"Thanks. It's appreciated." He said in all sincerity just before he stepped into the portal. He always hated the feeling. Being in two places at once. It's not that he minded going through portal technology; in fact, it had provided him with some pretty interesting stories. It was just... well, let's say that getting there wasn't half the fun.
((I thought it was a telepad? 
))
"I don't think that's a very good idea." Hotaka told Sybil as she sent Steve and Arrow off, "This smells of trap three ways to Sunday."
"I agree." Baalial backed Ryuu up, "You don't have the strength to fight an open war here. Your enemy knows that. They're trying to draw you into one."
"Unless of course," Hotaka gave a questioning smirk, "there's something important there that you need to hold onto...?"
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
(>.> *Looks up* Bah. Sorry 'bout that. Was half asleep when I wrote that. 
)
Sybil hid her emotions well, but inside sank a bit. She had rather hoped her reasons for keeping such a hard to keep positions would remain unquestioned, or that they would draw their own conclusions as most of the Resistance troops had.
"I'm afraid that the factories in Kings Row supply a large part of our weapons. Galaxy City and Atlas Park have adequate facilities, but not to the extent there. And, since I believe in honesty to allies, there is something else. However, that is all I can tell you. You must understand."
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
"Oh, I do." Hotaka answered with a wry smirk, "Doesn't change that unless I'm starting to go senile, this is just one big trap. Just striking back isn't going to cut it."
"Indeed." Baalial gave a nod in agreement, "Judging from the intensity of the attack, I'd say your opponent knows well what you've got there. Now, that doesn't go to say this is a fact, but the probability is high enough to kick everything else out of reasonable consideration."
"I do, however, have a suggestion." Ryuu continued, developing an alternative, "As you've seen, Baalial here can easily move to locations where there's enough negativity present. In the process, he can also carry with him things that are...well, quite large. I propose we move your equipment and other valuable things to a more secure location."
"I'd still need sufficient 'general evil' at the target site." the demon reminded Hotaka, "Where did you have in mind?"
"Oh, I don't know...check that folder of ours. What's it say about Croatoa?"
Baalial nodded with realization, snapping his briefcase open and retrieving the mentioned manila folder. The demon's clawed hands flipped by a few pages, and it didn't take him long to find a detailed low-down on the Croatoa of this time.
What did it say...?
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
A quick scan of the page revealed this:
Croatoa: Formerly known for a nasty magical infestation of various mythical creatures, it is now a place where these beings work in servitude. The spells that held them to this world now leave them trapped as they are forced to use their skills to create for the Masters.
The specifics of what has become of each groups recognized leaders is unknowns, only that they have not been seen since the enslavement. It is suspected Blightlord, who requested control of this area on top of those already in his possession, was the one to take them. Likely, the high concentration of magics there are what drew his eye, although the strong presence of Mayhem troops guardian the facilities keep him from doing anything there Elitist would not learn of soon.
For more, see Profile: Blightlord
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
Psycho13 blurred past several patrols. Keeping to the back alleys, and nearly getting blasted by falling bombs a couple of times, he worked his way to the apartment where Randall Grey used to supervise.
It was here, underneath the basement of the apartment building, that the ugly old man had built his super group's base and keyed it to the Universal Portals scattered throughout the zones. He kept it a secret for a long time, until he accidentally wound up revealing it to his family and friends after a massive attack by the Praetorians. Psycho13's Brutal Warriors Order learned of it from Cedric over a few choice card games.
The building was, like much of the rest of the zone, in ruins. Industrial support still existed, but only to facilitate the rest of the city's basic necessities, like water and power. Residences were expendable.
People dying produced more terror.
"Kip?" Psycho13 whispered as he worked his way through the rubble, "Durj, is it you?"
There was a sudden rushing sound, and "Caleb" turned just in time to see Kipland Durj's foot connecting with his jaw.
"Aughl..." he gurgled as he sprawled away.
Kip picked himself up off the ground after his successful dropkick and assumed a stance akin to a crab, with both his right arm and leg forward, with the arm bent at a ninety degree angle so the forearm pointed skyward.
Psycho13 pushed himself off the ground and looked at Kip as his jaw fit itself back into place.
"Ow," he rasped, "What the Hell, man?"
"You can't be Baker," Kip rasped at him, "I was at his funeral!"
"Yeah?" Psycho13 stormed up to his old friend, "Did you see my body!?"
"Yes!"
This took Psycho13 back a bit.
"We sent Ryat87 down to recover 'you' after it was clear 'you' were dead," Kip explained in the silence, "You'd know that if you'd done your research, Mayhem scum!"
At a loss for words, Psycho13 just shook his head and nearly made his eyes bug out of his head.
"And now," Kip started sidling closer, "I put you out of my misery..."
The "one-eyed" scrapper shot a kick at Psycho13's head.
"No!" Psycho13 shouted as he caught Kip's foot with the flat of one of his blades, "This can't be right!"
Kip stepped back, but he continued his assault. Psycho13 ducked, dodged, deflected, and healed back what he could, but in short order, he would have to defend himself. He would have to fight back.
"Kip, I don't want to fight you!"
"It's a little late for that!"
Psycho13 drew his blades.
"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this," he muttered, "But if the only way I can get you to stop is carving little pieces out of you, I guess I'll have to do it."
"You're pretty damn good... You almost sound like him... But you can't be him..."
"Solitude has made you mad, old friend," Baker sighed, "I should know. I've been there. Kip... Please... Reconsider..."
"Die, doppelganger!" his friend shouted as he charged forward with greater determination.
"I see," Psycho13 muttered as he felt his metabolism suddenly accelerate, and suddenly, he was moving much faster than normal.
Kip got close, but Baker ducked aside and cut him on the shoulder. A puff of black-purple smoke appeared and there was an unusual amount of resistance. Kip continued unabated, and drove his foot into Psycho13's chest, sending the other scrapper flying into (and through) a crumbling section of wall.
Before Kip could get any closer, however, Psycho13 was smashing his way through the rubble and punching Kip in the face with the butt of his knife. A flurry to the chest later, and he whirled through the air, bringing his right foot cracking across Kip's face.
Kip snapped himself back up and caught another "whirl kick" to the chest. The angry scrapper lie still afterward, despite having plenty more fight left in him.
"Well?" Psycho13 hissed, "We can't keep this crazy crap up, old friend... Now, you either believe me, or we're going to keep going on like this..."
"I believe you... For now..." Kip groaned.
"It was the kick, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, the kick."
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
[ QUOTE ]
They reappeared inside the old tram station of Kings Row. The railing had long since been torn away by Masters assault strikers to prevents easier movement of troops and supplies, but it was still a location relatively safe from the bombarding dropships.
Steve watched as the others began to appear. As soon as what seemed like everyone was there, he gave the plan. "We need to go out and find out whose forces are leading this attack. Sybil will let us know where to move from there. Split up. If anything happens and we get seperated, meet back at the base with what you know.
[/ QUOTE ]
Jake gave a slight nod and took a look around the tram station. He sighed as some of his memories from Paragon City came back to him, however, he ignored them after only a second or two and waited for Steve to give the signal to move on.
Beneath Psycho13 black tendrils began crawling from the edges of his shadow on the ground. As they tensed, a void opened from the shadow and Twilight arose in his usual manner; standing erect with arms crossed. He almost enjoyed the near treacherous atmosphere this place carried with it and the gloom of seeing old friends fight.
"Well, it appears we followed the right person after all." he stated in his normal two toned voice.
He looked at Psycho for a moment. "Oh, and before you ask; if I had in fact assisted you in subduing him he never would've believed you."
Steve headed out of the tram station, leaping into the night. Overhead, the sounds of the roaring dropships as they let loose covered sounds of movement.
Arrow nodded to the others. "Good luck." He pressed a button on his belt, activating a cloaking device. As he faded from sight, the only hint he had left was the rush of air as he sped out in search of information.
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
Kip glared at the newcomer. His unpatched eye narrowed and he assumed a defensive stance. Psycho13 reacted in much the same way.
"What the Hell are you doing?" the regenerator nearly shouted.
Kip picked up on Psycho13's tone rather quickly.
"Know this guy, do you?"
"Not well..."
Durj turned to Twilight and his right eye started to glow a dangerous shade of red.
"That doesn't bode well for you, shadow man... You've got a very short amount of time to explain why you're here and why I shouldn't be kicking your head inside-out."
"He can do it, man," Psycho13 stood between them, but with a wide enough berth for Kip to have his clear shot, "I've never seen it, but I don't doubt it... He does crazy things."
There was an odd flicker at the edge of Kip's eye patch.
"Yeah," he muttered, "Crazy..."
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
Jake sighed and strolled out the tram station as well. He lacked any sort of stealth function, so, naturally, he was worried about his effectiveness in this objective, at least to the extent of remaining hidden. Glancing back to his allies, he attempted to remember if any of them had any stealth granting abilities, whether they could bend light or just give him some device, he didn't care.
Almost immediately afterwards, he decided on one Soul Striker, simply for the fact that stealth is almost a staple in tech suits. Walking up to him, he casually asked if he could grand stealth to another person, as he'd probably need it.
"Ah, threates of violence...We love it." He said with a bit of a refreshed tone. "Now where are our manners. We are Twilight radiation and we came here to provide aid to your friend Psycho should he run across more Mayhem soldiers than he can handle."
He took a look a Psycho. "Let's just say we have some compassion for a well-honed killing machine such as yourself." The space above the area where his right eye would be arched. "You don't honestly believe we would attack our teammate after the first day do you?"
His attention focused back to Kip. "In short; you could say we are also a friendly. So stop charging that laser eye will you..." Both eyesockets began to glow green "...Or we'll have to use ours as well."
Soul Striker grinned widely behind his mask hearing Jake ask for assistance. Finally, a chance to have that little punk in a tight spot. Speaking non-nonchalantly as possible, Soul Striker said, "Oh, you can't use stealth eh? I just happen to have the capability to create a cloaking field around myself and my allies."
Soul Striker then chuckled, and began pacing back and forht , " But I don't know, your a smart kid, do you REALLY need my help, I'm not sure you want the assistance of such a useless hero like myself. Perhaps some, ah, sucking up, is in order, I think I might want an apology from what you said to me when we first got here. And not any old apology, I want to hear it like you mean it!"
Soul Striker felt like he was on a roll, and rewarded himself with a mental monologue.
Finally, I'll show this kid there are people in charge, even in Paragon City.
Jake's eye twitched as his face took on a look of pure annoyance. "You're going to let pride get in the way of a mission objective? Even a lowly," He chuckled, "villain, such as myself would help out a hero like you if it aided to the objective." He sighed. "You know what? Screw it, I'll go without stealth." Jake stuck his hands in his pockets and nonchalantly walked out of the tram station, giving a slight wave and a barely audible 'Later.'
Kip let out a brief chuckle, almost as if he doubted the capability of the "multitudinous" Twilight Radiation. He scratched at his face under the eye patch, but thought better of whatever it was he'd considered, and withdrew his hand.
"Alright," he grumbled as his eye stopped glowing, "I'll stand down. Somebody's got to know when to stop growling..."
Psycho13 relaxed a little, then turned to Twilight.
"Well, Twilight, this is Kip... A tall drink of water in a shot glass."
"You're funny."
"Yes, well... Up until recently, what was fueling my slaughter was the thought that nobody I knew from my past was alive... Now I've come to learn that he's here, so I can calm down, now..."
"No, please," Kip smirked and folded his arms across his chest as he leaned against the wall (a bit of dust crumbled off the side of it), "Don't let my existing keep you from slaughter. By all means, continue. Heck, I just killed three guys tonight, and have executed many more in previous nights..."
"Cool..." Baker rolled his eyes and turned to Twilight, "Well... I guess the bloodbath continues..."
Kip glanced outside as there was a hovering sound of a ship flying by. No bombs... They must not think anything important is nearby... Or maybe they were circling for another pass...
"Maybe we should get moving," he muttered.
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
Jake:"You're going to let pride get in the way of a mission objective? Even a lowly, villain, such as myself would help out a hero like you if it aided to the objective. You know what? Screw it, I'll go without stealth. "
Soul Striker half expected this, realizing the boys nature to be similar to his own, minus Soul Striker's lack of a natural sense of "cool". This caused him to start up in an angry retort, "My pride in the way? You seem to be pretty prideful yourself too buddy if you can't bring yourself to say "sorry!" Soul Striker was seething at Jake's endless show of defiance, completely unaware that Jake displayed simply a much more passive form of Soul's own.
Stomping the ground, he muttered to himself, "Idiot , fine, see if I care! Hmph, lousy punk." Soul Striker then began to tap at several buttons on his left arm, and disappeared.
Obsidian Arrow was racing through the night, keeping a careful eye out for people in trouble. Not many civilians seeked refuge in such a contested area as Kings Row, but there were some that stubborn.
As he ran by, a troop of Mayhem soldiers passed. He turned mid-run and fired an explosive arrow. They were sent flying apart, easy pickings for the Resistance soldiers who had been running to meet them.
Satisfied, Arrow continued going until he spotted what looked like an officer, judging by his continued shouting into a communicator.
-------------------
Steve Power looked around the Warehouse section and sighed. It was all completely destroyed. Their production in this area was done for... He just had to check one last thing before calling a retreat...
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
"How convenient." Baalial smirked as he finished going over the page, the tall martial artist beside him regarding the paper with not a small amount of wonder. Toy had been right.
"With him there, Croatoa should be easy enough to take and fortify." Hotaka told Sybil, "My associate's secretary will see to that."
"Muck, Guck, and Grime will likely be able to resist, though." the demon reminded, indicating the profile of Blightlord that the folder had provided, "And from this, it doesn't sound like the big man himself will be a pushover either."
"True," Ryuu gave an agreeing nod, "we shouldn't underestimate the enemy. Madame Sybil, I believe you've a few troops to spare? If not, we'll have to time the evacuation of Kings Row and the attack of Croatoa precisely. Baalial, prepare what you need, I'll stay in contact."
"Contact?" the demonic attorney questioned, "And just where are you off to?"
"Kings Row of course." the robed martial artist smirked, stepping toward the telepad, "They'll need some more time there."
"You sure this is a good idea?"
"Not entirely." Hotaka admitted with a shrug, "But even grounded, I'm still more than a match for a Flyer - and one way or another, that air support has to go. It's decimating the ground troops."
With that, Ryuu stepped into the telepad and promptly vanished.
"Well, I guess we'd better get on it." the demon now turned to Sybil, "What've we got to work with...?"
--------------------
Hotaka arrived in the old tram station just in time to catch the tail end of a heated argument. Not that he cared at the moment; there were more important things to do.
The bamboo hat masking his eyes, the martial artist took a moment to survey the area. For now, things seemed to have degenerated into chaos. That was good. It'd make remaining hidden easier.
First, he'd have to find Steve Power - he'd be able to tell the attack leader from the others, unless (which Ryuu severely doubted) one of the Masters of Mayhem personally led the attack. Then even Hotaka would recognize him or her.
But until that had been cleared, finding Steve was the first order of business. Good thing the man's scent still hung thick in the air. With a toothy smirk, Hotaka snapped the fingers of his left hand, the shadows about him seeming to shudder for a moment. Other than that, however, there seemed to be no discernable effect.
That done, the tall man slinked out of the tram station (which may have looked somewhat silly considering his size), and homed in to Power's trail. Sticking to the shadows as soon as he got clear of the station, it wouldn't take him long to catch up with the man...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
Jake darted across an opening in a crouched run as he raced to find a bit of intel. Within the firsty few minutes of his leaving the station, he'd realized that they were probably not going to get this place back easily, especially with this rag-tag team. His objective then had immediatley changed from defending a front to information gathering. They may not be able to win here, but they could find something that could contribute, in any case.
He stopped when he hit a corner and, sliding his goggles over his eyes and switching to night vision, dared a glance around it, finding a small group of Mayhem soldiers. He quickly jerked his head back, muttering a small obscenity as he began to dig into his trenchcoat. He at last found what he was looking for, a small circular device, almost like a Gamecube disc, but with more thickness toward the center and no doughnut hole. Smirking as he pulled it out, he flung it around the corner, hearing it hit with a satisfying clang against a trashcan. He pumped his arm slightly when the standard shouts of 'What was that?' and 'Let's go check it out.' were heard, and he immediately went into that same crouched run against the wall, grinning as his Assault Bot was summoned and promptly bashed some poor sap's head in, its armor giving off sparks as the Mayhem troops' bullets bounced harmlessly off.
The bot would make short work of them, after which Jake would quickly run over and attach another device to it, this time teleporting it back to it's summoning location. He would then promptly pick up his device and get the Hell out of there, as it would most certainly cause more soldiers to come running.
Jake was satisfied with his work, he had taken out a few soldiers and created a distraction in the process. If nothing else, it would make getting around easier for the others for a little bit.
((*pokes Beebs with the stick of attention*))
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
Sybil took a moment to consider this new plan. She hadn't planned on assaulting Blightlord in any way for some time... Mostly because he had the most troops at his disposal. Not just Mayhem soldiers, but mostly his own fairly large company of undead.
"If you believe this to be the best course, I can spare just enough to get you all inside and cover any gains you plan to hold down. I can also send several technicians in to perhaps establish a temporary base that can be fortified later."
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
"That'll need some discussion." Baalial retorted, very in the fashion of an attorney, "But yes, it does seem to be a weak point in the enemy's armor. I wouldn't know anyone else whom we could use to our advantage like Blightlord, especially in Croatoa. Thanks to the weakness of the barriers to the spirit world there, I'm even allowed a few more personal legal maneuvers than normal."
"As for a site..." the demon mused in thought, "I'm not sure yet. What sort of environment would be easiest for your people to fight in...?"
--------------------
It didn't thake Hotaka long to chatch up with Steve in the former Warehouse section. The man's scent led right to him.
"So..." he wanted to know, emerging from the shadows. Power may or may not have perceived his coming, but after all the hero wasn't who he was trying to avoid, "Are we looking for anything specific...?"
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
"Heavily forested areas will work best, I think. More effective preparations against discovery and retaliation can be made there," she said, keying in coordinates. An old picture of the woods north of Jack in Irons throne came on the screen.
Rachel watched and listened from the back of the room, waiting quietly.
-------------------
"Something we can't afford to lose," said Steve as he headed toward one pile of rubble that was once a warehouse. He shook his head. "I can't understand what stopped them from doing this before though. If they always could, why wait til now? Why when-"
"You're so close?"
A figure stepped through the smoke and fog, a black cape flowing behind her, connected to shoulder pads that jutted out in sharp points. Her armor covered every inch securely, except for her face, only partially hidden underneath a milary-esque hat. "Da. Ve knew all along about ze veapon. Haff you forgotten who it is your're dealink viff?" She chuckled. "Now, if you vill just tell me vere you keep it, I vill be happy to crush you quickly."
Steve sighed. "Panzerfrau..." He chucked a rock, watching as it sailed through her, making the image shimmer, then restabilize. "And it's just a hologram."
-------------------
A pair of stealth soldiers watched Jake from an abandoned rooftop. One quickly leapt off, aiming to fall on top of the Resistance fighter while the other aimed his mace for a killing blow.
-----------------
Arrow sped through the streets, searching for soldiers in need of aid. Windsong descended in front of him, a vicious smile on her face as four Mayhem helmets dropped at her feet. "Not too bad..."
"You should be resting," said Arrow with a slight frown.
"I don't think we have to worry too much about me... Listen, I need to tell you-"
"Over there! Quickly men, bring them down!" A Heavy Assault soldier and several other Mayhemites charged forward.
"No time," said Arrow, leveling his bow as he grabbed an explosive.
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
"Oh man... I think I know that guy..."
Psycho13 traced the picture on the monitor with his finger.
"A beard... an eye patch... Good lord... Kip, what happened to you?"
He looked to the others and nodded to them.
"Thanks. I gotta go, now. I gotta help them, maybe get Kip in on this outfit you got going..."
He sprinted for the teleporter.
"Engineer! Energize!"
The portal opened and Psycho leaped through. He reappeared inside the King's Row Tram Station with the others, but he didn't stick around.
"Be-back-in-a-little-bit!-Got-a-friend-to-save!" he shouted in his machinegun fashion before rocketing to the northeast.
He had to find the remains of the Grey's Army Base... It had to be where Kip was staying...
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.