosophers?
It's like Everything in the universe, as far as he's concerned, is a lesser crime than Being Something Valiant Silver Worked On, and infinitely so, so there's no lows he's unwilling to stoop to in order to purge her very memory from existence, apparently. Including trying to Put listening devices down in the middle of a god damn memorial service what the fuck, that's beyond the pale, and it's not even something he could justify as having tactical relevance because this is a public showing and he didn't know that Valiant Gold even existed when he tried to bug Noelle! He just did it because "She's not hating Justice Unlimited enough and she's questioning my presence, I'm going to drop surveillance equipment on her"
Stockholm Syndrome isn't actually a thing. It was coined by a quack trying to explain why a bunch of hostages sided with the hostage-takers, in a situation where the police didn't give a shit about said hostages. So kinda fitting that these goons invoked it.
Bit of an oof that we only came out Reputation-neutral from this event, but at least we kept things afloat.
Valiant Gold was barely treading water in that fight until Black Swan came in with her big Charisma stats and even bigger Violence stats. Truly, a magical girl is only invincible when fighting alongside her fated partner.
I literally can't anymore. Genuinely crying for Black Swan. She must've made a Binding Vow to be better at talking with everyone except those she's attracted to.
BTW Has anyone theorised that the Leviathan is actually God ? Not metaphorically or rhetorically or poetically or theoretically or any other fancy way.A creator figure who made everything and all
Lİke it fell into its own creation for some reason and now leaking goldnine which is actually the primordial soup that everything comes from ?
No, it is adding a few interesting elements for sure. Also half making me wonder if you played Fear and Hunger given who White Hawk shares an expy of + the existence of the daughter, but very much adding some depth here
Stockholm Syndrome isn't actually a thing. It was coined by a quack trying to explain why a bunch of hostages sided with the hostage-takers, in a situation where the police didn't give a shit about said hostages. So kinda fitting that these goons invoked it.
Bit of an oof that we only came out Reputation-neutral from this event, but at least we kept things afloat.
Valiant Gold was barely treading water in that fight until Black Swan came in with her big Charisma stats and even bigger Violence stats. Truly, a magical girl is only invincible when fighting alongside her fated partner.
Okay, we are actively encouraged to let Handyman/Menagerie Witch/Dr. Silver interview here given they're all above the 5 Espionage threshold so we get a net bonus to our odds of avoiding blown covers by doing this, plus the former two are the people who need the Rep boost by far the most.
8+9+6+7 = 30 Esp from those 4 including Leizi on a 25 esp stat check. So we'd be rocking up into functionally a DC 8 check with +5 available as need be.
If we add in one more to get a second pair up and get it to a 30 esp check, Valiant Gold lets us reach 34 Esp and so we keep to a DC 8 action functionally based on roll bonus. Chatelet or Black Swan would both increase the functional DC by 1 if used.
Considering how important this type of thing is I'd probably say keeping it to 4 with Valiant Gold is probably safest (combos depend on if we think keeping Handyman/Menagerie Witch with each other for in text chemistry is better than pairing them with higher rep teammates), though the option to play minorly risky is on the table with Chatalet + Black Swan. Those two also need rep by far the least though so I'd really rather not.
Okay, we are actively encouraged to let Handyman/Menagerie Witch/Dr. Silver interview here given they're all above the 5 Espionage threshold so we get a net bonus to our odds of avoiding blown covers by doing this, plus the former two are the people who need the Rep boost by far the most.
8+9+6+7 = 30 Esp from those 4 including Leizi on a 25 esp stat check. So we'd be rocking up into functionally a DC 8 check with +5 available as need be.
If we add in one more to get a second pair up and get it to a 30 esp check, Châtelet let's us reach 34 Esp and so we keep to a DC 8 action functionally. Valiant Gold or Black Swan would both increase the DC by 1 if used.
Considering how important this type of thing is I'd probably say keeping it to 4 with Châtelet is probably safest (combos depend on if we think keeping Handyman/Menagerie Witch with each other for in text chemistry is better than pairing them with higher rep teammates), though the option to play minorly risky is on the table with Valiant Gold + Black Swan.
....O-O.... I well that was a thing a thing that happened. It seems Monarch has a child, her group may actually care for her if the "princess" is anything to go by. Crusade are Asses and Silvio is king Dumbass. Also we nearly got Dynamite being used (with our only knowledge is that Apperearently nora cooked with that one) with SM interrupt. Fuckin ay, nobody died which is awesome. But those rolls kimda hurt...a lot. But at least the good ones were great!
As for the review.... I have no idea what we should do. A higher Rep DC for each member we bring starting on 10? Im worried things will go bad. And if we bring a lot of people how would we divide them?
