[ QUOTE ]
"To be..."
[/ QUOTE ]
Once more the tanker was cut off by the actions of the cyborg, who yet again heard the tanker speaking in THAT language. He materialized a gas canister in his right hand and dropped to the ground to dispense its contents. And gas did not have a friendly fire feature. Seeing as this was the same stuff Longbow Cataphracts and PPD Enforcers used to make even the toughest brutes stop dead in their tracks to hurl their entire stomache out, it would NOT be pleasent to be caught in it.
Of course, that alone wasn't really enough. At best, it would only hinder Flashpoint for a brief moment-Unless Egregore somehow got his defenses to drop. Which is where the sap stick he still had in hand came into play. Calling it a sap stick was actually not the proper term-It was a nullifier stick. It was made to drain various energy types or cause feedback, and was also designed to temporarily shut down certain abilities among supers, often referred to as 'toggles.' If Flashpoint should be unlucky enough, the weapon could make him much more vulnerable to the gas even now bursting forth from the canister.
((Uh... Bwerp, this could go on for a good long while, considering Flashpoint's speaking whatever language that Egregore is hearing is totally involuntary on his part. Also, bloody well stop trying to interrupt. Also, Egregore better have a human base under that cyborg-ization, because otherwise, he'd just hear English. Or maybe Chinese))
Unfortunately for Egregore's toys, Flashpoint was more than ready for them, and the canister was vaporized in a bright flare of flame. Then the Tanker was there, behind Egregore before the sap stick went off, and reaching for him with hands blazing like the sun. "To be wishing to be crispy-fried, yes?" the Tanker said quietly in Egregore's ear. If the cyborg tried the vomit trick again, he would find that Flashpoint Zeo didn't actually have stomach acid. He had flame. And, given that the big tanker was standing directly behind Egregore, the consequences would be... unfortunate.
"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"
OOC:
Human Base: Yes. Involuntary on your part: Not my problem. And do you think somebody trying to kill you is going to sit still and just LET YOU monologue? 
Whether or not you stop talking is up to you. I never said you stopped talking, merely that your speech was cut off by an action that would usually have prompted you ceasing to make noise with your mouth. If you want to keep talking while fighting, I am not stopping you. That would be kinda cool if Flashpoint did that, actually. Makes him kinda badass. 
If I worded my previous posts in a way that implied I was forcing an interrupt, I apologize. That was not my intention.
And FYI, not talking anymore won't change anything. Just hearing you speak once caused the over-ride. Not talking won't change that since he still knows you can, in fact, speak. 
Hence the entire scenario I'm inacting right now is that of attacking your character because he is viewed as a hostile. As the situation currently is, my character has no desire to coincide peacefully with your character. In other words: I are pee vee peeing.
BIC:
Unfortunately for Flashpoint's flame, Egregore had a thermal shield, evidenced by the faint orange glow that now surrounded the Cyborg in place of his kinetic shield. This was going to get hot...Or not, really. Suddenly Egregore had teleported a way off and attempted to fire off another shot with his sap stick. As he 'ported in, he made an odd jerking motion with his left foot, as if kicking something...
Unfortunately for Egregore, Flashpoint wasn't alone. His focus on the tanker gave Isabel the moment she needed to catch her breath after being hit by that sapper stick. Looking back to the cyborg, she realised he wasn't going to let up just because she asked nicely. He wasn't half-assing it either - he was trying his absolutely best to kill the other hero. This more than anything else in Isabel's eyes made her decide he needed a damn good beating.
To that end, she raised both hands and a fairly stunning display of sheer destructive force shot towards the cyborg.
------------
The soldier looked on in something resembling shock, as the various metas from Primal Earth suddenly turned on each other for no apparent reason. Giving the so very familiar looking blaster the benefit of the doubt she pointed her rifle towards the cyborg and waited for the order to fire, if it was coming.
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
((Speech cut off = stopped talking in most usages, for future reference. And just having someone try rather futilely to kill him isn't likely to make Flashpoint Zeo stop talking >.>
)
Flashpoint tossed a glance at the rest of the group. "To be moving back, please." he said as he blurred after the teleporting Egregore. Flames writhed around the tank, intensifying as the pipes began to explode, water pouring out to flash into steam as it got near the fiery tank.
By the time he was halfway to Egregore, he was a blazing comet in the heart of a roaring wall of boiling cloud, rushing down on the cyborg at an impressive velocity. Somewhere in there, anything that Egregore had kicked at him would have passed near him, assuming it wasn't incinerated in the wild mystic fires that now roared around him or knocked askew by the coruscating bolts of force now peppering the air, blue and orange lights filling the haze with strange illusions.
Steam filled the tunnel, scalding hot where the tanker stood, thick enough to make it difficult to breathe, as Flashpoint Zeo came to an abrupt halt near Egregore in an attempt to get on his blindside. "Have started hostilities." the tanker said from within the cloud, firelight dancing across the suspended droplets, making it hard to judge exactly where he was.
A six-foot long flaming sword abruptly materialized from the haze, starting behind where the cyborg had last been seen and stretching out beside him. "Will not be one to finish them." The sword... moved.
A blazing web made of streaks of flame formed as Flashpoint attacked, steam whipped into strange shapes and dancing lights as the tanker moved through a surprisingly fluid series of cuts with the huge fire sword, occasionally carving scores in the tunnel walls as his vast reach extended beyond the boundaries of the narrow confines they fought in.
"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"
OOC:
Note to Cham: no water around. It's all in pipes here. Description of the sewer from earlier:
[ QUOTE ]
[...]though the old tunnels still existed, the sewage channels had been replaced by high-capacity transparent piping, and the walls reinforced with smooth concrete. Even lighting was present, neon fluorescents dispensing plenty of illumination[...]
[/ QUOTE ]
Hope that helps. 
--------------------
BIC:
The Unteroffizier's eyes widened as she heard what the fire-wretched man had to say about the Reichsman. So his invasion had failed...well, if this man was to be believed. Then again, he didn't seem to have any reason to lie to them. Still, she probably should...
Ha ha. Fat chance.
[ QUOTE ]
The soldier looked on in something resembling shock, as the various metas from Primal Earth suddenly turned on each other for no apparent reason. Giving the so very familiar looking blaster the benefit of the doubt she pointed her rifle towards the cyborg and waited for the order to fire, if it was coming.
[/ QUOTE ]
She never got around to what she should, feeling much the same, and honestly not knowing what to do - well, other than follow common sense and back off, but then they'd already done that. Mostly, anyway.
"Get over here!" the Unteroffizier yanked the soldier with her when she didn't move of her own accord, "What is wrong with you? You look like you saw a ghost..."
((Reply to Soviet pending PM. ))
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
The fiery sword went right through Egregore with no visible "burn" effect. It cut a physical albeit normal slice across his chest. And that was to be expected-He was using a thermal shield. Fire-based attacks were completely useless against him. Fortunately for Flashpoint, the cyborg had not taken Isabel into account. He was blasted off his feet and into the nearby wall, which cracked and buckled under the force of impact.
Mere moments before, Egregore Device had made a kicking motion with his leg. That had been the ghost-slayer bomb materializing under his foot-He had seen Flashpoint vaporize his gas canister, and had accurately predicted the speedster's desire to get into melee range, and planned accordingly. The explosive went off at the tanker's feet, and it would have done him well to not underestimate it. It was a normal, powerful explosion in all respects-It just happened to be effective against ghosts in addition to everything else.
Meanwhile, the dust and debris from Egregore's impact against the wall settled to reveal he had vanished-He had activated his combat invisibility.
The blonde man nodded at the flaming Tanker, recognizing him as a friendly. The sword's nanites responded to his thoughts, and also recognized the gigantic man as a friendly, and the sword would now be unable to harm him since the nanites would dissipate if they came within harming distance. He also did the same for the girl hero, Isabell, and the sword complied.
As the two left, the blonde man started to follow, but he wasn't as fast runnin as the other two, and soon he was left behind. By the time he was close enough, he could already hear the sounds of fighting. He stopped and pulled out the same small device he had used to retrieve his sword, but pressed and held the button for about three seconds.
"Hello Zach, according to my scanners, you are no longer in your home dimension" a mechanical voice sounded from the device, and the blonde man, Zach, sighed. So he was in another dimension after all.
"Yes PC, I suppose so" he said to the device, then said "Send the Dragonskin over, it looks like it's going to get fiesty over here" The device complied, and a small rip in space opened up, and Zach reached in and grabbed what looked like a big, circular patch. He pressed it against his chest, and a suit began to form overhis body, and after a few moments, it was done, and he looked the same.
The suit was designed to blend in to any clothing the user desired, and was thought activated. It blended into his jacket and jeans, and he could still pass by a civilian, although a very rich one at that. The Dragonskin armor was not designed by him, but he liked the idea very much and just altered a couple of things.
He kept on going, knowing he was safe from at least bullets, and entered to the scene as Isabell fired at someone, sending them into the wall. He wouldn't take sides, he decided, until he knew what was going on. Since all the people he thought he could've asked were fighting, he located the soldiers ad did a small, light hop over to them.
"Hello, I mean no harm. I would just like to know why these people are fighting" Zach said in perfected Russian, gesturing towards the fighters. If they even remotely tried to fire upon him, they would be cut down immediatly.
[ QUOTE ]
"What is wrong with you? You look like you saw a ghost..."
[/ QUOTE ]
"I did...", she whispered softly. "...My sister, Isabel. She died three years ago, but that stranger looks exactly like her." Somewhere inside she knew that wasn't really her sister, that it was an alternate dimension's version of her. But she couldn't quite force herself past that yet.
((For what it's worth, the soldier's name is Valerie Matthews (Sometimes shortened to just Val by her friends) and as stated she's Isabel's sister.))
------------
"I hate stealth powers", Isabel muttered to herself as she noted the cyborg had disappeared. Floating up to the ceiling, she hovered there waiting for him to reveal himself. The instant he did, she had a pair of energy blasts with his name on them.
------------
"Sorry, I don't understand Russian. Do you speak German?", Valerie replied in English to the other stranger that landed beside them, again pointing her rifle at him just in case.
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
((... Bwerp? Greater Fire Sword is nearly half lethal damage. If Egregore just stood there and took it with nothing but fire defenses... congratulations, he's now lying on the floor in two pieces.
Also, Devious, edited my previous post to burst pipes to get the steam.))
The ghost-bomb widget had really not had a lot of effect on Flashpoint Zeo- he was hardly a ghost, and something that depended on heat and concussive force wasn't going to do a great deal to somebody with shields of mystic flame. He hadn't even broken stride, although once again a brief green flare showed that some damage had gotten through.
When the cyborg vanished, Flashpoint sighed. "Have finished wasting time yet?" he asked irritably as he settled back on his heels, still standing in the midst of a boiling cloud- the pipes down here were solid workmanship, but hadn't really been designed to handle these kinds of temperatures... or, for that matter, the waves of open flame that radiated out from the Tanker to splash across the floor and climb up the walls a little ways. The tanker re-focussed slightly, concentrating more on his thermal vision.
If the cyborg was maintaining his thermal defenses- something that was probably only prudent, considering how warm it was getting in the tunnels- if he approached the flame tank, he would be broiled in fairly short order, and it was getting uncomfortably warm a good distance away- he would stand out like a Quaker at a rave, a cool spot against the roasting-temperature background. If he had deactivated his thermal defense to maintain his cloak, he'd be having other problems... like air hot enough to scorch his lungs with every breath.
As he scanned, Flashpoint Zeo was already moving forwards, swinging his giant sword back and forth with metronomic regularity, filling the entire tunnel with every sweep. Even if the cyborg remained somehow magically immune to both the flame and the deadly cutting edge, a hit would reveal his position and, if the Blaster were paying attention, would result in Egregore getting his butt blasted.
"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"
Zach sighed irriatably, then said in pretty good Russian "I would not advise shooting me. One, I mean no harm. Two, you will be cut down, and quickly. Now, I want to know why they-" he gestured towards the three fighting metas "-are fighting" Half an eye on the soldier, he looked on as the giant fire-man (literally) swinging a giant firesword, evidently trying to hit some unseen target.
BIC:
As it were, the thermal shield grants resistance to fire, lethal, smashing and cold (negligable) as well.
And now it is my turn to helpfully point out a few details about the ghostslayer bomb, WHICH I have already pointed out deals PLENTY of damage to EVERYTHING, not just ghosts. They get that in ADDITION to special damage. Just because you are not a ghost does not mean the bomb does not affect you. It means the special damage portion is not applied.
BIC:
((I see... so your thermal shield grants you total immunity to fire, smashing, lethal and cold, but my Tanker-level Fire Shield has to be vulnerable to your weapons? I don't bloody think so.))
"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"
OOC:
Total immunity to fire, moderate to smashing and lethal, and barely anything to cold. Since I did not take the physical portion of your attack into consideration, I have edited.
BIC:
((Hm. Hope that gets settled. Wilco on the pipes.))
[ QUOTE ]
"What happened here?"
[/ QUOTE ]
For a good few seconds, both VB officers gave Famine nothing but a wide-eyed stare, as if they couldn't quite grasp that he was really here. Seriously, a man in an orange-and-black exosuit just walking up and asking what happened here - what were the odds?
Confused as though they were, they did not attack. Nor did they pull their weapons. After all, though the man was visibly armed, he didn't shoot, which made it extremely unlikely that he was a rebel. Not only that, but they all wore gray, unimaginative lot that they were. This guy had style.
"I think a better question is 'why do you now know?'" the officer with the Slavic accent finally inquired, "Who are you?"
"Yeh, an' why're ya carryin' 'round all that there gear?" added the other, the idea forming in his head that the man may have been one of the experimental AI-cyborgs that had been at the institute at the time of the attack, "Or's that all...just you...?"
--------------------
[ QUOTE ]
Zach sighed irriatably, then said in pretty good Russian "I would not advise shooting me. One, I mean no harm. Two, you will be cut down, and quickly. Now, I want to know why they-" he gestured towards the three fighting metas "-are fighting" Half an eye on the soldier, he looked on as the giant fire-man (literally) swinging a giant firesword, evidently trying to hit some unseen target.
[/ QUOTE ]
"Looks like he doesn't." the Unteroffizer remarked to Valerie in German, not understanding or speaking Russian any more than she or the other two.
She then gestured to her ear, following up with a shake of her head, adding vocally just in case while she motioned to her mouth, "We do not understand what you are saying."
"Sir, we can't stay here." one of the other soldiers reminded, pointing his rifle over at the burst pipes, "They'll send someone out to have a look at that pressure spike soon. If we're discovered..."
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
((*pokes thread with a stick* Did it die?))
"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"
((I'm waiting for somebody else to post first. *shrugs*))
((I was waiting for Paradigm to post Egregore's next move - whether he shows himself or not.))
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
((aye, that's what I was waiting for as well >.>)
"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"
OOC:
But I've already posted too much recently. Must. Avoid. The spammage.
(( I think that becomes null and void when the rest of us are waiting for your character to do something before we proceed. ))
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
OOC:
Fine.
BIC:
Which is when Flashpoint Zero ran into a problem. Or rather, his sword did-It was clear that it obviously had a physical component as opposed to being immaterial. This meant two things. The first being that it could damage opponents who had good defenses to heat and flame. The second being that since it wasn't immaterial, it could be stopped by an opposing physical force.
Egregore Device's combat invisibility suppressed, and Flashpoint Zero found his blade blocked by a chain-mace. Literally a tech mace with a minature chainsaw running up its frame, each tooth bearing an acid cartridge waiting to be dispensed onto the target. Fortunately, it was being used to block, and not to attack.
The glory for that belong to the sawed off combat shotgun loaded with 10 guage rounds firing into Flashpoint's gut at near point blank range. And this time, the cyborg had not made the mistake of using buckshot rounds.
((... chain mace? I'm thinking we're seeing this trope in action >.>
Also, maybe this is a failure of imagination on my part, but I simply can't figure out why Egregore thinks a shotgun is going to do a whole lot. Flashpoint is clearly heavily armoured, and engulfed in flame which has already shown itself to be capable of vaporizing incoming whatever))
Flashpoint Zeo did something that Egregore probably didn't expect after being gutshot... well, the slight grunt was likely expected, although the giant tanker's complete and utter failure to collapse bleeding was probably somewhat disappointing, although given that the heavy slugs had actually been fast-moving vapour before they even penetrated the outer layer of fire armour, it can't have come as a complete surprise... at any rate, Flashpoint simply stepped aside a little to allow Isabel a clear shot, although he was careful to maintain pressure on the bizarre mace... thing... his opponent had blocked with.
"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"
Unfortunately for Egregore once again the tanker wasn't alone, a lesson apparently not learned the first time Isabel's energy blasts smashed him into the wall. Thus it was that he found himself again propelled into the wall at high speed by a bolt of concussive force. And this time she didn't leave it at that, coming at him with a double handed Total Focus attack that, if it didn't KO him outright, would leave him dazed.
----------
[ QUOTE ]
"If we're discovered..."
[/ QUOTE ]
"Yeah, we should leave...", Valerie agreed, though it was obvious from her voice that she didn't want to simply abandon the one who looked so much like her deceased sister.
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
Despite the heavy hood, Flashpoint Zeo had sharp ears. The faint hum of Egregore's weapon dematerializing, earned a quick glance from the burning giant. At the materialization of the psi bomb, he moved for the first time, a brief flicker of flame as his arm blurred upwards... to tap the side of his head through the thick cloth covering it.
A brief flare of pinkish energy, and the tanker's psionic shield activated, the Vanguard tech codenamed 'Elusive Mind'. That, however, was his only reaction other than a faint grunt when the bomb went off- he didn't stop speaking, and calmly finished what he had been saying, although a brief green swirl and fat yellow sparks amidst the flames hinted that he had taken some damage from the attack.
Of course, depending on how carefully anyone was watching, the psionic attack did have another effect, albeit a subtle one... the fireshadow cast by the big tanker changed slightly for a moment, writhing and twisting far in excess of what the dancing flames should cause. Then it went quiescent once more, a normal shadow.
Then he reached down to help the Blaster who had been drained by the idiot cyborg's attack back to her feet. "To be refraining from doing that again, please. Interrupting rude." he told Egregore, his tone one of little more than mild reproof.
He turned back to the soldiers, offering a precisely formal bow in a decidedly Oiental fashion- more specifically, one popular in Chinese Imperial courts more than a thousand years prior. Then he turned and offered a somewhat shallower bow to Egregore. "From Primal Earth, true. Flashpoint Zeo to allies." a pause. "Rarely called anything by enemies. Maybe "Ouch", or "IT BURNS!"."
The tanker kept a wary yellow eye on Egregore, nodding briefly to Isabel as she regained her feet. At the moment, though, the cyborg was the most immediate danger, due to his apparent instability. Flashpoint snorted briefly to himself at the irony of himself thinking that about someone else.
"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"