[X] Have the creature stay there, it allows you to test if you feel it disappear when you reach a certain distance.
[X] Creature
While it won't happen for a long time yet, some of the creatures on the document would be pretty fun to see earth bet react to.
Among the ones i'm most looking forward to are the possibility of a Valstrax being used.
After a moment of reflection I shake my head, no it would be foolish to go riding on the back of Raptor just for fun. Even if I really want to. With a sign, I turn back my attention to the plant monster currently exploring the room.
"Okay, let's get to testing your capability. Follow me." Obediently Raptor turns around and approached Alex.
I move to a corner of the room and its moves next to me before fixing me with his eye. It was a little unnerving.
I take my phone out and navigate to the stopwatch app. "First things, I want you to run fast you can toward the opposite corner and back a soon as I say the word go. GO!" It obeyed me without delay and I observed it moving carefully. It was indeed a pretty fast and nimble creature able to avoid the few obstacles with ease. Looking at my phone and stopping the stopwatch as soon as it was back next to me give me 6.5s.
"Okay, so the opposite corner is something like 50m away (164 ft), 100m for the back and forth but you need to accelerate and decelerate twice on the way." After a little mental calculus, I obtained roughly 15.3m/s. My riding skill is telling me that's is slower than a horse at a full sprint but Raptor is certainly way more agile, not bad at all.
Pocketing my phone I turn toward it. "Next thing is jumping. Jump as high as you can." Raptor did so and easily cleared my head. "Okay good, Jump as far as you can." Again Raptor followed the command landing at least 4m away (13ft).
"That's impressive in both cases without any running start, you got pretty strong legs. Now I need to know if you can bear my weight. Come here and crouch as much as possible." The creature did so and I climb on it. Immediately my skill took over my movement, instead of putting my leg on each side of Raptor I sited cross-legged. Otherwise, my legs would touch the ground or hinder the move of his legs. I then bend forward and put my hands around his neck. This position was a little awkward even with my skills, and my subpar physical conditioning didn't help. Still, it was workable.
I didn't need to talk to direct Raptor, a twitch of my muscles was enough. I direct it to get up and to trot around the room. It seems to bear my weight easily. I was expecting to be rapidly nauseous from the unfamiliar movement but no, certainly an effect of my skill. Accelerating we did laps of the room, with the occasional jumps. It was exhilarating, the need to go outside and go full speed was strong but I resisted.
Still, when at the end I jump down from Raptor's back I had a huge smile. "And finally I need to know what you can do offensively. How could I word my order?" Looking around the room I move toward another wooden crate. "Yes, that'll make a fine target". Moving back behind my creature, I pointed my finger toward the crate. "Attack that crate."
Immediately Raptor jumps on the crate and destroys it with powerful a strike from his legs. I pointed toward another one "Now, attack that one in a different way." This time it simply charges with his head low and pulverized the crate that way. "Hum, okay." pointing at yet another crate "That one differently again." Raptor pivoted and strike with his tail.
"Strong physical attack, you could do a lot of damage that way. I'll need to be careful when I'll use you for hero work. Let's try something else." I pointed at a fallen shelf not far from me "Use a nonlethal attack against that."
I barely had a second to react before Raptor's eye suddenly flashed and then I was screaming in pain and rubbing my eyes."Damn it, my eyes! Stupid thing!"
I spent the next few minutes with my eyes closed hoping desperately that my eyes weren't damaged permanently. Finally, I managed to open my eyes again, and I could see albeit with a few spots in my vision.
"Okay, lesson learned, if I want to test a creature's mean of attack I need to take more precaution." Once I've fully regained my vision I placed myself behind a shelf in the corner of the room and pointing toward the farthest crate. I addressed Raptor. "Wait for ten seconds and then use your strongest offensive ability on that crate." I immediately cover my ears and waited, looking at Raptor with attention. A few seconds later I could see a glow coming from his eye and an instant after that it emit a freaking laser beam that makes the crate explode.
I was slacked-jawed and looking at Raptor with new eyes. "You're equipped with a freaking laser canon." Thinking about it more I smiled. "No, no, I am equipped with a loyal Raptor that possesses a laser canon. Yes, that's a much better way to think about it."
Pointing at yet another crate "If you have any other means of attack use it on that box." I covered my ears but after waiting for a few seconds Raptor didn't react. "That's all then, well it's plenty already."
Pausing to look at the hour on my phone, "Yep, I better get back home so I can start my second shift. You'll stay here, that way if I feel you disappear on my way home, it'll confirm the distance limit. Go hide behind that shelf, crouch down, and do not move no matter what happens." Once I was satisfied that Raptor was at least partially hidden, I carefully make my way outside. Seeing no one I move with purpose toward the bus stop. Running would only attract attention.
Once at the bus stop, I could see that I'll need to wait for a quarter-hour for the next one. I'll be cutting it close for my next shift. The rest of my journey passed without incident, in the bus I was mostly bored, but at one point I did felt Raptor reappear inside me but locked like the spider bot. "So that confirms the distance limit, that's good to know."
Once home I could see light inside, Mom was back, I didn't have time to talk so I simply hurried to take my bike and go to work. My thoughts weren't really focused on my job but more on what my future would hold.
No story vote this time.
For info, I use an ostrich speed for the Redeye Watcher, it seems fair, but I haven't played HZD yet.
No gain this chapter, we're starting to accumulate point, we may be able to gain something big.
I know that we've spent a lot of time testing your creatures so far, first the Spider bot and now the Redeye Watcher, but that's only because our hero is still discovering his powers. As time goes on the testing phase will take place offscreen unless we get something completely new.
i just thought of a cape name that wouldn't cause any questions if we used any other themes than the plant theme.
Menagerie is what i think would fit best.
Author note: I swear the CM contains more than 3200 entry and we somehow managed to gain 3 times in a row robot, how can this be possible. I've checked, the CM contains only around 200 creatures that are machine/robot or close enough. I don't know how I will handle the PRT, they'll just think we're a tinker with disillusion.
The funny thing is that when I got the idea of themes my first thought was if someone wrote a CM story in worm they could take the machine themes and pass themselves as a robot tinker, with the ability to teleport his robots. But I don't need the theme the CM is only giving me robots anyway.
For info when we gained a creature that regrouped multiple similar creatures with various power levels, such as color swap common in games, we gained the weakest version but it can gain in power as time pass. In that case, we start with a Stainless Fal-Swo. I'll put some stat in the character sheet because the wiki is pretty lacking.
After my shift, endings at 11 PM, I returned home exhausted, not from the work itself, I was accustomed to it. But from mental fatigue, after spending all my shift distract by my power. That was because shortly after I left home I could feel my power activating again and a new creature appeared inside me.
Despite my new pearless riding skill, I only avoid an accident by the skin of my teeth. Why? That's easy, it's because I'm pretty sure that my latest creature is a f-cking fighter jet!
While preparing something to eat before going to bed, I could finally focus more on this thing. As I was accustomed now, it was clearly made of metal. If it was not for my plantsman power I would be convinced that my dream was purely a disillusion and my power was just summoning robot. But the fact that it was made of metal wasn't really important.
The fact that it was the shape of a manta ray was interesting, one of my favorite animals and I hope I'll get one at some point, but not really noteworthy.
No, the important part was that it was massive. I couldn't be sure without summoning it of course but just by feel it was probably the size of two cars, perhaps more. And in addition, it was a flying creature because I could feel that it wouldn't require to be summoned on the ground.
So yes, I was convinced that my newest creature was some sort of living fighter jet. Joining the Protectorate was definitively the right choice, going without supervision was way too risky. I couldn't summon that thing in town, even if it didn't possess weapons, and after seeing Raptor's laser beam it was a fool bet, the size alone means that it could kill nearly every cape in town just by ramming them.
After having eaten, I take a quick shower and finally go to bed. What a day that was, not sure that I really believe what happened to me. Perhaps I'll wake up tomorrow and it'll be Friday instead of Saturday and today was just a very convoluted dream. I nearly hope so.
Anyway assuming it's real, tomorrow I'll need to talk to mom, she deserves to be the first to know. Even if I'm sure she won't like it and she'll try to dissuade me. After that I need to do some research on the Protectorate and if I have time call them.
I finally managed to fall asleep. It wasn't the most restful sleep, I had a weird dream where I was purchased by a giant metal ray while riding Raptor all the while being observed by numerous spiders. No idea where that comes from, none at all.
Thankful that I didn't need to work today, I opted to stay in bed a while longer. I could feel that the Spider bot was available again, so probably a once per day limit. We'll see this afternoon if Raptor is back too.
Hearing noise coming from downstairs I finally get up and joined mom for breakfast. "Hello, mom."
Turning away from the stoves, she smiled, "Hello, Alex, have a good night?"
"Not great no, I have a lot of my mind." I need to be honest with her.
She frowned "Anything I can help with? You know that you can talk to me."
"Yeah, I want to discuss something with you." I need to be careful on how to bring the subject. "But we'll see after breakfast."
"If you're sure dear." She seems trouble by my caution.
We finished eating in silence and after putting the dish in the sink we moved to the living room.
"Did you had some trouble at work? Or did you met some nice girl?" Mom was half worried and half teasing. "I'm your mother, I'm here for you Alex."
"No, nothing to do with my work, well nothing immediate anyway. And no I didn't find a girlfriend either." Thankfully Mom wasn't pushy and never insist that I need to find someone.
"I don't know why or how it happened but I gained power. I'm a parahuman mom." No real way to soften that blow.
She remained silent for an instant, shocked. I could see tears gathering in her eyes and suddenly she was hugging me. Clinging to me desperately. "No, please tell me it's not true. no, please."
"I'm sorry Mom, it's true." I hug her back and we stayed like that for a while.
Once she calmed down a little she sits next to me on the couch, still holding me close. "Please, tell me more. I heard that power only comes when something terrible happens to someone."
"I promise you, mom, nothing traumatic happened to me. I had a weird dream that I can't really remember yesterday and when I woke up, bam, power." No need to tell mom about this dream, she wouldn't believe it anyway.
She gives me a suspicious glare before calming down. "I trust you, Alex." Trying to change to the subject she then asks. "So what can you do?"
That was an excellent question, and it was a question that I'll need to prepare for because the Protectorate would ask it too. "How to describe it? I have two abilities. My main power revolves around summoning creatures that help me, each one, once per day, I have three so far. And a secondary power that is more nebulous, It grants me multiple mini power that allows me to better interact with my creatures or modify them."
"Creature? What do they look like can you show me?" I was expecting that one.
"Well, I prefer to not summon anything for now, because as I said it seem limited to once per day. The first one is a sort of spider robot, the second is a metal dinosaur a little bigger than me, and the third one I haven't summoned yet so I don't know what it looks like exactly but it seems pretty big." I paused a little to let her digest that, she seemed a little disappointed.
"But there's is something else that I can show you. One of my minor power allows me to change to look of my creature. It makes them look like plants but I can also apply it to myself."
To demonstrate I get up and turn toward her and activate my power. Again she is speechless before approaching me and slowly touching my hand and my face. "I'm very impressed, I can't recognize you at all. Does it hurt?"
"No I don't feel anything, it doesn't seem to give me any additional strength or anything besides my look but I didn't test it much."
I return to normal and sat back down. "There's another thing, I need to look up some info but I'll probably join the Protectorate."
It seems that this didn't even occur to her because she looks frightened again. "No dear, please you don't need to do that. You'll be in danger. I can't lose you like I lost…"
She doesn't finish her phrase but I could guess easily. Like we lost Dad. I tried to not delve on that and hug her again.
"I'll be alright mom, as I said I summoned creatures that fight for me, I'll be safe in the background. I couldn't live with myself if I could help and didn't, you know that. In addition that way I'll have support and you'll be protected too."
She turned he eyes toward me. "You promised?"
"Yes, mom I promised." She seems to calm down a little. "I'll let you digest that a little. I'll go to my room to do some research on the net."
"Yes, do that I'll just clean up a little. It'll help me calm down."
With one last look at her, I turn and go back to my room. I spend the whole morning searching for all the info I can about the Protectorate, some I already knew of course but far from all.
First I learned that the Protectorate offers free power testing for any parahuman as long as they do not have a warrant to their name.
Second that the salary was substantial, no firm numbers are given but certainly way more than what I gained currently
Third, they offer discreet protection for the families of any member.
And finally that you could negotiate a lot of things on your contracts, such as merchandising rights, tinker budget, additional training, or other special need.
Well, I was as ready as possible, now how to contact them.
[] Just call them and ask for an appointment.
[] Go to the PRT building in the shape of Plantsman and ask how you can join.
[] Go to the Protectorate HQ in the shape of Plantsman and see if you can talk directly to a hero.
Big chapter this time but I couldn't find a good way to cut before that. But this means that the vote is more complicated this time because you gain 200 points instead of 100.
The possibilities are as follow
[] One Creature roll with 250 points
[] One Power roll with 250 points
[] One Creature roll with 150 points and a second Creature roll with any leftover plus 100 point
[] One Creature roll with 150 points and a Power roll with any leftover plus 100 point
[] One Power roll with 150 points and a second Power roll with any leftover plus 100 point
[] One Power roll with 150 points and a Creature roll with any leftover plus 100 point
