(( Yay! *Adds to favorites* Good seeing you write! ))
It had been an hour of scrubbing, and still the colored ink would not come off. Pin points of blood came just underneath the surface of the first layer of skin, looking like freckles amid the shards of chitin that grew there.
With bloodshot eyes, she examined the mark in the mirror.
It was all so stupid. It had started off as a prank. A man she had been trying to make ammends with told her to close her eyes, to trust him for just a few minutes. In those few minutes, he had painted in ink a third eye on her forehead and sealed it with lemon.
Ha ha. Very funny. She thought, gazing back into the mirror. It would have been fine, she would've worn a hat for the next few weeks and looked grumpy, but that would've been the least of her worries.
Then Roy approached her. He seemed different and, as one of her handful of friends in Paragon, this worried her. He spoke of her as an 'Endless One'. He spoke of things she didn't understand, of secrets. It made her stomach turn, but she played along.
And then it happened, he told her the beginning and the end of things, he told her a long story in a voice not his own before realizing that the third eye was unblinking. Then, in that same altered voice, he warned her that this was forbidden knowledge. Something would come for her, if she told, and to her estimation whoever she told as well. From the looks of things, she thought, something might come for her anyway.
The killing secret... The words buzzed through her mind and, in a sudden sign of frustration, she punched the wall next to the mirror. The only product was a bit of chipped plaster and a bruised knuckle.
I'm a scientist, not a damn mage. She growled towards the mirror as if expecting an answer from it. It gave no consolation.
She'd been told something she didn't understand, something important, something she thought that could save not only Roy, but... A sigh echoed from her lips and she shook her head briskly. As all secrets did, this one came with a price. It was her and the snake woman, at first.
Before the end of things, she had a feeling, one of them would be alone, and so she did the thing she had been forbidden to do under the penalty of death. In a midnight meeting, she whispered that secret to another. Was it someone that might help her? Someone who could keep her safe? Probably not. It was an enemy. The secret had been used as a weapon. How could she justify telling someone else and potentially endangering them?
How could she tell... Shin?
With a sudden jerk, she turned away from the mirror and started towards the ladder that lead to the surface. Maybe it wasn't the right decision, maybe it wasn't the best, but she was doing what she believed was right. She was protecting the people she cared about.
In the end, there were only four people who she could rely on in this case; herself, a woman she barely knew, Roy himself and a man whom she equated with the devil.
((.../e feels completely humbled by Shae and Kricky...))
((a portion of an RP in game that I just had to share...))
Shae Firewarder: Hello
HEROID: Hiya, Shae.
HEROID: Nice cap.
Shae Firewarder: How have you been?
HEROID: Works fer ya.
Shae Firewarder: Thank you . i got it today at the game
HEROID: Game?
Shae Firewarder: A friend felt it was neccessary for me to go see a baseball game. <smiles>
HEROID: Really?
Shae Firewarder: So...he took me over to New York to see a game there...
HEROID: Wow!
HEROID: Geez!
HEROID: Yankee Stadium!
Shae Firewarder: New York Mets versus the Los angeles Dodgers....
HEROID: Oh...
HEROID: Shea...
HEROID: Shea...?
HEROID: Heheheh.
Shae Firewarder: Yes...somehow he found that amusing...<grins>
HEROID: Heheheh.
HEROID: An' who wuz ya pullin' fer?
Shae Firewarder: I think he said the other new york team was playing in California this week
HEROID: Ah.
HEROID: Ain't looked at th' schedule in a week 'r two.
Shae Firewarder: He bought me a Mets cap...and jersey....and insisted that I try the hotdogs and beer....
Shae Firewarder: To get the full experience...
HEROID: Yeah, ain't nothin' like it.
Shae Firewarder: You sound better....
HEROID: Oh. Yeah. I'm much better.
HEROID: I... we...
HEROID: We decided ta work t'gether an' keep th' other one in check.
Shae Firewarder nods
HEROID: Ma an' th' jewel ennity, that is.
HEROID: Still can feel th'... bad one... tryin' t' come out sometimes...
HEROID: But it's more like...
HEROID: I dunno...
HEROID: It's like he's kickin' around but can't get out.
Shae Firewarder: I hope that he cannot.
HEROID: Like a baby kinda...
Shae Firewarder: ah
HEROID: Ah?
HEROID: Glad ya unnerstood that, cause I didn't...
HEROID: I think some weird [censored] sometimes now...
HEROID: Like "strings"...
HEROID: Everything is made o' strings...
Shae Firewarder: strings...<thinks a minute>
Shae Firewarder: ahm...not like yarn, strings...but the physics term?
HEROID: Yeah...
HEROID: But like th' yarn thing too...
Shae Firewarder: Connected.
HEROID: If ya pass a thread through layers o' cloth, they're all connected...
HEROID: But they're still separate layers o' cloth...
HEROID: But if ya travel on that thread, ya travel from layer ta layer...
HEROID: An' that's how portals work...
HEROID: Ya find th' right string...
Shae Firewarder nods
HEROID: I wouldn't 've never knowed that on my own...
Shae Firewarder: In this universe, that is more common knowledge for physics proffessors rather than the people you usually run into
HEROID: Yeah.
HEROID: An' I ain't never been accused o' bein' a perfesser.
Shae Firewarder: I know it partly because...it fits with how I got here too...and there are magic theories that operate similarly
HEROID: Yeah. Physics an' magic 're kinda alike when ya get down ta quantum levels...
HEROID: Geez...
Shae Firewarder: Yes
HEROID: I don't even know what I just said.
Shae Firewarder smiles
Shae Firewarder: I think you will...
HEROID: Heheh...
HEROID: Yeah.
HEROID: Maybe go t' college an' get my P.D.A.
Shae Firewarder: I think i heard someone say that sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
HEROID: Yeah... It wuz Sigitir th'...
HEROID: No...
HEROID: Wait...
HEROID: He said it but in another universe...
Shae Firewarder: hm.
HEROID: I might have ta maybe focus a little t' keep my thoughts in this universe...
Shae Firewarder: That is...a problam I do not have, and i am thankful for it...
HEROID nods.
HEROID: Yeah, well...
HEROID: My mind might be in two universes, but yer heart is...
Shae Firewarder nods and looks down<most perceptive lately>
HEROID: Is it hard ta live in this mundane universe when the one ya come from must be so much more than this?
Shae Firewarder: It isn't mundane
HEROID: Compared ta where ya come from?
Shae Firewarder: It is different...
HEROID nods...
Shae Firewarder: What seems exotic to soemone depends on where they came from originally
HEROID: Yeah...
Shae Firewarder: To me...a baseball game is exotic and strange...
HEROID: Oh... It is ta me too!
HEROID: It's like...
HEROID: It's like th' whole o' life compressed inta nine innin's...
HEROID: Sometimes ya gotta play yer part in th' bigger picture...
HEROID: But sometimes...
Shae Firewarder: I have not learned the game's rules well enough to see that...
HEROID: Bottom o' th' ninth...
HEROID: Down by one...
HEROID: A guy on third...
HEROID: An' th' bat's in yer hand...
HEROID: It's just you an' th' pitcher...
Shae Firewarder blinks
HEROID: It's not a team sport right then...
HEROID: If ya lose... yer th' one who didn't hit th' ball...
HEROID: If ya win, it's th' guy on third who scores...
HEROID: It's like real life...
HEROID: Ya think we're all in it t'gether...
HEROID: But sometimes, it all gets put on yer shoulders...
HEROID: An' ya better get a hit.
Shae Firewarder says softly, "that is true"
HEROID: It's a deep game...
HEROID: Right up yer alley, really.
HEROID: Curses an' lucky bats...
Shae Firewarder smiles
HEROID: More magic than science in baseball.
((Only a portion. I may post the rest. Or not. I'm tired now and I'll think on that tomorrow.))
Shae Firewarder
((Because RL has been insane this month -- Bump.))
((Just got off of Test. They were supposed to have fixed Unyielding Friday, according to the notes. They didn't.
I just spent an hour on Test, and am very unhappy.
I'm not going to add to this thread anytime soon, because, if they don't fix this, I'm just going to kill Roy off in rp, delete him, and cancel my account.
Screw archery and the new zone. My main is gimped. I've respecced him a couple of times trying to get a build that will work. No good.
Sorry to my friends, but I'm not going to pay a monthly fee just to stand in the park and chat. Playing the first 10 levels debt free is going to be more fun than playing from 40 to 50 will be. That's not how it's supposed to be.
I'll let you know beforehand, and will give my AIM monicker to any of my friends who want it. 
))
((As I was driving home from work yesterday, I heard the tail-end of a news story about a plane crash in Canada. I knew one of my Canadian Virtue friends was travelling this week, and I couldn't remember which day it would be.
The news story scared me and I switched stations trying to find the details, but I couldn't. So I spent the next twenty or so minutes worrying. When I got home, my wife told me about the crash and that the plane was landing and not taking off and that apparently everyone survived.
To cut to the chase, the experience made me realize that I've made some good friends playing this game. There are people here I have a lot in common with, and I am part of a community.
I've decided being part of that community and sharing those friendships is worth the monthly fee.
I still hate what the devs are doing to tanks.
But anyway, when you feed me my crow, please bread it and fry it first. That's the way I like it. I don't like it boiled or cooked in a casserole. Baked with stuffing is good. Marinated in Italian dressing and grilled is okay too. But my favorite is breaded and fried.
Mmmm... Extra-crispy crow... mmmm...))
HEROID sat and watched the river flow. Nearby, a group of young superheroes stood in a cluster and chatted, bragging about victories, complaining about the adults, and flirting the way young people do. Innocently, truthfully. No deceptions.
Everything was deception with Roy now. He looked at his hand. Was that really flesh and blood he was seeing? The part of his mind that was the jewel entity gave him understanding that his actual form was inconsequential. All that mattered was the efficiency of his molecular alignment. Function. He looked like he was human, but he was
whatever he was. Not what people thought he was.
Roy picked up a pebble with the intention of throwing it into a swirling eddy just below him. Instead he crushed it between his thumb and forefinger, and let the dust blow away on the breeze.
Deceptions.
He had liked Sally. He had really liked Sally. Sally was normal, and more than anything right now, he wanted to be normal. But Sally had lied to him. She never mentioned a husband, let alone that her husband was
Joe Reed. Roy had taken up hanging around the guard towers at the Zig because he wanted to be around regular working guys. Normal guys. But Joe was a liar too, and a killer. A two-bit crook who was part of the revolving door that was Paragon Citys high-security prison.
The man who had tried to murder him.
It didnt make sense. Joe had confessed to taking the hit for hire. That Roy had told him about the pretty waitress at the Wharf Rat probably didnt encourage Joe to turn down the offer. But who was the contractor?
From deep inside, a dark voice whispered thoughts of vengeance and murder. The part of Roy that was the jewel entity rose up and muffled the dark voice into silence.
Roy picked up another pebble. He squeezed it between his fingers. It was smooth and round on the outside. He lifted his thumb and looked at the jagged break he had caused.
Sally fell for him because she was sure he was a cape. Joe didnt hesitate killing him because he was sure he was trying to steal his young wife.
Things had looked smooth and round, but there was a jagged edge in the break he had caused.
Roy dropped the pebble into the swirling eddy.
None of the young heroes noticed as he leapt away.
Steel Butterfly stared at the set of schematics in front of her, then she ran her fingers over her short purple dreadlocks and looked around the room. From where she was she could look down on all the machines she had put back together for Jonah as part of her "rent" for staying here. The other part of her rent was her efforts in keeping the clockworks out. Her traps and eradication efforts had kept the entire block clockwork free for a while now and the machine shop had taken on a number of homey touches...since that was what it was...her home.
She was sitting in the corner of the warehouse that she had made her own. She had built a platform up above the machines to use as her "livingroom." The platform was solid; she'd found an old church that was being demolished and had managed to purchase the old wooden beams and floors for a song. She'd had fun installing the beams and the wood floors, and polishing them. In the sunlight the old oak fairly glowed.
The light was good up here as the light from the Northern set of windows streamed in over her shoulders and over the denim hammock and wooden bookcases she had installed. It also lit the drawings in front of her on her drafting table far too clearly. She sighed. The drawings were beautiful, in a way. They were detailed, incredibly detailed...as she would imagine anything intended to do with a human soul might be...
Her mind turned back to the day before when Heroid had given the drawings to her...
She had run into him in Galaxy city near the park there. He had been in amazingly good shape; the metal and paint polished and gleaming, and no sounds of wear or signs of damage on him. But then he had asked her for a favor...
He had given her a set of schematics and a circuitboard, and said, "I got these from th' bunker me an' th' doc had in Boomtown... It's fer th' Newmotronic... It's fer th' motherboard that holds my... ...soul 'r whatever..."
She had blinked. Though she worked with machines all the time it hadn't really occurred to her to wonder how her friend had managed to be a machine with a soul....
"This circuit board here... It wuz in a box labelled, 'HEROID failsafe'. I uh... I want ya ta look at these plans... An' this board..."
She had nodded, thinking only of the drawings...the things she might learn from something so unique and then..
Heroid had continued to speak, "See if it would shut me down permanent-like. An' if it would..."
Steel Butterfly had felt time stop a moment. She couldn't have heard that, "Permanent? ..."
"I want ya ta install it with a switch t' activate it."
Steel Butterfly had stared at him.
He had looked back at her, "It's fer a reason..."
She had managed to ask," ......why?"
"Because." then he'd stopped, "Yer mortal an' I can't tell ya th' because. I just need it done."
Steel Butterfly suddenly realised just how out of her depth she was, adrift in the black depths of something dark and dangerous.
"I ain't gonna off myself... Not unless it comes ta it. Just......take a look at it. Lemme know if it's what I think it is."
Steel Butterfly:" ...ok. I'll look at it...and I'll see if it is meant to do that."
"Thanks. Yer a real friend." He'd said, and she could almost see him smile.
She had taken the drawings and the board, and sighed.
"It'll be all right, Steely. I won't need it. It's a... ...a just in case."
Steel Butterfly had found herself filling in the term, "A failsafe, the contingency you hope you don't have to use. I'll look at it."
"Yeah. Thanks.One other thing..."
Steel Butterfly: "Yeah?"
"I want a switch I can activate... An' I want a remote control....Just in case."
Steel Butterfly: "a remote?"
"Yeah. In case somethin' keeps me from throwin' th' switch myself." Heroid had looked at her steadily, "Look... I'll be honest with ya... I got some... ...issues. Sometimes lately I ain't been in charge o' my own self. If it happens again, an' I can't stop myself... ...somebody's gotta. I ain't askin' ya t' push th' button... ...only ta make th' button."
Steel Butterfly had looked down at the drawings and the board.
Distantly, she had heard him say, "I got somebody that'll push it, I'm pretty sure."
Steel Butterfly had said quietly, "ok" She had looked up in time to see Heroid nod, and then she continued softly, "Then I guess I had better go look this over."
"Thanks, Steely. Ya don't know how much this means ta me."
She had left him then, and carried the package back to the workshop. The drawings were intricate...they were beautiful...like an angel of death. She could almost feel the wings beating near. She wanted to throw something...she realised she was hoping to startle the dark wings away, like crows hovering near...
Shae Firewarder
Joe Reed smiled as he was led to the visitation area. Freedom would taste good. Too bad he hadn't been put into the Zig. He would have walked days ago.
Still, his incarceration hadn't been that bad. Assault with a deadly weapon for shooting Sally had only gotten him put into a low-security satellite jail in King's Row. He could almost throw a rock and hit his apartment.
That was the funny thing to him. He was in jail for trying to kill the cheating little hussy. Yet he had put a bullet through the brain of a superhero, and because the bum was apparently unharmed, the city hadn't even seen fit to press charges.
HEROID himself couldn't do anything about it -- there was no proof that he'd even been hit. The city records only showed him as a robot/android superhero. The dummy had never notified the city that he was human again.
Joe laughed at that as he entered the visitation area.
Two men in Italian suits were waiting for him there. He smiled at them, certain they were sent by the Family to take him out of here and send him someplace nice and safe like the Bahamas.
He felt his bowels turn to water when they turned to face him and one of them said, "Agent Webb, FBI..."
Amelia Crawley laid in bed and stared into the darkness.
Sorry, you're really not powerful enough to register as a superhero.
The words still burned two months after she had heard them. She should have cheated. She should have fudged. She should have used her subtle power of mental influence to make the young woman register her. But her powers had always been more effective on males.
I will give you power.
And he had. The green man had boosted her abilities ever so slightly. Enough so that the employees at Icon accepted her presence when she was there, then forgot about her completely after she had left.
But the [censored] had taken it all back.
Subtle influence. That was what she had been planning to call herself when she put on the spandex and cape. A lifelong dream.
Amelia sighed in the darkness. Dreams were for suckers. Powers were for those who really knew how to use them.
She rolled over, and turned on the lamp which sat on the nightstand beside the bed. Her new diamond necklace glittered in it's 60 watt glow.
"Wh..." began the silver-haired man who lay next to her as he blinked the sleep from his eyes. "What's wrong?"
Amelia smiled at him. She stroked his receeding hair and then ran a finger along the deep wrinkles etched into his face.
"You know, my love, we could go to Vegas and get married tomorrow if you would poison your wife today..."
All he had wanted was a beer.
Whether he was really flesh and bone, or whether he was a titanium robot realigned subatomically so that he resembled a human didn't matter. He had wanted a beer.
When he got to his secret stash in the cooler buried in Gemini Park, he had found it empty. Small matter. ATM machines were handy critters.
Usually.
This one he was looking at now showed him a balance of minus fifteen dollars. The service charge for failing to maintain a balance in his account.
There had been nearly $150,000.00 in there only a few weeks ago. Royalties and bonuses from the wildly successful HEROID, the Animated Series. Where could it have gone? He hadn't hit his bank account since...
...since before he was killed.
Damn. Why? Who was out to get him so badly that they would want to kill him and then rob him?
His head hurt. The part of him that could reason this out was busy containing a burst of activity from the part of him that must eventually take over.
All he wanted right now was a beer.
The Bringer of Dreams sat with his sister and watched the Lords play their game. The gameboard was the universe, the pieces -- the entities, bodies, and forces that functioned therein.
The Lords of Chaos had enjoyed a long winning streak. All of the carefully planned creations of the Lords of Order were nearly gone, crushed at the end of each round beneath the Wheel of Destruction, returned to the infinitely fine dust from which the Builders would create again.
"The Wheel spins too much, I fear," Dream whispered to his sister. "Some of the Lords of Order are petitioning their brothers to change the balance of the game."
Dream's sister thought for a moment, then frowned prettily and said, "I would not mind if the Wheel stopped spinning altogether. There are on longer any sentient beings for which I am purposed."
"Fear not, my sister. Death is as certain as life. The tide of the gaming will turn."
The Bringer of Death sighed a long, sad sigh, and replied, "Perhaps."
The conversation was interrupted by the sound of laughter in the infinite hall. The Lords of Order stepped back from the game board in defeat as the Lords of Chaos hooted and cheered. Or at least most of them. Two Chaos Lords were noticibly silent in their victory.
The Lord Destroyer fairly danced the distance from the game to the Wheel. He tossed his mighty head back in a shout of joy, and with the only arms powerful enough to do so, he spun the Wheel of Destruction yet again.
The gameboard swirled. Young worlds teaming with primordial potential cracked from internal pressures, or were burnt to giant cinders when their suns exploded. Then the stars themselves began collapsing upon themselves, pulling the bodies of the universe into their centers, until like an overfed child, they spewed forth their contents in the form of infinitely fine dust.
Death stood and turned away from her brother. "I will go now brother. I have seen enough. My purpose is to remain unfulfilled."
Dream placed a hand on her shoulder, and she paused.
"I too, have a purpose unfulfilled, my sister. I have only myself to spin dreams for."
She turned back to him, the sorrow in her heart ran in streaks down her pale face and shone in the blackness of her eyes.
"And what do you dream of my brother?"
"I dream of machinations that may be put in place, my sister. I dream of a plan..."
The Envoy of Shadows. More Circle of Thorns mumbo jumbo.
Roy's contact seemed to think the Envoy of Shadows was back. This seemed implausible, because Roy knew Kelp Plankton, Parzifal, and Modron X had put the demon away only days ago. Roy had watched most of the battle from the floor.
Still, it wouldn't hurt to check out this cave. At least it would get Mr. Kestrel off his back.
As a mining equipment operator for Crey Industries, caves and tunnels had once been a big part of his life, but now he felt claustrophobic. There had been too many bad experiences underground since he had arrived in Paragon City. He fought back the urge to rush through this assignment and worked his way through the subterranean maze.
A few minor mages and a couple of dismissible demons lurked in the labyrinth. They were easily dispatched. There was a makeshift altar which Roy carefully disassembled, tagging certain items for teleportation to MAGI. Overall the mission was cake.
One more tunnel to explore, then he would be off to hang out with his friends and enjoy some down time.
His mind turned to a party he had attended a couple of nights ago. He had talked Bridget into drinking a pina colada and the results had been both humorous and somewhat amorous. He smiled when he thought about the kiss she had given him. Of course he shouldnt have done it. He apologized to her, and Parzifal thought none the worse of him for it. Still, he felt a bit guilty. Hed have to make it up to her. Maybe take her and Parz out to dinner. Not a date, just friends out for an evening
And Bridget, like himself, was currently inhabited by more than one entity. He laughed to himself. What are the odds? And the name of her other
Morgan Leffay? Morgaws? Something like that. Hed have to remember next time he saw Bridget to ask her about it.
Bridget was much more attractive than she gave herself credit for. The more he was around her, the more he
What was that?
A sound ahead.
Roy braced himself for another battle. Rounding a bend and entering a large chamber, he spotted a leathery wing sticking out above a massive rock formation. Another demon lord. Crunch time!
Hiya, big an ugly! he taunted. Lemme help ya get back ta where ya come from!
The demon stepped from behind the formation and Roy immediately knew he had made a mistake. This was no typical devil. This was the Envoy of Shadows.
The first hit put Roy on his back. The second rattled him and his body would not respond to the command to get back up and fight. The third hit set off fireworks in his head then he felt himself losing consciousness.
A voice from somewhere said, Do you need some help?
Y-y-yeah
he said and faded to black.
He woke up outside the cave, on the bank of Platinum Lake. From inside, he could hear the Envoy of Shadows howling in triumph.
Whoever had got him out of there hadnt stuck around, but he was thankful for the rescue.
The Envoy of Shadows stood over the large human. Twice it had faced this human, and twice it had defeated him. Such a fool. If not for the water-blaster this humans soul would have been consumed the first time theyd clashed.
The Envoy crouched down over Roys body and began the work of eating his soul.
Then it stopped. Something else was here. Something higher than a human soul.
Do you need some help? a disembodied voice said.
The human mumbled something, but the Envoy paid no attention.
You
the Envoy of Shadows said, looking at the body quizzically. Something about you is
familiar
You know me. The voice was coming from the human form. From before time you know me, in your essence
Yesss. You are
the Destroyer
Destroy his soul. Leave this form to me alone.
The Envoy of Shadows stood and paced around the prone figure.
Nooo
It is not my placcce to bring you into being, Dark One. But know that thisss one will ssserve you when you assscend.
I will remember you, demon. And when next I call on you, you will heed my command.
Yesss. But at presssent
I cannot. I am hindered by ccccircumstance. I am not in the plan.
The Envoy of Shadows lifted the human and laid it over its shoulder. It carried the human back through the labyrinth and dumped him on the lakeshore outside the entrance, then rolled the boulder that hid the entrance back into place. Once back inside, it had a good laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
The humans soul was good and kind. Noble in its simple way. The Destroyer would have no difficulty grinding it into annihilation.
((Okay, this isn't a story post, just a kinda catchup thing so I can post a neat bit of dialogue from some rp last night.
HEROID began his superhero career as a robot with a human soul trapped inside. Then, with the help of Ireland Love, he gained the ability to magically transform into a human. During this time, HEROID began having dealings with an immortal being called the Bringer of Dreams.
The human body was recently assassinated, leaving only the robot form.
Now, HEROID's body is possessed by three sentient entities:
Roy, whish is the human soul that originally inhabited HEROID
The Jewel Entity who is an intelligence that developed from the gem in HEROID's chest which supplies him with unlimited power. The Jewel Entity also possesses the ability to realign the molecules of HEROID's body on a subatomic level, so that Roy can appear to be human.
The Lord of Chaos -- Destroyer, Spinner of the Wheel of Destruction! who is an evil Lord of Chaos. The Destroyer seeks to destroy the other entities inhabiting the body and also to gather to itself the pieces of the earthly manifestation of the Wheel of Destruction.
After the battle with the Envoy of Shadows, the Lord of Chaos took control. He encountered several people in Gemini Park who claimed to have pieces of the Wheel of Destruction. He wagered the remains of Roy's soul against the pieces of the Wheel in an arena battle.
Several heroes responded. The battle against Evil Roy was short-lived, but the Destroyer had already sought to influence some of the heroes to fight for him...
Apparently, he caught Teras Lyn in a moment of weakness. Teras viciously fought the other heroes as the evil Lord urged him on...
Ultimately, Teras came to his senses, and Roy's soul was spared!
Following is a great bit of closing dialogue from the end of the arena rp. I did very little editing.
----------------------
Tessarae: Fight him, Teras. Do not be weaker than he.
HEROID:::No! Serve me!
Teras Lyn: =roars=- NO! I serve NOONE!
Tessarae: Thou canst break free.
Teras Lyn: you be quiet witch
HEROID: ::Yes, don't let her tell you what to do.
Teras Lyn: you too, demon
HEROID: ::She is a witch. He (Parzifal) is a knight?
HEROID: ::One of them is obviously a lie.
Teras Lyn: perhaps it is you that lies
HEROID: ::Why would I lie?
Kelp Plankton: ...what ARE you, anyway?
Teras Lyn: what do i fight for?
Statesboy: He figures this out after he nearly cracks my head open.
Tessarae: Methinks Teras ist much stronger than thou dost give him credit for, Deceiver.
HEROID: ::I shall ascend no matter what you mortals do. This is but a game.
Kelp Plankton: I'm really sick of that mortal crap.
HEROID: ::We Lords love our games.
Teras Lyn: =closes his eyes, relaxing=-
Parzival: I have been for some time, Sir Kelp.
Kelp Plankton: You can be killed. You're mortal, too.
HEROID: ::Mortal? Me?
Kelp Plankton: Yep.
Teras Lyn: =laughs lightly=- oh lord?
HEROID: ::The Lords of Order only wish it were so.
Teras Lyn: you lose
Tessarae: *smiles to herself*
Tessarae: Thine words art weak, Deceiver.
HEROID:::You are weak, Teras Lyn.
Tessarae: Nay. He ist strong.
Teras Lyn: you forgot that as a hero i dont fight for myself
Teras Lyn: =stands strong=-
HEROID: ::Yes. Yet, you all fought for nothing.
Teras Lyn: i fight for those who cant fight
Teras Lyn: for those not strong enough to fight
Tessarae: I came to the defense of my friends.
Parzival: To protect.
Teras Lyn: that's what makes me strong, not brute force, but my will to help others
Kelp Plankton: For nothing?
Kelp Plankton: We showed you that we can beat the [censored] out of you.
--------------------
I just really loved that bit of dialogue. It brought tears to my eyes. You were all so superheroic! Thanks everybody who participated. Also thanks to Ice of Hell and James Walton (Wal-Man) for also participating.))
The young photographer sat at the drive-thru and handed the girl in the window his last four dollars. The scent of french fries wafting into his car was making his stomach grumble.
He would enjoy this meal. It might be his last for a while.
On the seat beside him, in a manilla folder was what he had hoped would turn into enough money to pay this months rent and buy some groceries.
But nobody wanted these pictures.
Who's this supposed to be?
He had heard this from every newspaper and tabloid editor in Paragon City.
Always his answer was, It's Ireland Love fighting Heroid.
The next comment was also the same from every editor.
Heroid's a robot, kid. This just looks like she's beating up some superdine junkie Troll.
And it did.
Superhero savagely fighting superhero was news. Pictures of such an event could turn into big bucks, especially for a celebrity superhero like Ireland Love.
But superheroes taking down Trolls were a dime a dozen.
Well, maybe, just maybe, if he posted them on Ebay, he could get at least a little money from some Maggiephile.
The young man drove off, wishing he had taken the photos with his digital instead of his old 35mm. Scanning was so much slower.
((Just wanted to say I'm having an immensely good time with this storyline, and reading the posts here. Looking forward to seeing how things end up!))
Links to my Virtueverse crap
[ QUOTE ]
((Just wanted to say I'm having an immensely good time with this storyline, and reading the posts here. Looking forward to seeing how things end up!))
[/ QUOTE ]
((Seconded! Kinda regret having Kelp take a vacation specifically due to wanting to be involved in this, heh. But I'll have fun watching from afar on an alt or something. :P))
Animation major and old-school CoHer.
Art, Animation, and Stuff:
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Shae clicked on the link in the email. What had her hacker friend decided to point her at this time? Usually he was looking at computer toys that he might want as payment, or news stories he thought she might have an interest in.
She looked at the ebay auction that appeared on her screen....and then looked closer.
Photographs...of Ireland love fighting Heroid. Shae looked closer and recognised the green form of Heroid when Roy was not the being in control of himself....
She could use those pictures.
She clicked, "buy now."
Once she had arranged the purchase, she set about getting access to Joe Reed.
Shae Firewarder
Steel Butterfly hated being intimidated. She looked out at the water in an undisclosed location and rubbed her fingers over her short green dreadlocks. She had been pretty certain the situation was beyond her depth before, and that was with Heroid pretty much as himself. The thing he had just turned into in Talos when she had finally convinced Roy that his memories had been messed with had scared her silly. She wasn't a very mystical minded person; she didn't understand magic and that tended to make her uncomfortable. However, she thought she could recognise a demon when her friend turned into one...
She had tried to cover it with bravado, of course, but sticking her tongue out at a demon thing and then running looked pretty darn silly to her in retrospect. Well, the sticking out her tongue part looked silly. The running still seemed sensible. Now, though, she had to figure out what to do next.
Well...the logical thing would be to find someone who would be at home with the magical stuff. Roy had mentioned a woman named Shae Firewarder. Perhaps she would have a few ideas about what to do about the Roy/not Roy thing.
Shae Firewarder
Roy sat in the dark, wishing for a rescue. He had been here for days, buried deep, alone. It didn't matter that no one came. He expected no one. His fate was sealed.
It wasn't the eventual non-existence that bothered him. It was that he was facing it alone. In the dark.
Then he felt a familiar presence.
Maggie...
Roy tried to force his voice out through the demon's mouth, but he felt himself being pushed down, down, until he feared he no longer existed.
Help.
He could almost feel her hand wrap around his, her voice telling him to keep hope alive.
Then he had a memory. Maggie was dead. Parzifal had killed her in a fit of...
Why? Why would Parzifal kill her?
But she was dead. He remembered holding her still form in his arms.
But he had felt her presence, he knew it...
Roy closed the eyes of his soul and sat back down in the darkness...
Alone.
----------------------------------------
((And "whipped"!?! Maggie Love, I'll have you know Evil Roy is not whipped! He was just exhibiting uh... cunning subservience... yeah, that's th' ticket... cunning subservience...
Yes, I will even argue with you ooc on the message boards. 
))
She saw it coming. She'd been counting on it, hoping for it even. Ever since Julia Lathan, The Fire Hawk, came back through time, it wasn't precisely easy to meet people. Not much to have in common when everything people here know is considered antique where you're from. She'd only met him, what, 2 days ago? They clicked. No other explanation really, they just clicked. And then, as the famed hero known as Heroid, Roy to his friends, was just leaving for the night, he paused and turned to her. "An' Julia... There's this bistro in Founders... I been meanin' ta try it out... I wuz wonderin'... I mean maybe... If ya like that sorta thing..." Poor Roy.. the other two girls Julia and Roy had been sitting with, (Horned Viper, whom Julia had only just met earlier that day, and another girl who's name Julia still doesn't know) instantly jumped on him, recommending flowers, what to compliment her on, how cute they'd look.. It was all Julia could do to save him some embarrassment and encourage him to be off to do whatever it is he had to leave for.
But there was that time, two or three days ago, where she had seen Roy acting.. very much not like Roy. He had been trying to convince Doctor Steward to do something.. and when Julia approached him, Warrick and Parival stepped in the way, claiming to be protecting her? Strange happenings indeed.. Parzival tried to explain.. but none of it made any sense. Lord of Chaos? Possessed? He certainly didn't seem possessed the day after, laughing and joking and drinking beer..
None of it was making any sense. But just as she suspected, Parival and Tessarae didn't take the news well. After Doctor Steward finished what looked like an impromptu meeting about her upcoming dance and departed, Julia decided to mention her upcoming 'date.' "I uh.. dunno how well this'll be taken.. I'm kinda stoked, though.. Roy's askin me to dinner with him." Parz and Tess stood silent for a moment. Clearly concerned.
This time, the explanation made more sense. Roy had some evil things going on.. and Julia was now in a rather precarious situation. A pretty scary one. And all her thoughts could be summed up nicely in two words. "Whooo boy."
((Yeah.. not by any means a quality post. More of a recap of a halfweek's events. Sorta. This is a wonderful plot, and I'm very excited to be getting involved in it 
Hopefully down the road I might be able to write something to match the amazing quality of posts that have been added to this thread already.))
Sometimes, no matter how oblivious you are, you realize something just isn't right.
There's a lot of things you can call Shamrock II. Oblivious would be... well, maybe sixth on the list. After Loud, Obnoxious, Violent... well, it's not worth going on like that.
But when the giant orange and white robot looks like a troll with pointy ears and an iron crown... Something ain't right. She saw that mental guy flip out. She remembers the voice of the gem.
This ain't either of them, buddy. And that ain't right. So... yeah. Banter. Banter like a mother-hump till it slips. Harass it from MAGI to the lobby of Freedom Corps. Point out the stupid stuff it says.
Shammy isn't the smartest tool in the shed, but she cuts through bull like... well, a bulldozer. Not fast. Not sharp, but unstoppable. And it works. It works well enough Roy gets out. He's not dead, but the thing's got him.
And that's when Shammy gets really stubborn. She said she wouldn't kill Roy for a reason. That would be giving up. And Shammy doesn't give up. She didn't give up on Sidney, when the rest of the world did. She won't give up now. So...
She hammers the demon. Makes it question itself. Makes it question her. She knows that it's stronger than she is. Smarter. More powerful in every way.
But heroing is a game of inches. And if even one word gets through to Roy, if one word will convince him to hang on through the darkest night his soul can reach... she's done her job.
Sure, he thinks Maggie's dead. Sure, the beast has control of his senses, he can't see the park, he can't see the city straight.
But Shammy knows Roy. She knows he's a slugger. And she knows one thing about sluggers. They don't go down. Their body may break. Their eyes may be beaten shut, their hands may be turned into mangled meat and blood. They can be knocked senseless while still standing.
But they never give up. And she's got faith in that.
She's got faith in Roy.
PERC Supporter
La Pucelle (BS/SR)
Miseria Bella (Sonic/Dark)
Wrangler Annie (SS/Elec)
Coldsmoke (Ice/Dark)
Saber Maid (BS/Regen)
and others...
Shae hadn't followed Joe Reed. It wasn't her specialty. It was Thomas's. His ability to blend into any crowd or to vanish in the shadows was very handy in a place like Paragon City. It was also very handy for following someone like Joe Reed. Shae had been hoping to acquire information by talking to Joe. However, part of the information she wanted was the information she knew he wouldn't tell her...not in words. However, by talking to him, asking questions, and spooking him a bit, she might be able to learn who he was working for. That was the reason that Thomas was following him after Shae left. Thomas would follow, and listen, and perhaps he would acquire a few more pieces of the puzzle...
He had blended into the scenery at the tram station. Just one more faceless commuter. He had blended in so well, that Joe hadn't even glanced at him twice. However, he hadn't had a chance to change clothes from the outfit he had used to blend in at the tram station while he had been following Joe Reed down here. He'd never pass himself off as a dockworker in the neat jacket, T-shirt and jeans, so, right now Thomas was pretending to be a shadow. Just a drainpipe along the side of the bar's brick wall...
This shadow happened to be watching Joe Reed, who happened to be waiting in an alleyway outside a bar called the Wharf Rat. The shadow watched him bring the cigarette to his face. Joe inhaled, and the tip of his cigarette illuminated his narrow, hard, face. Then he lowered the cigarette and stared at a door...waiting. The shadow, however, was more intrigued by the way the uniform jacket moved...or didn't move...over a certain spot. Thomas knew a bit about holdouts and concealed weapons. His quarry tonight didn't seem to know much about hiding that gun though, as his every move betrayed it's presence...and the fact that Joe was considering using it.
A blonde woman stepped out of the bar. She moved like a dancer, even though she was obviously tired. Probably she was an employee, a waitress, and had just finished her shift. Joe Reed tossed the cigarette down and stepped on it before he moved out of the shadows of the alleyway towards her.
Thomas slipped silently closer to keep Joe in sight. He watched the two greet each other, but something was slightly...off. He found he was still thinking about that gun and who Joe might have planned to use it on. He needed to get closer. He wasn't even close enough to hear, let alone intervene...yet. But he dare not reveal his presence either. He concentrated on closing the distance as rapidly as he dared while still blending with the shadows. The two were arguing now. Apparently the man wanted to leave town. That seemed like a sensible thought considering the half of a phone conversation that Thomas had overheard earlier. The woman was refusing to go, however.
Joe pulled the gun suddenly, and the woman seemed frozen in place. She would have been an easy target. Point blank range and still staring at Joe in disbelief. As he was pulling back the trigger, however, a part of the building's shadow seemed to detatch itself and a fist struck Joe Reed in the face. The gun went off, the woman screamed, and Joe fell unconscious to the ground.
Thomas made sure that Joe was out cold, and then looked to the blonde woman. She was holding her arm, and blood was seeping from under her fingers. She looked stunned. She looked like she was about to cry.
She said softly, " I can't believe he was going to shoot me."
Thomas looked at her and said carefully, "Pardon me, but, he did shoot you."
"But...he meant to shoot me. How could he shoot me?" and then she broke into tears.
Shae Firewarder