DeviousMe

((Pst, there's only one Kraken there. Each door to the abandoned sewers has a Kraken guarding it, but I doubt there are 2 doors within sight of one another in the sewer network. ))

"Halt in the name of Longbow!" suddenly echoed from the top of the tech store as a squad of Longbow Eagles and an Energy Tanker Warden descended upon Pain Killah, quickly driving him off Wielder.

"We've got this guy!" the Tanker shouted, his fists crackling with energy as he came down with a bonesmasher.

Meanwhile, 'Pariah' had reached the sewer gate, trying to duck inside before the heroes spotted him. However, there was litle chance of doing so - a ragged and dirty tall figure tended to attract attention just about anywhere...

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[ QUOTE ]
"...Someone else is here." he warned the group.

[/ QUOTE ]
Guess I'm not as good at hiding as I used to be. Oh well, here goes nothing.

"Alright, you found me." Ryuu Hotaka stepped from the shadows. The almost eight-foot tall man wore his standard red-and-gold martial arts robe, complete with bamboo coolie that obscured his eyes. From the holor of his short hair and fu manchu beard, he seemed aged, but moved with a spring in his step that dispelled any notions of being old and frail.

Without another word, he spat into his wrapped hands, then flung an array of vile poisons at the Kraken, visibly sickening the already disgusting blob of...stuff.

"Well, that are you waiting for?" he growled, pulling a bow and nocking an arrow, "Get going already!"

"Hai!" echoed as Waziri leaped from the ceiling, engaging the Kraken with a ridiculously oversized masamune as Hotaka let the arrow fly right into an eye...

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Le Comtesse managed to pull something back, alright - a silver orb about the size of a fist, which beeped in a very annoying, high pitch, growing more rapid by the second...

((By the way, falling off the stick isn't held against you. Also, don't be afraid to greet your fellow students while standing there with teacups on your heads. ))

But it was too late. The ragged robe already headed for the ground...

Only there was nobody in it. As it floated to the sidewalk, its occupant had simply disappeared...

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R0CK-0N was getting the tar beaten out of him. It was time to leave.

Moving swiftly, 'Pariah' headed for the back of the tech store, bag of loot in hand, and stormed out the back door.

The sewer gate was right across the street, and the heroes were occupied. It was now or never.

His ragged robe fluttered in the wind as the tall and lanky figure sped across the street for the sewer gate...

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The Kraken was taking immense punishment, but it wasn't yielding. Regenerating itself at an insane rate, the thig managed to keep the door blocked.

The very door that the heroes were obviosuly trying to get through.

Hotaka's curiosity was slowly getting the better of him, standing there in the shadows. Technically, he was classified as a villain, s this was a dangerous proposal. Freedom Corps had assigned him the moinker 'Dragon of Decay', a very high threat level, and a bad reputation.

Still, they would need something to counteract the monster's speedy regeneration.

Oh, what to do, what to do...?

Vern is rolling on the floor laughing his head off right now.

Prikker? Essex? Vern? Archlich? How...? O.O

If that wasn't on PS2, I'd demand a screenshot of that.

Beh, either way, we need to have a proper sendoff here. I think a pvp slugout on test would be just the thing. Lots of opportunity for BOOM HEADSHOT!

Who's got time when?

And...are we gonna finish the Bastion fight? Or do you mean you need to stop posting as in now?

Good to know you'll stil be here at least halfway.

So are they disconnecting you today, or sometime in the future? What, where, when?

Aw man, and just when we finally got the forum crew assembled and playing together on live quite often.

You will be missed. Especially Curtis...I've always had a little soft spot for him.

Well, I sure do hope you come back someday...

Ryuu Hotaka raised a finger to his lips as he heard another Kraken's bellows.

"Sensei, what are we still doing here?" the Jounin Waziri whispered in his ear, his grip form on te overdimensional masamune in his hands, "We have what we came for. Let us leave."

"Now, now." Hotaka smiled innocently, "Wise man says you don't learn anything if you don't seek out knowledge."

"I don't remember that saying." Katashi, the second Jounin, spoke up, his fists ready to strike at anything that came near them, "Or that wise man."

"That's because it's from me, you knucklehead." Hotaka returned, "I'm the wise guy. Now stop being so skiddish and follow me."

Slinking about pipes and corners, the three went on, hising in shadows wherever possible.

And in one such shadow, they came upon the source of the bellows - a Kraken under assault by several heroes.

Strange...that's not supposed to be down here. Where are the Hellions and such...?

((Agreed.))

The suit of powered armor hissed as it sank down, taking a knee, a cloud of steamy mist discharging from a few valves before the chest armor split apart, opening the pilot hatch.

"Bad business." Tharomar huffed as he climbed out of the suit, careful not to upent any of his bruised body parts he had received when his chai had decided it was suddenly an airplane.

"Do take care of this." he saked the mercenary to stow the suit away again, then guided his steps to his car.

Quite the eventful day, though not in an unsatisfying way...

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The SWAT officers swore ravenously, taking cover from the suddenly attacking holy man.

Geez, this guy didn't even know Mr. D, what the hell was he getting so worked up about?

Grenade launchers echoed as the Grenadier deployed a smoke grenade, then the Ghosts followed up with flashbangs, finally follwed by quite a few tear gas grenades detonating.

After all, they didn't want to hurt the man...yet...

"Gyah!" the SWAT members threw their hands in front of their visors to cover their eyes from the sudden blast of light. At the very least, the darkened visors allowed them to see right after the light had dissipated again.

"Damn it!" the Grenadier swore, turning a hateful gaze towards the holy man on the floor, "Alright, you want diplomacy, I'll give you diplomacy!"

He put a finger to his comm. and promptly requested the Chief call in the one known as Mr. D.

This was another advantage to Tharomar E. running just about everything in Rockwell...

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The suit didn't wait, lifting its foot as soon as the suicide bomber gurgled his last words.

And as the mercenary saw it coming, he promptly let off the bomb.

Not a second too soon - the massive metal foot rammed into the corpse-bomb with the force of a missile, sending the whole package sky-high...and the field knife with it.

Roughly a hundred meters in the air, the bomb detonated harmlessly...

((I hereby declare that Essex is not the only one who has been used as a ball! ))

((Pssst - it's a SUIT. And I'm gonna give ya 3 guesses as to who's piloting it. ))

"Youse givin' me a headache..." R0CK-0N blabbered, barely able to stand now. Still, he gave it one final go, coming at Wielder with his hammer arm as Pain Killah struck...

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The heroes would find the sewers absolutely FILLED with Hydra. Where they had all come from was a mystery, but they seemed intent on guarding the entryways to the abandoned sewer network.

Indeed, in front of each stood a Kraken, blocking the door with its massive bulk.

Something was up down here - the Hydra had chased all normal occupants of the sewers out, follwing what had to be some nefarious purpose...

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'Pariah' was done. He heaved up his pack and headed for the back of the tech store, intent on making a getaway out the back door while the fight was still going in the front...

((Dang, Tempest has only 3 students? I thought we had more.))

"Oh, too easy, is it?" Hotaka smirked, bringing his hand to his mouth and spitting into it, "Fine then, let me add a little something to that."

With that, he flung three small but thick green gobs at the students, which quickly absorbed through both clothing and skin, moving directly into their bloodstream.

"I'll be back to check on you in a few hours." he chuckled at the weakened three. The poison was nowhere near lethal, but it broke concentration quite nicely, adding a constant distraction in the back of their minds. This test was designed to see how well they could coordinate mind and body, not to see who had learned this or that technique to focus chi better.

Waziri stayed as watcher was Hotaka and Katashi departed, the second Jounin carrying the tea pot with him...

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"...and that's about it." Hotaka finished, placing his cup back on the short table he and the Tempest Master sat around, conversing of both their happenings durning Hotaka's absence, "I have to admit, it was one wild ride, though."

The Master chuckled good-naturedly, "My, my, you certainly will cause trouble anywhere you go. A clan of ninja in Paragon..."

"What can I say, teaching's in my nature."

"Oh yes, that it certainly is. Do tell me, what do you think of our new students so far?"

Hotaka huffed, taking another sip, then continued, his mood visibly lowered by that question, "To be honest, all these youngsters nowadays...I don't know..."

"Hm?"

"Well, just with all their...'techniques'. In my day, we simply struck our opponent, we didn;t bother yelling out what we were about to do."

"I see."

"Now they scream it to your face, and worst of all is Dragon-this and Dragon-that and Bla of the Dragon...urrrrgh..."

The tempest master only laughed, "Oh, you take things much too seriously, ha ha ha. Why, in fact, you should feel honored..."

"I suppose..." Hotaka sighed, "I don't know why...it just makes my skin crawl..."

"Things aren't as they used to be. You should know that most of all."

"Yeah...I guess I should..."

((Well, I suppose it is an open RP. Just don't pull any more of your over-the-top stunts here, aiight?

And Khel, yes, I'd like to reply, but I'm still waiting on what Crimson's 'unidentified' character is doing:

[ QUOTE ]
A huge man rounded the corner of the Talos Island tech store. His massive frame was nothing but rippiling muscle. His head sported a dark green mohawk and a starburst tattoo on his left eye. His green vest was barely covering a large fist tatto the crossed his huge chest. As he rounded the corner, he saw a bunch of supers fighting. "Me want fight too!!" yelled Pain Killah and charged at the heros.

[/ QUOTE ]
I replied:

[ QUOTE ]
"That's it man! Daaance to the muuusic!"

And with the huge distraction outside, 'Pariah' had no problems at all picking out exactly what he needed inside the store...

[/ QUOTE ]
...and haven't heard anything further yet. Now, I will move that along eventually if Omen doesn't post, but I don't just want to cut someone out just like that.))

No Hydra came form the gates. They seemed perfectly content to stay inside the sewers. However, form the volume and frequency of the gurgling roars, there were many, and they were spread throughout the entire sewer system.

And they would atack on sight, though they seemed more interested in just preventing people from coming through their general area than actually pursuing them...

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"Irrelevant." 'Pariah' said to Elizabeth, turning and walking towards the edge of the roof of the three-story building.

It seemed very clear he intended to jump...

Clump!

Clump!

Clump!

Clump!

From the back of the parking lot, the heavy steps of an approaching machine echoed. As it turned the corner, the thing that resembled a PPD Assault Suit to a tee covered the beleagured car and all about it in a protection shield.

"Get clear!" the suit's loudspeaker shouted to the 'security forces', and then it hunched over and deplyed a large cannon from its back, sublimating gases hissing from it as the barrel powered up.

As soon as everyone was clear, the charge roared into the assailants' van, blowing the whole thing sky-high...

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The SWAT team's casualties weren;t as bad as they seemed. These were trained and experienced police officers, outfitted with durable gear and high-tech devices. They were resilient enough.

But as the second wave burst through a few skylights, repeeling down on ropes, the battle seemed to be over already...

[ QUOTE ]
Discontinuity of the shadow walk, then staring down at him from from the top of an air conditioning unit nearby. "Don't touch me geki. Who, or what, are you?" Her black eyes drilled the raggedly dressed intruder, and she drew on the shadows around her for power as she raised her defenses, swirling strands of blackness circling around her.

[/ QUOTE ]
"Even." was all 'Pariah' said, and with that, he headed for the rooftop door on this building...

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As the gate came off, so did a bunch of Hellions - but they seemed to have no interest in fighting, fleeing for their lives from very familiar roars of, "GLOOOORBLE!!!"

As the battle between holy men and followers of science raged inside the hospital, the staff had long since called the police - but when the first cops had arrived, they hadn't dared tangle with the combatants.

Now the SWAT teams finally arrived on scene, their armored trucks screeching to a halt at the hospital doors as the squadrons disembarked.

Tharomar Enterprises practically owned the polie, but that wasn't always a bad thing - incidentally, it was one of the root causes to why the cops in Rockwell had acess to some of the finest equipment available, such as MP5s with AP ammo that could take on a light tank.

The SWAT officers and their partners-in-crime, Ghosts and Equalizers, stormed through the main doors in combat formation...

((I'm liking this pace a lot. It's not going at a snail's pace, but it hasn't gone post-crazy either. ))

The painpipe extracted a hollow, metallic sound from R0CK0N's skull, flooring the Noise Tank, the neutron bomb only adding to his predicament.

"Owww, that's heavy!" he grunted, feeding excelsior into his body to dull out the pain, "But so is this!"

And as he pumped out a shockwave of sound that virtually rattled the air, he brought his swiper arm down on Wielder to try and slice him open from throat to groin.

[ QUOTE ]
"Me want fight too!!" yelled Pain Killah and charged at the heros.

[/ QUOTE ]
"That's it man! Daaance to the muuusic!"

And with the huge distraction outside, 'Pariah' had no problems at all picking out exactly what he needed inside the store...

"I think I'll stop by the lab for a moment." Tharomar said to his escort as they proceeded down the long, loooong flights of stairs. His eyes were on his PDA, which showed security footage from several points inside and outside the building, "Seems I need to teach a few people about the reprocussions of bad business..."

"I'll be alright." Tharomar stated as the mercenary found him, sounding as sure as ever - in fact, he had never once seemed to waver from that tone.

A man of his stature had to expect these things - and like Clarence Thomas, he was quite well-prepared.

"Now then, we are evacuating? Very well, let us go..."

"Gah!", "Beh!", and "Argh!" were the only things most of the Freaks could say as they were swatted aside like flies. Even R0CK-0N couldn;t stand up to this sort of punishment, not to mention that damned radiation, for long.

But maybe a grenade to the face of that gamma-queen would do!

"An' things went BOOM!" he yelled, blasting both a wave of noise at her to momentarily distract and disrupt a few resistances, then lobbed his impact grenade at her...

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Azuria sighed. She obviosuly wasn't being much help here, what with her nerves wracked three ways to Sunday.

"Right." she finally managed to get out, "There are quite a few Lost in the sewers these days. Though I can't imagine what the Rikti would have to do with magic or the Lost, I suppose you'd need to go to the abandoned sections to find any actual aliens..."

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'Pariah' was quite surprised, having expected an attack, but instead being helped and then dragged out the door. Maybe this was no hero after all?

"Agreed." he simply said, his voice straining, an moved as quickly as he could. The sounds of heavy boots eachoed across the roof as the two ran from the collapsing building.

As they got to the edge, 'Pariah' wan't quite sure what to do with the woman, so he did te only thing he could think of - he tucker her under his arm and leaped off the building just as it collapsed, landing securely on a roof across the street.

It was, however, noteworthy that a small crater developed in the concrete of the other roof. 'Pariah' must have been much heavier than he looked...

Tharomar whistled nonchalantly as the grenades sailed by in th other hallway. He'd rounded a corner, then hidden in a niche - those were two ninety-degree bends. No, grenades weren't going to get him here. The only thing he had to worry about was someone actually getting past the soldiers in his office and closing to melee range...

[ QUOTE ]
"Hotaka," Xander began as he shifted the staff from his shoulder, "Since you seem to administering the Endurance Trail. I will take my leave until the morrow. Reishi care to join me for dinner?"

[/ QUOTE ]
"Very well." Hotaka smiled, "Have fun, you two."

It didn't take long for Waziri and Katashi to return. One carried a large barrel of water and wooden buckets, the other a humongous steaming pot and quite a few fine china cups.

"Alright," Hotaka began, turning to the students, "do I really need to explain what you're supposed to do, or do you get the general idea?"

As he said this, the Jounin set their loads down and began pouring - water into the buckets, tea into the cups. there were twice as many buckets as cups, and the excercise was really quite simple: stand on the bamboo pole for as long as you could while holding two buckets of water with outsreatched arms, one in each hand. As an additional challence, the tea cup would be placed on your head, and it was to remain there for the duration. If a single drop was spilled, time was called...

"I'll leave things to you then." Tharomar nodded to the medic in appreciation and ducked out his door, quickly rounding the corner as he waited for the battle to subside.

'Security' was an excellently trained force. They shouldn't take too long. He just hoped his office didn't suffer too much collateral damage.

Thinking of this, he stepped into a wall niche. If anyone wanted to get him here, they would have to close to melee range...