Bird_Rush

Howdy. Nice to know people are still settling for us.

I'd say you could team with my corruptor who's in the same lvl range, but frankly he doesn't get played nearly enough and you'll quickly outpace him. Still, look forward to seeing you in Guardian chat and maybe we'll team sometime. Welcome to the server!

Gratz!

I still don't have one...

Happy birthday!

Wait... what was the first use?

But I managed to escape somehow.

Brilliant! Heartily approved of by Bird Rush!

I tried, fell in, and was never heard from again.

I want one

((OOC: Ugh, this one got out of hand and turned out really long))

April 13

I want to tell you a story about my brother, Rene. We were born in a small town on the Canadian/American border just minutes apart. He’s the elder twin, and takes some measure of pride in it. He’s always had a superior attitude about a lot of things, but he was never mean about it. He just felt he knew more than others and should share his knowledge with them. He wasn’t wrong, either. He’s a real genius. That’s just one of the ways we’re different.

I’m not very ambitious. I lack follow through and am usually quite content with the way things are. My brother wanted to be an astronaut. I remember trying to help him study when we were six. He’d borrowed some astronomy texts from the library and while he poured over the numbers and names, I engaged in an imaginary battle, armed with my trusty water-pistol-laser-blaster and a plastic sword, with some unspeakably evil alien race bent on conquering our planet. Oh man. The irony of that just hit me. Man.... You see, I guess I got my dream. I mean, I’m a superhero now. I don’t think I’m ready to tackle the Rikti just yet, but basically I’m living my childhood game. My brother has not been so lucky.

Not long after that day in the living room, he had an accident. He was riding his bike and got hit by a car. He was hurt really bad, and his right arm was completely ruined and had to be amputated. I’ll never forget sitting in that cold hospital watching my big brother struggle back to consciousness, and then break down crying. He’d always been so stalwart and tough. I was supposed to be the crybaby.

Over the years, he got used to his various prosthetics. Unfortunately, the injury kept him from entering the space program. He would never get to live his childhood dream. But that didn’t stop his ambition. Faced with what he called substandard prosthetics, he set about designing his own. I think he’s on his third model now, and it is a thing of beauty. It’s likely stronger and more dexterous than any human arm. His personality’s improved since he started making them too. He’s just an inspiration to me because of his solid dependability. He reminds me of dad that way.

That’s why I was so scared when I nearly lost him again.

I was getting off the train in Steel Canyon today when I immediately smelled smoke. The Hellions have been setting fire to apartments and warehouses lately, no one is exactly sure why. My personal opinion is they’re jackasses who like to burn stuff. Scanning the rooftops for telltale signs of smoke, I felt my heart drop as I saw the blaze was in an old brick apartment building. My apartment building.

I don’t think I’ve ever run so fast in my life. A firefighter was outside on the street, tweeting his whistle and occasionally shouting into his walkie-talkie. He saw me approaching and grabbed up a fire extinguisher before running to greet me.

“Thank god, a hero!” he blurted.

“My.. The... Fire!” was all I could manage.

“I know. It’s a mess. The truck’s been hit by clockwork and they’re not going to make it in time. I managed to get some fire extinguishers, but I can’t get close enough because of the Hellions. They’re just sitting in there, and they won’t let people out!”

I was frantically trying to get past him as he talked, barely listening to a word of it. My brother was in there. I had to know if he was okay. But the firefighter’s next words stopped me in my tracks.

“They need your help.”

In that moment, I think I learned what it really meant to be a hero. Until then, I’d certainly helped a lot of people. I’d show up, flash my blade at a few bad guys, arrest them, then run on home. I’d put my life on the line, but I’d never really had to give anything up. What I was doing out there at nights was more interesting and more fun than anything else in my life. But now my life wasn’t the only one on the line. People I cared about needed me, and I wanted to go to them so very badly. But others needed me too. Maybe needed me more. How could I put myself over them?

My personality waged a tug of war in my mind in the space of a few seconds. Precious seconds that should have been used doing my job. In that moment of clarity I stopped being a stockboy who fought crime, and had to face the reality that I was now supposed to be a hero. I grabbed the extinguisher from the firefighter and ran into the blazing building.

It was hot! Incredibly hot. So hot that I immediately wished I could just run out and save my own sorry hide. Before I could move either forward or back, however, a bandana-ed form hurtled out of the smoke and tackled me to the floor.

“Hey there, Cape. You bring the marshmallows?” the Hellion grunted through his handkerchief. I groped for my sword, but the angle was wrong and I couldn’t get it. The thug reared back and landed a sledgehammer punch to my cheekbone. I saw stars, and red. This evil man had helped set fire to my home and was now in my way. My grip on the fire extinguisher tightened and my arm snapped forward, driving the metal cannister into the thug’s face. The blow knocked him off me and I scrambled to my feet, too preoccupied to make the joke “You’re out cold” or some other clever line. I raced up the stairs, taking them three at a time.

I helped the old ladies, I rescued a baby for her mother, I hacked and coughed as I ran up and down those stairs and hallways more times than I could count, stopping only when confronted by those damn Hellions. I may have let my sword swing a little harder than usual, let it cut a little deeper. They deserved it, and I didn’t have time to play around. Finally I reached the door to my apartment. A loud crash from within drove me to not even pause at the door. I hit it full tilt and burst into the smoke-filled entrance.

“Give it to me now!” a voice roared from my brother’s room.

As I flung the door open I saw a high ranking Hellion, a Damned, demonic horns flashing and flames licking along his arms as he gestured angrily towards my brother who was protecting himself with a wet blanket draped over his arm and a brandishing a fire axe.

“Tom!” he shouted when he saw me.

“Hero...” the Damned growled as he turned to face me, his arms blazing even hotter. I did what came most naturally.

I sprayed him with my fire extinguisher.

The Damned paused, a look of shock and disbelief crossing his face, before he was enveloped in my brother’s blanket. Rene growled and grabbed the sopping mess with his prosthetic. With and superhuman effort he hurled the bundle through the window, sending the helpless Hellion and shards of glass to the ground four stories below.

“Rene, are you okay,” I rushed to his side.

“Fine,” he growled. “[censored] singed my beard.”

A shout came from the hall and we both spun to see a Hellion gesturing wildly at the door. More would be coming soon. I hefted my blade and began to move toward him, but my brother’s heavy metal hand clamped down on my shoulder. His other hand shoved what looked like a belt into my free hand and quickly slapped the buckle..

“Hang on!” he yelled and suddenly I too was sailing through the now open window. My stomach lurched as I saw the ground below and anticipated the imminent painful rush to meet it. The scene from Hitchhicker’s Guide to the Galaxy flashed through my head as I lived the first and final moments of the startled blue whale.

But I didn’t fall. The belt in my hand thrummed to life and I found myself gently floating down at what would have been a good walking pace. I turned my head to our apartment window and shouted for Rene. I heard more shouting, then a crash, and then my brother leapt from the broken window. We managed to catch each other as he fell, which nearly broke my grip on the belt that kept us afloat. In a few moments we were safe on the ground.

“Rene,” I gasped through my burned throat as the adrenaline started to fade and the pain began to set it. “We have to go back in. There are people still in there.”

“No way am I going back in there,” he answered, breathing heavily. “Let the real heroes handle it.”

I looked up and saw he was right. Reenforcements had arrived.

Heroes of all kinds fought the fire in their own way. I saw a tanker walk fearlessly through the blaze, a defender on the roof had summoned a localized storm, and fliers hovered around windows sending in powerful jets from their fire extinguishers. As we looked on an elderly man in a classically styled costume ran by and fired an arrow in through a window. There was loud pop and suddenly the flames that had been licking from it disappeared.

“You boys alright?” he queried as I slumped up to my feet. He was short and skinny, but his wiry frame seemed full of the vitality and energy of a man half his age.

“Yeah, we’re fine.”

“Good. Glad we could make it here in time. Get yourselves checked out with a medic before you go.” With that he sped off, readying what I assumed was another fire extinguisher arrow.

I helped Rene to his feet, and grabbed the belt from the ground. The two of us stumbled towards the street where a group of people had set up a chain for bringing buckets of water. I gasped as I saw who was directing their efforts. She was dressed in a dark blue suit and skirt, with her long hair tied back in a ponytail. Her face was smudged with soot and I was amazed she’d gone that close to the dangerous fire. But then, that’s what I would expect from a hero like her.

“Prosecution!” I shouted over the noise. She turned and pointed towards an ambulance.

“Medics are over there if you’re hurt.” her attention was diverted away as three fire engines roared onto the scene, sirens blaring. “Thank god,” she breathed.

Rene gave me a knowing look, clapped me on the shoulder, then untangled himself and headed towards the ambulance clutching his metal arm. I hoped he hadn’t damaged it, or hurt himself on the unforgiving metal that would have been heated up by the flames. But the medics could do more for him than I.

“Selene, it’s good to see you,” I stammered.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?”

“It’s me,” I pulled my mask off my face briefly. “Tom. We met at the registration office.”

“Right!” her face lit up with another perfect smile, despite how tired she looked. “One second.”

She turned back to the line of people, now more of a clump since the firefighters had things under control. She closed her eyes and let out a breath as if she’d been holding it in. Suddenly, the crowd looked much smaller.

“That’s a relief,” she said as she turned back to me. “So look at you! All decked out as the urban avenger. How’s the hero life been treating you?”

“It’s been rough,” I laughed. “It’s not exactly everything I expected it to be, and it hasn’t been easy. But I really want to thank you for what you told me, Selene-“

“Prosecution.”

“Prosecution?”

“I’m in costume.”

“Oh.”

“I know. It’s just a suit. I get that a lot.”

“Well it’s a very nice suit.”

“I don’t think people get the whole super-lawyer concept.”

“Yeah. It’s a tricky one.”

We lapsed into an uncomfortable silence amidst the din.

“So how’d you hear about the fire?” she asked. “You weren’t on our call list when we started asking for help.”

“I, uh, that was my apartment.”

“Oh no.” She looked over her should, just in time for the entire west wall to collapse inward.

“Yeah. What’s worse is I think they were after something of mine, or my brothers.”

“Listen,” her stern but comforting look was back again. “This was not your fault. Come back to the office with us. We’ll get you a place to sleep and tomorrow we’ll help you track down the people really responsible for this.”

“You don’t have to-“

“I insist.”

I looked at her and she gave me a kind smile.

“I’ll tell my brother,” I said.

“I’ll tell my boss,” she replied.

OOC:

It's been a while since the last update. Likely there'll be at least one in the next day or so. However, some characters have changed in the last few months, even going so far to be rerolled with entirely different powersets. I deliberated over what to do about it here for a good while.

One choice was to rewrite and repost the last three entires again, but that seemed uncessary considering there was only one really different change made:

- The two villains that break into SuperMart in part 1 are different. The lady Ninja Mastermind is fairly similar, but she's got storm powers instead of arrows. The male villain is even more crazy, older, wears a pink helmet, and is now a Mind/Psi Dominator instead of Grav/Fire. There is no romantic connection between the two. The male villain swears his revenge against the Fire tanker, not our hero.

Okay, I'm going back to writing.

Word. Don't screw with us Canucks. Thumbs up, dude!

/mails a radioactive telephone to the fight and then starts prank calling.

[ QUOTE ]
Custom story arcs... this is the best birthday present I've gotten yet.

[/ QUOTE ]
Happy Birthday!

And also, it has now become entirely possible that I will spend more time making missions than leveling my characters. Curse you, Positron and Dev team. Curse you all!

P.S- Quite excited. Thanks for continuing to make my favourite MMO even more my favourite MMO.

*Reminds himself to read the entire thread and spontaneously combusts*

Yeah, I noticed it was a lot better than I remembered it being. I took a good chunk of time off and, looking at it now, your guide was likely also written some time after the Burn nerf, which really hurt the primary, imo.

I'm just giving you a hard time. Seriously, one of the best guides I've read for any class in any game I've played for along time.

I loved the guide and once I get mine unlocked I'm certainly gonna put some of your ideas to the test. However I was rather hurt by your comment that Fire tanks suck. I don't suck. :'(

Just kidding. I'm squishy and there are huge holes in the primary, which is what I assume you meant. It's personally my favourite out of the tanker sets, however, and I would argue that it doesn't suck, however, it's just not as immediately powerful as the others. You have to know what your weaknesses are, take a few powers to fill them, and be prepared to rely on your self heal. Not terribly dissimilar to a Kheldian.

I second everything TeChameleon said and am rather perturbed that I have nothing to add.

Curse you, TeChameleon!

((OOC: Well, the villain I mentioned a long time ago is being rerolled in I12 and is a mastermind, so until we get their version of the storm powerset (and I see if it's actually viable with ninjas) I'm reluctant to bring her in. Also, she just doesn't feel right for this story. She's got no reason to be here and wouldn't consider the heroes much of a threat. But I'll give it some thought and see if one of my other tiny bad guys would work out. I certainly don't mind playing the villain. Welcome to the sewers, btw. Make yourself at home. We have snacks, but I wouldn't eat them. Bring out some zombies, we'll have a party.))

Metal gauntlets shrouded in glowing energy pounded into the hulking mechanical armour. Techblaze's teeth were gritted in concentration and fury as he relentlessly attacked the Hecules Titan. He let loose a roar as he threw his entire weight behind his mighty right hand. The blow crumpled am armoured panel which collapsed, exposing some interior wiring to the assault. The wiry scientist landed a powerful combination to the weakened area and was rewarded when the battlesuit shuddered and stumbled about erratically, its circuits damaged by the attacks and the heat.

Techblaze didn't know how long that state would last, but the temporary reprieve let him catch his breath and take stock of the situation. Several soldiers still tried, in vain, to do any significant damage to him and he wondered why they bothered. Most of the other Malta forces were engaged battling the other heroes, who seemed to be holding their own. One of the soldiers was making a break towards Professor IQ, but there was no way for the tanker to interpose himself between the two. The scientist in his head began discussing the possibility of developing some form of ranged attack for the battle armour, but the pugilist in him focused simply on the threat.

"I say," he called out to the attacking soldier, "that's bad form, going after defenceless bystanders like that. Come and have a go at me!"

The whirring of gears and clanking metal turned his attention back to the Hecules Titan and he had no idea if his challenge had any kind of effect at all.

Techblaze slammed into the Hecules Titan with everything he had. The concussive force of his energy field and even the intense heat might not be enough to take down the machine but he wanted its attention focused on him in melee range where he hoped it would be less likely to use any of its missles. He spun abount, fists catching several operatives leaving one or two stunned.

"C'mon you buggers," he growled, "give me your best shot."

His form became enveloped in flames as he turned his armour to full. The other heroes were far enough away that most of them would only feel a wave of heat. Kokuin, Techblaze reasoned, could likely handle it with his cold powers if it bcame necessary. And the scientist knew he was going to need all the protection he could get.

The Malta were quick to answer. Operatives opened up with their rifles but the bullets had little effect, practically melting before impacting on the energy field. Of more concern was the Titan. The walker's massive arm slammed into Techblaze's back, knocking him to his knees. He quickly rose and turned to answer the blow. His fists slammed into the metal armour, leaving behind dents and scorch marks. The Titan tried another approach, firing its plasma cannon point blank into the hero's face. Blue sparks scattered around the hero as he was rocked back. His shields fluctuated erratically and he was forced to take a moment to stabilize them before leaping back in. As he did so he deftly manipulated a control, letting off burst of flames around him that caused the operatives to shield themselves. The heat was taking its toll on them, but their training kept them in line as they tried to subdue the raging tanker.

((OOC: Know what I miss? Issue 5's Burn. Man, I can't wait until 35 when I can do damage again.))

((OOC: I think it's funnier to imagine some villain sending a bunch of greys into battle. Mostly I was just pointing out that you were doing fine for the moment and didn't need help. As for people dropping, that is becoming the trend and it is lame! Also I haven't really been paying attention to a lot of the villain posts and I *think* Nidhiki's guy who posted in grey was kind of important. Do we still have a driving force for the heroes to fight?

((Speaking of fights, Techblaze had already run off so it's unlikely he's the one who got the dark presence thing. I'll wait to post until everybody else gets a shot in.))

((OOC: Sorry to see you go, Blood. I liked watching your avatar and for a couple pages there we were the team that would not die. Now Masque's off picking on greys, it seems, and Kokuin and I are the only tanks left in the sewers to fight the Malta and Ceus. <sarcasm>Oh, how I love fighting Malta....</sarcasm&gt)

Techblaze nodded to the Professor's comments about the sewer. "It really is quite fascinating," he added, "how often it is I end up down here. That Dr. Vahzilok fellow is frightfully persistant, though I've never been quite able to figure out what he was after."

A quiet beep could be heard from his armour and his mustache stretched into a smile. "Spledid!" he crowed as he depressed a control. Green lights, previously unnoticed on his armour, flared to life as his systems came back online. And once again he thankfully didn't explode.

"Just in time, as well," he noted as Ceus drew his attention to the oncoming soldiers. "Who's this now? Malta? What the devil are they doing here?" His shields went up as his heart sank. His battlecry as he leapt towards the group, hoping desperately for an unlikely element of surprise, was a far from motivational, "Bloody hell, they have a sapper."

((PS: Someone who does damage please kill the sapper! Techblaze won't have ET for another 2 lvls and whirling hands just won't cut it.))

"I'm quite all right, miss," Techblaze spoke up. "And while I appreciate the aid, I am not some sack of potatoes."

The elderly tanker had been rather shaken by his fall. Without the shield buffers he was little more than a wirey scientist in a fancy suit. That suit, even inert, had prevented him from being seriously hurt but the wind had been knocked from him. Then he was further surprised when someone scopped him up and tore off down the tunnels at breakneck speeds. It had all been a little much for him to deal with.

"My armour should reboot in a tick, so might I inquire as to the name of my rescuer and just where she came from?"

((OOC: For future reference, I suppose I should ask about Rise of the Phoenix. In the actual game I explain it as him triggering an emergency overload in the suit's systems resulting in a power surge and explosion. But having never played one of these posting RPG games with a character who has a self rez, is that too powerful?))

((OOC: Techblaze is being carried by a villain down a sewer pipe. I was just gonna post him being put down. After that, I imagine he'll be walking down a sewer pipe with a villain, unless he contrives some way to figure out her true nature. However I've just discovered I have to go cart some kid to and from Tae Kwon Do, so I won't be back until later.))

Techblaze had been catching his breath after the fight died down. He wasn't as young as many of the other heroes and didn't have any innate gifts of his own. He listened to the conversation carefully and was about to offer his own suggestions when the walls began to shudder. The sounds of creaking metal filled the air and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was about to happen next. Bits and pieces began to rain down as the building's death throes took hold. His fellow heroes began scrambling for the hole but, for the moment, Techbalze wasn't in dange himself.

"Get in! Get in!" he cried, shoving someone towards the exit. The moment he had enough room to avoid causing friends serious injury, he cranked his shields to full. Angry flames that had been too long suppressed by his armour systems surged forth, scorching the floor. His gauntlets hummed as he deflected a large piece of debris, scattering broken pieces of ceiling around him. He felt a surge of power as the Professor's parting gift flowed over him, but it would prove a fruitless gesture. A chunk of building the size of a buick tore away from the ceiling with a wretched screech and plummetted towards the blazing hero.

"Bloody hell," he managed before the metal and plaster crashed around him.

With a groan he pushed his way out of the rubble. His armour was damaged, though it would repair itself in time.

"This is too much for me, mate," he called to Blood Owman. "I'll see you below."

As he leapt into the gap he once again toggled his armour to manage the heat. With a shower of sparks his system shorted and the whole thing shut down. He managed a terse "bugger me" before crashing to the ground in a heap.

"I'm getting too old for this rot," he mumbled from a prone position.

((OOC: Sorry it took so long to post. I got a Wii yesterday!))

((OOC: Hmm, by Blood's count we may have actually destroyed all the spiders by now and my plan to drop a building on them seems a little overkill and redundant. Oh well, ca c'est la vie. Now I just need to figure out which new threat Techblaze is gonna address....))

Techblaze's energy fists dismantled yet another tarantula. The numbers were thinning and for the moment he appeared to be in the clear. A large number of the robotic spiders lay in various states of inoperation while the few remaining seemed more concerned with Blood Owman and the Professor, both of whom seemed to be doing just fine. As for the other heroes, it seemed they had made it out the roof exit and were likely safe for the time being.

Kokuin's call brought his attention to the hole in the floor however, from which the sounds of heavy steps could be heard. Techblaze's mind raced. He really didn't want to have to fight more difficult opponents on this field. The ambush had obviously been given a lot of planning and effort, and those traps around the room.... The traps!

Techblaze's visor zoomed in on the nearest trap. It appeared to be a simple proximity mine. Techblaze noted the device's sensor, the explosive payload, and most of the inner workings. Anyone who approached it would be in for a rude surprise, but there didn't seem to be anything actually affixing it to the ground or, more importantly, a trigger related to that purpose nor a transmitter connecting it to any of the others.

"Professor!" Techblaze bounded over and joined the red costumed hero, bashing a couple robots to draw their attention towards himself. "We seem to have company coming. Do you think you could put out the welcome mat for them?" he asked, indicating the trap nearest the gap in the floor.

((Um, tag Professor IQ, just to be clear. PS: Try not to kill us all!)