Possibly. It depends on who she was using her powers against, especially during her criminal career. If it was mostly bullying ordinary humans and weaker supers, she could have just leaned into her hand-to-hand. Fighting someone made of fire or poison or whatever isn't exactly common, especially if she could just... investigate them ahead of time, and decide not to fight them. Go intimidate their landlord, or some other skullduggery. Mafia stuff.
I mean if your weapon choices are aiming for a mixture of 'is cool, because this is still a superhero setting' and 'lets Lady Leizi use her power at range' I feel like a meteor hammer might work, with the connecting chain acting as a cable for her to send the current down.
I mean if your weapon choices are aiming for a mixture of 'is cool, because this is still a superhero setting' and 'lets Lady Leizi use her power at range' I feel like a meteor hammer might work, with the connecting chain acting as a cable for her to send the current down.
Part Baton, part Gun/Shotgun , Part Gladius, all nicely covered in electricity.
Honestly if were planing a weapon for her, a mechashift weapon is not a bad choice.
Oh! Just found another option. Something like the weapon FF 13's Fang uses. Staff/lance that turns into.... knives? Tonfas? Mini clubs? Idk.. it looks cool and could actually work. Metal wire that suddenly electrecutes people.
After this latest set of dice rolls I predict the quest luck will tend towards this graph instead:
For fun I collected all the thread d20 rolls so far and calculated the stats:
Code:
Roll Count: 44
Average: 9.204
Mode (Most Common Roll): 10, 6 times
Min: 1
25th percentile: 5
Median: 9.5
75th percentile: 13.25
Max: 19
In the <10 range things look normal but we actually are getting cheated in the >10 range according to the average slightly lower than 10 and depressing 75th percentile which should tend to 15.
This must be the work of an enemy hero godly eldritch entity
Possibly. It depends on who she was using her powers against, especially during her criminal career. If it was mostly bullying ordinary humans and weaker supers, she could have just leaned into her hand-to-hand. Fighting someone made of fire or poison or whatever isn't exactly common, especially if she could just... investigate them ahead of time, and decide not to fight them. Go intimidate their landlord, or some other skullduggery. Mafia stuff.
I have been considering experimenting with a schedule where I do one quest a week. Then I realize that I've been trying that and the KR/MG Quest update is currently two (about to be three) days late.
Edit; I could use dictation… but then my family members would hear me. Fuck.
[X] Plan: Squid Rings
-[X] Agree to fight Floating Venom Morpheme.
--[X] Black Swan takes potshots at FVM to lure it away from the Apiary, while Handyman and Menagerie Witch takes to the skies atop copies of Nevermore.
--[X] Handyman and Menagerie Witch should let Black Swan grab the monster's attention while they work on prematurely detonating bubbles via ranged attacks.
--[X] Everytime the bubbles are cleared, Black Swan should get close to the monster and output high-power beams at it, preferably on the spots that look like it contains organs, before retreating once the monster glows red and unleashes more bubbles.
In the end, there is only one option.
"We'll take on the Behemoth," you tell Mendicant. An alliance with a healer of their caliber is too valuable to pass up. Not to mention, a new, guilty voice in your mind reminds you, it is the right thing to do. The Apiary is large enough to house all of the refugees, even if it will be taxing on your budget.
Which will be much, much fuller if you collect a bounty on a Named Behemoth.
"Oh thank goddess," Mendicant says in relief, "You're are, like, so hot and it would suuuuuck if you turned out to be a shitty person. Also! I'm worried I've veering away from being quirky and into actual sexual harassment. We good?"
"Marvelous, darling," you say, sticking out a hand.
"Oh! I don't shake hands. I've lived in pretty much total isolation for the last fifteen years. Being around people again has me overstimulated as fuck. If I have meaningful contact with another human being right now, I'm gonna ugly cry."
"O-oh. I see." You have no idea what to say in response to that. What can you say?
"Shit sucks," Menagerie Witch says, patting Mendicant on the arm. Before you can scold her for her language, she gives Mendicant a quick hug.
"Waaaaaaah! I-I—hic!—said I was gonna cry! I'm crying! I'm crying; are you happy now? Waaaaaaaaah! G-go kill the monster or something! Just go kill the monster!"
"S-sorry!" Menagerie Witch says, trying to pull away. But Mendicant's arm remains firmly wrapped around her torso.
"Ummm . . ."
"Twenty more minutes!"
* * *
As Mendicant bawls their eyes out and clings to a visibly sympathetic Menagerie Witch, you have a word with Black Swan.
"Will there be a repeat of your . . . episode while we deal with Floating Venom Morpheme?"
"No," Black Swan says as the two of you watch Handyman walk over and rub soothing circles into Mendicant's back, "I'm good. I . . . um . . . I'll tell you later."
Black Swan's expression is unusually serious. You nod at her. "Understood. We'll all be counting on you."
"Yeah. Ummm, Lady Leizi?"
"Yes?"
". . . am I a 'provisional member' of Justice Unlimited?"
You raise an eyebrow. Where had that come from? "I daresay it depends on how you perform in this upcoming fight."
"Thanks, Lady Leizi—what, what the frick?"
You laugh at how her face screws up as you go to free a now uncomfortable Menagerie Witch. Black Swan follows you, grumbling ominously under her breath.
". . . provisional member, my butt. . ."
* * *
The four of you get into position as Floating Venom Morpheme looms overhead. Black Swan takes point, followed by Menagerie Witch and Handyman aloft on clones of Nevermore.
Handyman has contorted his body into an unusual shape. He sits on his bottom with his legs lengthened to unnatural proportions. Where his knees should be is a circular platform from which there is a ballista made of bone and chitinous sinew. His arms have also grown longer so he can move the "platform" while his head is angled in such a way that he can see down the sights of his ballista-self.
It is grotesque and fascinating in all the ways Towarri would have loved. Handyman throws you a wink from where you stand on overwatch.
Yes, you were not to joining them in the air. You ignore the churning pit of anxiety in your stomach as you watch through binoculars from the top of the Apiary. You reassure yourself for the dozenth time that this is the right decision—your electrical attacks are all contact-based. You have no form of defensive power. You would be a liability in this fight.
Just like you were in the QZ.
They will be fine, you repeat like a mantra. You are watching them and will give orders as the battle unfolds. You are not helpless. They are not helpless. It's one Behemoth. Everything will be fine.
You pointedly ignore the slight tremor in your legs and hands.
The plan is simple. Black Swan will take potshots at Floating Venom Morpheme and draw its attention away from the Apiary. As she does, Menagerie Witch and Handyman will prematurely detonate any bubbles before they can spread too far. Once the bubbles are clear, Black Swan will engage with high-powered blasts aiming for the Behemoth's organs and retreat before more bubbles can be released. It's as solid a plan as you can have with the information you have on the creature's capabilities.
DC 15.
Stat Check: HIT 20. Justice Unlimited has a collective HIT 25.
You rolled: 4.
4 + 2 + 3 (Good Plan!) = 9. Failure!
Unfortunately, you've forgotten something vital: Behemoths are not just powerful, but intelligent. Rather than feel backwards, Floating Venom Morpheme flies towards Black Swan as she attacks, using its thicker top-layer of skin to absorb her blasts. Black Swan is forced to pull away as the abomination places itself between her and Menagerie Witch and Handyman. Then it begins a counterattack.
Floating Venom Morpheme raises its tentacles level with its body and, through some unseen propulsion, begins to spin like a top. Bubbles don't drift from its body, but rocket out too fast for your teammates to avoid.
Black Swan takes one injury level! Superficial Injury!
Handyman takes one injury level! Severe Injury!
Menagerie Witch takes one injury level! Superficial Injury!
The concussive force knocks Justice Unlimited for a loop but, more worryingly, places them in the center of mist as the bubbles detonate. You hear Handyman and Menagerie Witch coughing over your comm.
"Pull back!" you bark, "Status report! Handyman, Menagerie Witch!"
"J-jung?" Menagerie Witch says through hacking coughs, "Arvgure bs lbh ner znxvat frafr."
"Come again," you say, "Menagerie Witch, Handyman, do you read me?"
"Lbh'er abg znxvat frafr!" Menagerie Witch cries.
"Lady Leizi, I don't think they can understand us," Black Swan says, "I think it's poison!"
You think of the creature's name. Floating Venom Morpheme. You curse violently under your breath. It may be that none of Mendicant's patients were found before succumbing to the poison, but you would put money on the fact they developed aphasia as well.
Your breathing quickens. They can't understand you. You can't direct them. You can only watch.
DC 12.
Stat Check: OPERATIONS 10. Menagerie Witch has OPERATIONS 7.
You rolled: 19.
19 - 1 - 3 (Asphasia) = 15. Success!
Thankfully, Menagerie Witch keeps her head. Perhaps it is the part of her that let her plan revenge against Le Petit Prince and resist him for weeks, but she quickly sacrifices all of her constructs except those she and Handyman ride on and rapidly pulls away. Floating Venom Morpheme is distracted long enough that they're able to escape the range of its next burst of bubbles.
Black Swan also takes advantage of the creature's inattention and positions herself for an attack. Repeating the tactics she used against Menagerie Witch's constructs in the Worker's Mitt, she flies underneath Floating Venom Morpheme and hits it with a high energy attack. The beam of light blinds you for a second as she drags it across the monster's body, severing three tentacles and leaving deep burns in its main body.
Black Swan repositions herself and begins charging another blast, this one meant to end the fight. But before she can fire, Floating Venom Morpheme makes one final move.
DC 10.
Stat Check: HIT 20. Menagerie Witch and Handyman have a collective HIT 10.
You rolled: 2.
2 - 5 - 1 (Handyman is Severely Injured!) + 5 (Floating Venom Morpheme is on the Ropes!) = 1. Critical failure!
Handyman takes one injury level! Critical Injury!
Menagerie Witch takes one injury level! Severe Injury!
With a dexterity a creature that size shouldn't have, Floating Venom Morpheme strikes with its tentacles like a snake. It plucks Handyman and Menagerie Witch out of the air and pulls them into its body.
Black Swan freezes in horror at the same moment you do. You can see Handyman inside the creature grabbing Menagerie Witch and struggling in the mesoglea. Black Swan now can't attack it without killing her teammates. The creature glows red as it moves to attack her with impunity.
You can't do anything. You can only watch.
You see the innards of Floating Venom Morpheme start to converge on your friends. Handyman struggles in place as the fluid grows more viscous, locking him and Menagerie Witch in place.
You can't do anything. You can only watch.
Menagerie Witch opens her mouth, but there's no air to breath. She starts choking as her face is overlaid in your mind with another young girl with silver skin and blank eyes—
You can't do anything. You can only watch.
"No!" you scream as you strike yourself in the thigh and electrocute yourself. You will not give in. You will save them. "Black Swan! If you can't blast it—"
DC 12.
Stat Check: HIT 10. Black Swan has HIT 9.
You rolled: 13.
13 + 0 = 13. Success!
"—then I go through!" she finishes.
Black Swan pulls back and aligns herself underneath Floating Venom Morpheme. Then, she flies up. She accelerates, faster, and faster, and faster until she is a blur unseeable by the eye. She rips through Floating Venom Morpheme like a hot knife through butter and grabs Handyman and Menagerie Witch. Then, with the force of a star, she blasts a hole through the top of Floating Venom Morpheme and pulls herself and her teammates free with a victorious holler.
Floating Venom Morpheme deflates like a punctured balloon and begins to rapidly lose altitude. Clear plasma leaks out of its body and stains the wilderness below as it flashes a strobelight of colors.
DC 10.
Stat Check: HIT 20. Justice Unlimited has a collective HIT 25.
With its last burst of propellant, Floating Venom Morpheme flings itself in the direction of the Apiary and crashes atop the building next to you. The tremors throw you to the surface of the roof and you must cling precariously to not be thrown off the building all together.
Lady Leizi takes one injury level! Superficial Injury!
Then, Floating Venom Morpheme begins wrapping its remaining tentacles around the building, attempting to crush it like a grape. It glows red, less vibrant than before, no doubt to release a volley of bubbles at short range.
The creature is mortally wounded, but it appears to want to take you, the building, and everyone inside with it.
You get to your feet. The hum of the Apiary underneath you brings back old memories. You center yourself and then charge. That thing dies here!
* * *
You remember sitting there for the first time as your new teammates for this venture were introduced. New Dawn made its conditions clear: you want their resources and expertise? You had to submit to their supervision and accept the two before you into your "NuGen". One is a tall man who is handsome in a boring way. The other was the most severe example of metahuman dismorphism you had ever had the misfortune of encountering.
She was eight feet tall, covered in a bluish chitin and gray hair. An insectoid abdomen hung behind her digitigrade legs, and all four of her hands were nervously clasped together. She didn't raise her head with a set of red insectoid compound eyes over humanoid eyes until she was introduced. She split her mandibles apart in a facsimile of a smile, showing human teeth.
"Hi," she said softly, "I'm Rosemary. It's nice to meet you all."
* * *
Whatever sensorium Floating Venom Morpheme has, it lets it see you coming. It diverts a tentacle and whips it at you, which you parry with a blast of lightning. Its rubbery skin protects it from the worst of the damage, but it definitely felt that attack.
* * *
You wrinkled your nose as you walked into the room—it stank. Nora and Rosemary were sitting on the floor in front of a great television, complaining as Eve beat them at some video game or other.
"New rule!" Nora shouted, "Zixuan has to play and be on Eve's team."
"But I've never touched this game, Nora."
"Exactly! You'll drag her down so we can win!"
You frowned at that. You did not appreciate being treated as a handicap. You open your mouth to say as much when Rosemary interrupts you.
"I'll play with Zixuan," she says.
". . . you sure?" Nora asks.
"Yep!"
After some shuffling, you find yourself sitting next to Rosemary as the game starts back up.
You give her a scrutinizing look out of the corner of your eye. "You don't have to pity me. This is a children's game. I could care less if I'm not good at it."
"I know," Rosemary says with a conspiratorial buzz, "But now that you're on my team, I can stop holding back."
You proceed to trounce Eve and Nora seventeen times in a row. By the end, Eve is so furious she has disconnected her avatar and Nora is lying on the floor and staring blankly at the ceiling.
Rosemary holds out a fist to you. After a moment, you bump yours against it.
"Same time next week?" she asks, tentatively.
"Darling, if you promise to keep putting Eve in her place, I'll be here every week."
* * *
You viciously curse under your breath as Floating Venom Morpheme brings two more tentacles into the mix. You feel like a sea captain battling a kraken, complete with an unstable footing. The fact that you had to get into hand-to-hand range to do any damage was making this fight impossibly difficult. Why had you never mastered a weapon? Certainly there were some that could conduct electricity. Honestly, mastery of your powers was never a priority for you. You had friends for that; your strength was your mind. And now you were paying for it.
One tentacle strikes so closely that you have to roll out of the way. The hum from Apiary below is even louder now, the surface hot to the touch.
It feels familiar.
* * *
The whole city had gone mad. The Defiance Unit had finally crossed a line, attacking the Elysium Station during Christmas. The rich and powerful, so used to living in total safety high above the world, went rabid and placed a one billion dollar bounty on them.
Dead. Not alive.
Every metahuman in the city sought to claim the bounty and conflict between competing groups became as common as clashes with the Defiance Unit as they desperately fled. They had surrendered multiple times, only to be attacked anyway.
"This isn't justice," Yazmin had said, her eyes blazing, "This is a lynch mob."
And so your team—and yourself, for some reason—stood alone against the insanity. But you were only seven people and monsters like Scarlet Maturity joined the fray. You all knew it was a futile, even suicidal, effort.
But, yet, here you were warding off an attack from Marrow Spider, diving out of the way of a spear made of bone. You were hurt, bleeding, and exhausted. One wrong step and you would die, and both you and he knew it.
Then you heard it. The buzzing.
Hundreds, maybe thousands, of human-sized insectoid warriors blacked the sky. It was Apiary—they all were Apiary. You could hear her voice echo from every construct as she announced the hunt was over and everyone must quit the field. Or else.
You stared, awe-struck. You had never seen her make so many warforms at once; there were ten for every metahuman here. One of them saw you staring at it and, through it, Apiary spoke.
"I'm not running anyway anymore. I won't let anyone else get hurt."
A week later, at her funeral, you had the thought that it was the most human thing you had ever heard.
* * *
On the ground, you closed your eyes. Nora's final words echoing in your ears.
"Remember, the Apiary doesn't just have Rosemary's name. It has her heart."
The Apiary was a building Rosemary had made in her final moments, the white material a new kind of production for her. Nora could always speak to her, speak to it, even if the rest of you couldn't. But now, there was only you. Justice Unlimited was yours.
"Help me," you hiss into the ground. "Please. I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can . . . please. I've lost one family. I can't lose another."
DC 15.
Stat Check: REPUTATION 10. Lady Leizi has REPUTATION 4.
You rolled: 19.
19 - 3 + 5 (It has Her Heart.) = 21. Critical Success!
You repeat yourself over and over and, by the end, your words are a barely coherent babble, or perhaps a prayer. But they do not go unanswered.
With a great heave and groan, the building next to you moves. A pillar of material taller than Floating Venom Morpheme rises and then moves towards the Behemoth. You see that there are six other pillars, all encircling the monster, that move, converging to one point in the center. As they do, they push Floating Venom Morpheme's body, compressing it, squeezing it, crushing it until it—
Pops.
You stare blankly for a second. The sight is revolting, but the Behemoth is unquestionably dead. You stare at the Apiary and pat it appreciatively.
"Yes. . . that will do nicely. Thank you."
* * *
The return to the Apiary is something of a blur. You remember Black Swan landing and taking her, Handyman, and Menagerie Witch into a great hug. Mendicant rushed out exclaiming at how you dispatched Floating Venom Morpheme and grabbing as much material as they could to synthesize a cure. They took a piece of its flesh, turned around and tucked it somewhere underneath their shirt. Then, after a moment they start screaming.
"Fuckfuckfuckfuck! It's prion-based! AHHHHHH! I need to synthesize a cure yesterday. Fuuuuuuuuuuck—" Their voice drifts away as they run back inside.
As you wait for their return, you turn to your team. Menagerie Witch looks worse for wear and Handyman is hardly able to stay upright. You and Black Swan begin helping him into a resting position when Mendicant returns with two fingernail-sized creatures that look like enlarged amoebas as well as Mittens and Apep. They shove them into Menagerie Witch's hands and then put the amoebas into her and Handyman's mouths before running back inside, still swearing.
Menagerie Witched coughs and sputters before saying, "What was that? Wait, I can talk! I can understand words again!"
"Mendicant's the best, kid," Handyman groans, "Fast too."
"Are you okay?!" Black Swan asks Handyman while hugging Menagerie Witch.
"I'm fine! You should see the other guy."
"I'm okay too," Menagerie Witch says, stroking Mittens and placing Apep in her hat, "Hey, do you think I could get a pet jellyfish? I'm feeling inspired."
You roll your eyes but don't say no. You certainly have the space now. An aquarium would be a lovely conversation piece.
You're still waiting when a curious person from the Apiary comes outside to take a look. Then another. Then another, and another still until you are surrounded by joyous people all cheering.
"Justice Unlimited, baby!"
"You guys sure kicked that thing's ass!"
"Who's that witch and why is so cute?!"
"The clay-guy is hot. Okay, I said it! The clay-guy is hot!"
You are overwhelmed, but Black Swan quickly takes over speaking to everyone. Before you know it, someone brings out several grills from somewhere and a full-blown celebratory barbeque is in swing.
The mouth-watering smell of grilled meats hits your nose as Mendicant stumbles out, pale as a sheet. They have a larger, spongy symbiote in their hands that looks unpleasantly fungal.
Minor Success: DC 5. Moderate Success: DC 10. Major Success: DC 15.
Stat Check: REPUTATION 10. Justice Unlimited has a collective REPUTATION 18.
You rolled: 4.
4 + 4 = 8. Minor Success!
They shove in on the back of Menagerie Witch's neck where it slithers down the back of their costume. Menagerie Witch shrieks in surprise as Mittens and Nevermore join her in protest before freezing.
"Wow . . . I feel better."
Menagerie Witch has received a healing symbiote. She will heal all injury levels by the end of the mission.
Mendicant then keels over. You manage to catch them before they hit the ground. You ease them next to Handyman.
"I'm sorry, sexy claymation man. I had to work overtime to cure that venom—ew, ew prions are the worst, ew—and I'm tapped," they say, "And between you and a cute-child?"
"You did the right thing," Handyman says next to them, "I regenerate."
"Luuuuuuucky."
You pull your hand back from Mendicant's shirt and find it wet and stained crimson. You recognize the tacky sensation of blood. So that was why Mendicant wore a red shirt. They give you a look, begging you to say nothing with their eyes and you comply.
"Is someone grilling? Are the ribs? I could murder a rack of ribs right now."
"Theresh greaf!" Black Swan says through a mouthful. She then swallows and says, "I'll get you a plate!"
Once Mendicant is sated with a steady supply of ribs, they start babbling.
"Okay, you guys are the real deal. I'm in. I live here now. I'll hook you guys up."
You raise an eyebrow. "You . . . want to join Justice Unlimited?"
They shake their head. "Can't do that. Someone would try to take you guys out to get to me, or kill me to deny you my powers. I'll still have to sell to rich assholes, but I'll prioritize you guys. I'll still need to charge though . . . same reason. I'll cut you a hefty discount though. That good?"
"Perfect, darling."
"Oh thank fuck. I'm gonna be honest: I can't go back. To being alone all the time, I mean. I was already starting to lose it. Anymore and I'll end up pulling a Lethal Anodyne. And if I treat people like that walking bag of dicks, then I really will kill myself."
You pat their shoulder. "We have more than enough space. You can stay as long as you wish."
"Good. Good. So . . . the building's alive then?"
You keep your face carefully neutral. "Excuse me, darling?"
"Come on, I figured it out. I was one of the folks who tried helping Rosie when her body started changing back in the day. This building is made of the same stuff she could make, isn't it? Is she still alive in there?"
You think for a moment and then decide to trust them. "Not exactly her. An echo, or a memory. Something leftover."
"Hmm," Mendicant hums, "Rad."
The two of you sit in a companionable silence, listening to the sound of the party around you.
"Thank you, Mendicant," you say.
"Call me Alice. My name's Alice Lawson."
"Thank you Alice. For healing Madeline."
"No problem. It's nice doing something 'cuz I want to and not because of an existential fear of death."
You two drift back into silence."
"So . . . you doing anything later or . . .?"
"Not interested at the moment, unfortunately."
"Got it! Got it. Boundary set! I respect that."
"I didn't say never," you say smirking at them over your sunglasses, "Now is just not the time. Too much to do. Too much to fix. You're welcome to try again at another time, however, if you believe you can handle me."
"Why are you so hot?!"
* * *
Restoring the Apiary to full functionality will be a grand undertaking, but before you can do anything else, there is one place you must prioritize: Valiant Silver's lab.
Thankfully, your accord with the Apiary seems to have soothed it. Admittedly, hearing that Black Swan had a psychic encounter with it and gained its approval before you did does take the wind out of your sails a bit, but you won't complain too much. As you walk down its halls, all of the automatic defenses deactivate. You go down the familiar steps to a room deep, deep underground. You breathe in and then walk through as the doors open for you.
The lab is as Nora left it: a complete disaster. There half-finished projects everywhere, tools on every surface, nearly every wall wallpapered with blueprints and notes. You walk around debris on the ground and past a well-rotten box of pizza to the center of the room where you see it.
The EXCEED-BEYOND armor.
It looks just like the EXCEED armor but more . . . complete. There is a black bodysuit of a tough, shiny black material that makes your eyes go wide. Overtop its plates of white armor that surround the vital areas. The helmet has two folds of metal that meet in the middle to form a line down the faceplate with two white-lensed eyes above it. The crest is a golden "v" and you can see spherical, golden drones connected to the back.
You stare at it for a long time. Then you watch Nora's message—the second to last message from her you will ever watch.
"Hey, Zi. This is it. My masterpiece. My final work: the EXCEED-BEYOND armor. If you heard my final message you know that no metahuman will ever wear it. That's because to safely use it, one has to be able to establish a semi-permanent connection to the Stage. How is that possible you ask? We'll, I'm about to tell you, so stop talking to yourself."
"Ha! The look that must be on your face right now."
"Anyway, the only way to do it is to artificially manufacture a metahuman-esque power. Which I've done by altering my own DNA. If you've initiated Project Prometheus, give the attached schematics to your head researcher. It's the formula to create what's needed for the EXCEED-BEYOND armor. It's administered the same way we would a power, but whoever takes it will lose their potential to be a metahuman—instead their "power" will be this: to be able to EXCEED-BEYOND. Make sure they know what they're giving up before you give this to them. I've also included every piece of possible documentation on how to maintain and, if necessary, rebuild the armor should it come to that. I've made it as simple as possible—might need a team to do it, but you won't need an Algernon-type."
"The bodysuit I created with the Contingency. It's made from Apiary as well and is psycho-reactive. Should also be damn hard to break, but don't push it."
"The EXCEED-BEYOND has four modules with different combinations of powers to suit your needs. Just know, using the modules' power-intensive attacks will disable it for a short while. And if you use "Dynamite"? The whole suit will shut down for a time."
"And, Zi? The DNA in the EXCEED-BEYOND armor's formula is different enough from mine that you should be able to double dip. But . . . don't. Please don't make another me. I know how much I hurt you, Yaszmin, and everyone else every time I used my power. But I felt like I had to. Looking back on it, I wonder, was there a better way?"
"Please Zi. Find a better way."
Name: EXCEED-BEYOND
Always Active: Anti-gravity, Energy Shielding Module "Paper": Pyrokinesis, Energy Blaster, Drones, Targeting Suite, Railgun Module "Scissors": Psychic Energy Blades, Agility Suite, Telekinesis, Pilebunker Module "Rock": Enhanced Strength, Advanced Energy Shielding, Power Nullification Module "Dynamite": O̵̺͓̊͌͊p̵̞͕̔̚ē̵͔͜ņ̵͍͎̊ ̸͎̌̄̌ẗ̶̖͘h̶̝̮͐̋ë̵̺̺́ ̷̺͊S̵͍̊̈̕t̷̮̎͝ą̶̩̞̄g̶̮͘e̶̦̲̟͌ Potency: 13, Major Side Effect Guaranteed - Extreme Psychic Field Sensitivity Mechanical Notes: Modules must be selected for a scene and may be changed between scenes. Using any power in blue will disable the module until the end of a combat encounter. Using module "dynamite" will disable the EXCEED-BEYOND armor until the end of the mission.
You wipe your eyes and promise yourself that no one, no one, will wear this armor until they've earned it a hundred times over.
You move through the rest of the lab trying to categorize anything else useful. You manage to find three personal shield generators among the mess—they're the disposable kind, unfortunately, good for absorbing one solid hit and not much else. However, the real prize comes when you check Valiant Silver's medical database.
C-Class Powers
Name: Mister Hunch, Remy Deniau Power: Clairvoyance Faction: Independent Potency: 1 Ibis' Notes: ~Mister Hunch! Mister Hunch! Work with him to save a bunch!~ Ah, I remember that blasted commercial jingle well. It's taking up precious space in my brain!
Mister Hunch was a private detective who was known for being psychometric. He could touch an inanimate object and then "watch" everything that happened within a five-foot radius of the object in the last 24 hours. He was particularly beloved by those suing corporations and was a frequent collaborator with Lady Leizi. Unfortunately, his talents brought him the wrong kind of attention and he was murdered in an attack by the Demon Flamez.
Name: Miss Conception, Park Myung-Hee Power: Energy Manipulation, Invisibility Faction: Independent Potency: 3 Ibis' Notes: Ah, the unfortunately named Miss Conception was a thief who made a name for herself with a string of high-profile burglaries from secure facilities including New Dawn's Zenith and Dominion Security Concerns HQ. She eventually tried to break into the Apiary where she was caught and placed on parole—which she immediately violated trying again. Rumor has it that she was imprisoned for seven days and mended her ways after an intense "chat" with Lady Leizi. Have I mentioned how, um, "fashion-forward" her glasses are? They're not impractical indoors at all!
Miss Conception could create illusions that would persist for several days if left undisturbed. An odd quirk of her power is that it could fool three of the five traditional senses, but not all five at once. An object could be seen, smelt, and touched but not tasted or heard, for example. It was very confusing! She could also render herself invisible by putting an illusion around herself.
. . . I never did get those baseball cards she stole from my lab back.
B-Class Powers
Name: Bulwark, Robin McIntrye Power: Energy Manipulation, Ally Empowerment Faction: Independant Potency: 4 Ibis' Notes: Is that lawsuit still pending? Everyone is well aware of the facts. Bulwark came to the Apiary attempting to sell his services to Justice Unlimited in a mercenary capacity. He had the useful ability to shroud any person or object he could hit with a beam in a forcefield that would disperse after enough impact damage or over a period of time. However, Valiant Silver immediately recognized how his power worked and managed to replicate it mechanically.
Not gonna lie. Hell of a power move. Dr. Mammoth Ibis respects the hustle!
Bulwark grew so furious that he tried to sue Valiant Silver for "copyright infringement", but, since he had never thought to patent his powers, it went nowhere. Didn't mean he gave up though; he refiled the lawsuit in every jurisdiction he could. As far as I know, a few are still hanging around.
Name: Nox Esurientem, Gaspard Girardot Power: Emotional Manipulation, Energy Manipulation, Transformation, Regeneration, Teleportation, Enhanced Strength, Enhanced Speed Faction: The Defiance Unit Potency: 6 Ibis' Notes: Nox Esurientem was one of the heavy-hitters of The Defiance Unit. Once Crimson Soprano softened up a target, he would arrive to engage any defenders. He dressed like a vampire, complete with cravat and breeches. This was likely a nod to his primary power: emotional vampirism—he would gain strength by draining the emotions of nearby people which would give him a suit of powers based on what emotion his victims were feeling at the time. The breakdown was:
Fear = enhanced strength
Anger = increased size
Happiness = healing factor
Sadness = energy blasts
Disgust = teleportation
Surprise = enhanced speed
He was something a provocateur to ensure he could elicit the correct emotion from a person to gain the power he sought. His victims would be rendered insensate for a period of a day or so before recovering without any memory of the incident.
A-Class Powers Name: Zeno, Camdyn Poole Power:Space-Time Manipulation, Invulnerability Faction: The Defiance Unit Potency: 9 Ibis' Notes: Zeno was the final member of The Defiance Unit and was their ace in the hole. If any heroes responded to an attack, if it got too dangerous for the unit, Zeno was their ticket out of the situation. Zeno's power came in threes, and matched his namesake's paradoxes.
First, was the impossibility of motion. To advance any distance, a person must first walk halfway there, to get halfway there, they must move halfway of that distance, and so on to infinity. This manifested in his ability to arrest the motion of anything in his light of sight, including technically non-visible things like air molecules.
Next, was the similar, but distinct, impossibility of distance. If one object was following another moving object, then by the time the first object has caught up to the second object, the second object has also moved and the first object must travel further to catch up, in which time the second object will travel further. Thus, the first object can never catch up. This manifested in an inability of any object to actually touch Zeno without his consent. Anything attempting to hit him would have to travel an infinite distance to do so. This power was exclusive and automatic.
Finally, was the impossibility of time. If time was made of infinite moments, then at any particular movement a moving object would be stationary, neither moving to where it is, nor to where it is not. It cannot move to where it is not, because no time elapses for it to move there; it cannot move to where it is, because it is already there. In other words, at every instant of time there is no motion occurring. This was his final ability—the power to lock any one person in temporal stasis for 24 hours. There was no defense to this attack, and it only worked on one person at a time.
Zeno's weakness was his lack of offensive power. He relied on conventional weapons like firearms to deal damage, which proved ineffective against more robust metahumans.
Name: Apiary, Rosemary Ward Power: Transformation, Matter Conversion, Construct Creation Faction: Justice Unlimited Potency: 14, Major Side Effect Guaranteed - Permanent Dysmorphic Transformation Ibis' Notes: Apiary was one of the original members of Justice Unlimited, back when they were known as NuGen, and she perished at the conclusion of The Defiance Unit saga. I never met her myself, but by all accounts she was very much beloved by her team. I know multiple memorials to her exist and they named their headquarters in Horizon after her.
Apiary was a dysmorphic metahuman—she resembled a large, four-armed, bipedal insect, not unlike a honeybee. She had vestigial wings and a full insectoid abdomen. If that was the extent of her power, I wouldn't blink twice. That's a Tuesday for Dr. Mammoth Ibis! No, the true terror of Apiary was her ability to consume and convert living matter. She would ingest organic matter and then extrude into a plasticine-like substance she could control. She often would create drones, including large combat forms. Her mind was like a hive—each body was as much her as any other. Those bodies in turn could convert matter, and now the terror should be obvious. She was living goldnine or, more accurately, a proto-Leviathan.
I will never let Lady Leizi know this, but Scarlet Maturity may have done the world a favor by cutting Apiary's life short. No matter how well-intentioned, she could have been an extinction-level threat.
We should only use her profile with great caution. Her DNA is extremely unstable, and adding it to a dose of goldnine will certainly produce a major side effect. Lady Leizi: Doctor. My office. Now.
You look through the stored profiles and then go to the physical samples. There you see them in storage: Nora, Yazmin, and Towarri. You hesitate to grab them and then sigh. You're being foolishly sentimental. They would want you to use their powers. Keep a part of themselves still alive. You steel your resolve for the hundredth time today and reach for them.
And then the floor beneath you moves you backwards.
You blink in confusion. You can't quite reach them now. So you take a step, only to find the Apiary moving the storage unit away from you. You chase after it and it keeps moving them, until, finally, a section of the wall opens and the unit slides into and carries them away. You try to follow, but find the storage unit has been carried to the center of the Apiary, where the Contingency lies.
The door will not open for you.
You blink in confusion. You know you'll have to earn your way in . . . but how? And why did it take those samples?
* * *
Two days later, the support staff began to move into the Apiary. You believe you will wind up hiring a great number of the civilian refugees as staff, but only after a very, very thorough vetting process.
Menagerie Witch and Black Swan are as spry as ever, but Handyman remains injured if improved.
Today, you have your meeting with New Dawn. You have no reason to believe this will be anything other than a conversation. Who do you bring with you?
[ ] Black Swan
[ ] Menagerie Witch
[ ] Handyman
[ ] No one
What tone do you strike during negotiations?
[ ] Aggressive. New Dawn thinks that you are in the same position as they. They are mistaken. They need your help and, if they want it, they will have to make it worth your while.
[ ] Conciliatory. You two have been the premier heroic organizations in Horizon for the last ten years, and the bad blood between has been ridiculous. You won't be a pushover, but you will do all you can to emphasize you're all on the same team.
[ ] Deceptive. Wolong thinks you're desperate. He doesn't know you know the truth of New Dawn's situation. Let him keep thinking that. See what he's willing to reveal to a person he believes he has one over on.
Gain alliance with Mendicant. Mendicant will sell you a healing symbiote at a rate of 3000 Income per symbiote. Any character whom a healing symbiote is used on will recover all injury levels over the course of one scene.
Gain 3 Shield Generators! Shield Generators will absorb one injury level for the equipped character and then be destroyed.
So, we need a Tolerance 10 person who forever gives up their ability to get a true Metahuman Power.
But in exchange, they get the ability to use EXCEED-BEYOND , is that about right @Bitterman ?
In other words, the next King, the next S-Lister, needs to reject ever gaining power of their own, and gaining a massive sensitivity to psionics, but in exchange, they get the power to use the most powerful piece of artifice ever forged.
Tolerance 14 for Apiary... wow that's a really stacked requirement, and a surefire way to get sniper rifles aimed at them if Dr Ibis' theorising is anywhere near correct
I'd say bring either Menagerie Witch for Operation check or Black Swan for Rep Check. I'm currently inclined towards Conciliatory, but I'm open to Deceptive (which in this case, I'd definitely advised bringing Maddie over). Out of all the approaches, I'd say no to Aggressive.
0-⁰ JESUS THOSE REWARDS! I... WOW...
Ok those DNA samples are really good, Also that armor? ....Correct if im wrong but does Zeno give anyone here Gojo vibes? Just me? Anyway... If it wasnt more than likely impossible tolerance wise, if we got Rei I would totally vote for her to have the Exceed Beyond Armor, make the reference come full circle and let a True SkyStriker be born... As for the most BS DNA sample aka Apiary.... to borrow Worm terms, Apiary is the unholy love child of Skitter and Panacea.... just... Hot...Damn....
Also Medicant X Lady Leizi.... I ship it.
Zeno's power is huge. I bet we could do some funky stuff with that. I kinda want to combine it with mr hunch, not that that would be the most effective combo.
I'd say bring either Menagerie Witch for Operation check or Black Swan for Rep Check. I'm currently inclined towards Conciliatory, but I'm open to Deceptive (which in this case, I'd definitely advised bringing Maddie over). Out of all the approaches, I'd say no to Aggressive.
0-⁰ JESUS THOSE REWARDS! I... WOW...
Ok those DNA samples are really good, Also that armor? ....Correct if im wrong but does Zeno give anyone here Gojo vibes? Just me? Anyway... If it wasnt more than likely impossible tolerance wise, if we got Rei I would totally vote for her to have the Exceed Beyond Armor, make the reference come full circle and let a True SkyStriker be born... As for the most BS DNA sample aka Apiary.... to borrow Worm terms, Apiary is the unholy love child of Skitter and Panacea.... just... Hot...Damn....
Also Medicant X Lady Leizi.... I ship it.
