Blackstripe

Heroes Reborn: Prime Earth (Superhero/Urban Fantasy: OPEN)

Well, a character inspired by a marvel character wouldn't be a problem, @role model , just so long as you don't go too far and introduce entire Marvel-exclusive concepts, like Mutants or Inhumans! ^^

Heroes Reborn: Prime Earth (Superhero/Urban Fantasy: OPEN)

January 18th, 10:43 AM
Outside Chicago, Illinois

Kyrona waited patiently while Kailani harvested the corpses from their earthen storage compartments. Watching her friend dig up the rectangular wooden crates - called "coffins" if she remembered correctly - and consume the bodies inside, she quietly thought back to her last visit, some thirty standard years prior.

She had learned much about this world in that time. While the dominant species greatly resembled her own, at least on the surface, she had quickly been made to understand that they were burdened by a tendency to overcomplicate and dramatize everyday occurrences, such as death. Though the details varied from Earth culture to Earth culture, here in the collection of tribal states known colloquially as "America", they would hold elaborate ceremonies upon the death of a relative or friend.

It was quite obscene, really - they would drain the blood completely from the corpse and fill it with a preservative fluid, and then coat the carcass in make up to make them appear as if they were still alive!

All of this, just to stand over it for a few hours, emptying all of their regrets and farewells to what was now a very slowly rotting corpse painted in enough makeup to make even the most garish of Sarkeesian prostitutes blush! And, most absurdly of all, after all the effort they've gone through to preserve this body, they stuff it into a box and bury it underground!

Yes, the Earth was a truly bizarre and irrational place - no wonder they were still in a state of tribalism.

"HEY!" the gruff voice of a wrinkled, old Earth man shouted, the screen door of his shack squealing loudly as it swung open. Dressed in gray work coveralls, his face was covered by a patchy white beard, his head very nearly bald except around the edges. "What in God's name is goin' on out here! Sounds like a fuckin'..."

The old man trailed off, struck silent by the sight of Kailani ripping up yet another coffin from the ground.

"Ah...AAHH-" the old man began to scream, only for a small crimson orb to strike him in the chest, launching him back into his home, where his limp body landed on an unfortunate coffee table that was unable to support his weight. Having never turned away from her corpse-munching friend, Kyrona holstered her pistol. Lucky for him that her last bounty had called for a live captured - she still had it set to stun.

The distinct and by now familiar sound of popping brought a smile to her face, as Kailani began to quickly shrink down. She had consumed more bodies than was normally required, but then...it was a pretty drastic transformation. Once the bright glow had subsided, Kyrona slowly stepped towards her, curiosity drawing her in.

Leaning over, Kyrona felt a deep warmth washing over her. "Kailani...you look adorable! Really adorable, in fact! I'm...I'm going to hug you!"

Scooping the now tiny Devourer up in her arms, she squeezed her and shook her from side to side. She had never imagined that Kailani could look this cute! It was like having a baby sister or something! "You really lucked out with this form! Imagine if you got one like that old bastard yelling at us?"

---

January 18th 8:10 PM
Scar's Edge, near Hub City

The reinforced barricades that stretched across the entirety of the border with the Shattered Scar cracked as the rock hit it, the humans taking cover behind it screaming in a panic as their cover began to crumble around them, threatening to instead become their tomb. As the fortifications collapsed around them, soldiers were pinned under the falling rubble, their comrades desperately trying to free them - only to often find themselves buried mere moments later.

As the Ogre brought his maul down upon the already battered fortification, it easily succumbed to the force of his demonically empowered maul, which smashed through it as if it were made of twigs. When it slammed into the ground below, a terrible earthquake stole the footing of every soldier and civilian for over a mile, sending dirt and debris rising into the air as the panicked NADF forces scattered, desperate to put any sort of distance between themselves and the monster attacking them.

The battlefield was in utter chaos at this point - they simply weren't equipped to deal with this level of demon on their own. No amount of preparation could ever change that.

But as the dust settled, a lone figure stepped forward, calmly approaching the Ogre without a hint of fear in his chipper gait. Having traded out the grey vest he often wore in his civilian guise, Masquerade was dressed to perfection in a black, bespoke magician's uniform, complete with a top hat and cane. His most distinctive feature, however, was the golden ball mask that covered his face, etched with arcane runes that glowed with an orchid light.

"Well, well, it seems like you've made quite a mess here, my epidermally exposed friend!" said Masquerade, chortling. Behind the mask, his sapphire eyes narrowed dangerously at the creature known as "Ogre". "That won't do at all."

Slamming his cane down upon the ground at Ogre's feet, the runes of his mask glowed more intensely than ever as he swiftly drew upon the ley lines. "htraE fo ralliP!"

Erupting from the ground at the Ogre's feet was an immense pillar of magically-reinforced Earth, which would slam into his stomach at a slanted angle, intended to launch him back over the wall and away from the soldiers, so that Masquerade could face him properly without concerning himself for their safety.

Heroes Reborn: Prime Earth (Superhero/Urban Fantasy: OPEN)

January 18th 8:14 PM
Scar's Edge, NADF Command Center, near Hub City

"He...he's still moving!" said Lieutenant Beckett, her voice trembling. "That's...we hit him with everything we had!"

Colonel Cooke balled his fists tightly as he watched the blip rapidly closing in on their front line. That was...unexpected. Yes, definitely unexpected - but not unprecedented. He had served in the NADF for the past ten years, and in the US Army for fifteen before that. He had fought terrorists, metahumans, demons, cultists, and everything in between during that time. In a sane world, something like this "Ogre" should not be able to exist.

But he had long since accepted that he was no longer living in a sane world. No, he lived in a world where abominations now roamed freely over the land where he was born and raised; creatures immune to all conventional weaponry. This Ogre...he wasn't the first of such creatures he had faced, and he wouldn't be the last.

In times like these, there was truly only one option.

"Keep firing!" he barked. "Target the terrain to delay him. Beckett - get me in contact with that fucking Station!"

---

Justice Station, Earth Orbit

If there was one thing in the world that Matthias truly hated about being a member of the Justice League, it was when it was his turn to keep watch. How very boring it was to sit alone by himself when he could be out bumping shoulders with his fellow socialites, or at least fighting against some unsavory villain in need of a good thrashing.

Oh well, at least he was able to indulge in as much of Alfred's splendid coffee as he desired.

Sipping from his cup, he leaned back in his seat at the main command console and idly flipped through the various news reports, ever in search of trouble. Nothing currently appeared to be worthy of the attention of a member of the League...although he was sorely attempted to respond to a few of them regardless, just to alleviate his crushing boredom.

But alas, he couldn't risk leaving the station over "trivial" matters that lesser heroes could easily manage. He was expected to be on standby in case there was a real emergency. If there wasn't anyone here at the station when one occurred, it would just send a general distress signal to all members of the League - and everybody hated when that happened.

Or at least he did - he was usually busy hobnobbing.

Satisfied that there was nothing worth his concern, he took a generous gulp of his coffee and smiled.

"Hmmm...Alfred, dear, would you be so kind as to play the latest episode of Savior of my Dreams for me?" asked Matthias with a subconscious flourish of his hand. "I hear Celene breaks up with Crawford! Oh, the tragedy! They were doing so well.."

"Sir, I am receiving a priority alert from the border NADF Commander Center at Hub City."

His brows raising, Matthias leaned forward in his chair, setting his coffee down on the nearby table. "Oh really, now? What might this be about?"

"It's from Colonel Robert Cooke, sir. He is reporting that they are currently engaged with a TL-8 hostile. All of their weaponry has proven ineffective against it - a serious breach in their defensive line appears to be inevitable," Alfred explained, the A.I. being omnipresent within the Justice Station.

Masquerade raised his head slightly, summoning his ebony dancing cane to his hand. "Threat Level Eight? On my. I dare say things will become quite perilous for them without my intervention. I will be departing, then, to deal with this - but just in case I require assistance, please contact Green Lantern for me. He needs more opportunities to prove himself useful."

"Of course, sir."

Standing, Matthias - otherwise known as the Magnificent Gentleman, Masquerade, pointed his cane at the naked air in front of him. Skillfully drawing upon the ley lines to begin weaving a set of runes into the perfect circle that would become his portal to the front line, he simultaneously summoned his top hat with his free hand and placed it upon his head.

When the runes were complete, the portal appeared in front of him and with a quick skip and a hop, Masquerade leaped through it. "Tally-ho!"

Heroes Reborn: Prime Earth (Superhero/Urban Fantasy: OPEN)

January 18th 8:10 PM
Scar's Edge, NADF Command Center, near Hub City

"Target in sight!" said Lieutenant Beckett, listening closely to the comm chatter. "It appears to be preparing an offensive spell by thrashing it's maul at us!"

Colonel Cooke's eyes narrowed, his graveled voice barking, "Begin the attack!"

---

Scar's Edge

Although Ogre would be unable to perceive them as they flew several miles overhead, a squadron of B-2 "Spirit" bombers readied their deadly payload of GBU-28 "Bunker Busters" - laser guided bombs made for penetrating high density targets. While bombing runs deeper into the Scar were impossible due to a mixture of concentrated Chaos Magic in the atmosphere interfering with their guidance systems and high-altitude demonic attacks, here on the border things were very different.

There would be no sound as the bombs descended on Ogre, but the result would light up the night's sky with a massive plume of fire, and a thunderous crack that could be heard from miles away. One after another, the B-2s dropped their bombs, a dynamic prelude to the chorus of gun, tank, and artillery fire that slammed into him next, the borderline now flashing brightly, peeling back the night as the North American Defense Force unloaded everything they had against the coven's "Secret Weapon".

Heroes Reborn: Prime Earth (Superhero/Urban Fantasy: OPEN)

January 18th 8:02 PM
Scar's Edge, NADF Command Center, near Hub City

"Scouts say we've got incoming, sir," said Lieutenant Beckett, turning from her comm station to face Colonel Cooke, "and it looks like a big one."

Cooke nodded, leaning over the digital map of his section of the Scar's Edge. "Just as that cultist said - this must be their 'secret weapon'."

A week had passed since the latest Blackthorn raid had been successfully repelled by NADF forces and their metahuman allies. It had been a rather routine affair, the attack being neither larger nor smaller than a typical Coven raid. There was only one oddity that stood out from the norm - a prisoner. One who had willingly surrendered to their forces instead of withdrawing with the rest of the raiders. It was almost unprecedented, a cultist seeking asylum in exchange for information.

Information on an upcoming attack on the border.

According to their new prisoner, the Coven would soon be deploying one of their most terrifying living weapons against them; a corrupted Demi-Titan known only as "the Ogre". While he didn't know the exact date at which the attack would take place, he knew it would be sometime soon.

And so they had been readying their defenses for the past week. He hoped it would be enough...if not, then they would have no choice but to call in the Justice League.

"This is it. Once he's within four kilometers, we'll open up on him with everything we've got - from land and air," said Cooke, resting his hands on his hips.

Heroes Reborn: Prime Earth (Superhero/Urban Fantasy: OPEN)

@CrazytazerApproved! Thanks for joining! ^^

Heroes Reborn: Prime Earth (Superhero/Urban Fantasy: OPEN)

@MetastabilitySo, I read your profile, finally! Sorry for the wait.

The only problem I see is that Australia is Wildlands. Since your character is only 22, it would've likely already have been wildlands by the events you describe with the industrialists, which means civilization there has collapsed and it is a Chaotic region of wild magic.

Edit: Following your edit, everything is now good! Character accepted!

Heroes Reborn: Prime Earth (Superhero/Urban Fantasy: OPEN)

@Crusader Lord I read over it! I approve! Well done integrating your character into the world!

Heroes Reborn: Prime Earth (Superhero/Urban Fantasy: OPEN)

@Crusader Lord Alright, everything checks out! Accepted!

Heroes Reborn: Prime Earth (Superhero/Urban Fantasy: OPEN)

@Korkoa Approved!

@Crusader Lord The OOC tab is quiet because we have an active Discord server! If you're interested in joining, I can send you the link.