ManyThings

Calling All Heroes and Villains!

SIR ARCTICUS

The True Visage which Lieth Beneath yon Glacial Helm!

Name:
Tom Kay

Alias:
Sir Arcticus, The Frozen Shield, The Cold Winter's Knight, _{Dragonsbane, Champion of the Meek, The Warm-Hearted Snowman, a very ice guy}

Alignment:
Hero

Powers/Abilities:
- Shining Boon of the Winter Faeries: Sir Arcticus can conjure and control the forces of ice, snow, and cold. His rather powerful cryogenic abilities enable him to both produce wide-scale effects and freeze specific things. There are probably all sorts of applications, but he generally seems to keep the uses of his ability strictly on-theme with his flamboyant knightly aesthetic. He always goes into battle equipped with armour made of ice, and he can summon various weapons in a flash. Moreover, he is capable of creating ice with extreme hardness and density superior to steel.
- Prodigious Might of the Frozen Champion: Sir Arcticus' strength and speed rise massively when it comes to holding or moving cold/frozen objects. Such items are practically weightless to him, regardless of size. Thus, when clad in a suit of icy armour and wielding a frozen weapon, he moves with blinding speed and strikes with overwhelming force.
- Knight's Unbroken Constitution: Sir Arcticus possesses an extremely sturdy body, even beneath his armour. Of course, he is obviously impervious to extreme cold, but he also possesses heightened vitality and resilience to injury and other effects that would impact his health. His strength and agility are also improved somewhat beyond the human peak.

Weaknesses:
- Dreadful Dragonfire: Do you even need to ask? Extreme heat, such as from a flame, can cause Sir Arcticus' icy constructs to melt. He is capable of extreme cold, so he can prevent his equipment from becoming liquid if he continuously focuses his power into it, but the durability of his ice will be reduced. Naturally, the hotter it is, the more severe the effect on his ice will be.
- As Fleeting as a Maiden's Kiss: Life is a temporary thing. It is said that the adventures of this snowy cavalier will one day come to an end without the slightest warning. As quickly as he once appeared, so shall he be carried away on the Northern wind. What does this mean, exactly? No one knows, but Sir Arcticus encourages everyone to make the most of each day they are blessed with.

Personality:
Fiery, boisterous sort of hero. A self-described "Man Out of Time", Sir Arcticus speaks in the archaic manner of a fantasy knight. Indeed, he seems not to recognize many pieces of modern technology, such as "horseless carriages" and so forth. Is he joking? Or doing some sort of bizarre roleplay? Or is he simply insane? In any case, he's a very chivalrous sort who always prioritizes protecting women and children. His exact relationship with the law and with fellow heroes is sometimes shaky, but he reliably stands in opposition to gutless knaves (violent criminals) and wicked tyrants (supervillains). He's an extremely flashy guy, although he rarely accepts interviews and guards his identity quite closely.

Background:
By chance, a fierce storm fell upon Skyline City last year. Many buildings were damaged, homes suffered massive floods, and nearly the whole city lost power. Worse yet, this chaos initiated a spree of lootings and attacks by superhumans throughout the city.

In the midst of all this, a man in frost-covered armour appeared. He worked tirelessly through the day and night, ferrying many families to safety on icy rafts, defending homes from the rampaging villains, and even preventing a mass escape from the city's largest superhuman prison. Tales of the frozen knight quickly spread among rescued citizens. Many heroes took part in the rescue operations, but when the wind had settled down by the next sunrise, Sir Arcticus was the name on everyone's lips.

In the following months, Sir Arcticus made frequent appearances in Skyline and beyond, quickly becoming known for his cheery nature, his gentle approach to conflict, and his fierce spirit. Despite all this, he has no association or registration with any group, and his identity remains completely unknown.

A Knight's Most Secret Tale. Not For the Faint of Heart.

Athletic and sociable, Tom had enjoyed a happy childhood. Without the money or the grades for a secondary education, he found work as a painter, and after years of effort he was able to become the owner of his own painting business. Through this, he earned himself a pleasant life, and even ended up getting married and having children with his wife, Jenna. As he continued to work tirelessly and grow his business, Tom held no greater goal in his heart than to make enough money to be able to offer his son and his daughters better opportunities than had been within his reach as a boy.

His own heart was the very thing that got in the way. At age 31, Tom was diagnosed with an exceptionally rare and deadly cardiovascular condition. His remaining time, so the doctors told him, was very short. Tom had dreamed of growing old and watching his children grow into beautiful adults. That was now little more than an impossible dream. Taking the situation in stride as best as he could, he left everything he had to Jenna and, rather than seek expensive procedures or accept his death, he volunteered for an experimental program in Skyline City. He would be preserved, frozen in ice and left in a state of living death for years. If the experiment was a success, it would be possible to revive him at a future time when treatment of his condition was a possibility. His last promise to his family was that he would return to see their smiling faces someday. Then he, along with a dozen others, were put to an icy sleep in cryogenic biomonitor pods.

That was sixty years ago.

When a storm took out power to the hospital in Skyline City, the sudden switch to generator power jolted Tom awake, and his pod suddenly failed. Awakening to a futuristic world in a time of crisis, he took action. For reasons beyond his understanding, he had gained supernatural power over ice after emerging from his stasis. He used this now power as best as he could to save lives. Moreover, he took on the role of a knight to inspire courage in the frightened people he encountered during the storm.

In the aftermath of this, Tom had the opportunity to return to his pod. His condition still had no cure, and his superhuman nature did nothing to improve his prognosis. Rather than be frozen again, Tom chose to seek his family, to finally make good on his promise. But although he had hope to at least see his youngest daughter, not a single member of his family was left alive.

Neither modern medicine nor the cryogenic pod held any promise of showing Tom a future he cared to see. There was nothing left for him to look forward to except his impending heart failure. And so, he decided to live in the present. To play the hero as long as he was able. At least then, he might see somebody's smiling face.

Affiliations:
No known associates.

Motivations:
Chivalry! (Joy)

Relationships:
No known associates.

Base of Operations:
A small hideout in Skyline City.

Signature Gear:
Of course, the knight always sports his armour. That aside, he summons all sorts of icy weapons. With ice, anything is possible! Except first-aid. Sir Arcticus has an actual first-aid kit packed away beneath his armour and it is definitely not made of ice. He has also been recorded calling 9-1-1 before, so he definitely has a cell phone of some sort, but he insists he doesn't understand how those arcane devices work.

Public Perception:
A mysterious and brave hero! Popular with schoolchildren. Some die-hard superhero fans find his name and manner of speaking a bit too goofy, though. Sir Arcticus is instantly recognizable when he appears on the scene, and often inspires a palpable sense of courage and relief among civilians whenever he galavants his way into a dangerous situation.

Combat Style:
Honourable! If someone is in danger, Sir Arcticus will rush in without hesitation to rescue them. Outside of those situations, though, he always appears in a flashy manner, openly declaring himself to the enemy and commanding them to surrender themselves. He'll never harm a villain until he's given them that opportunity. When it comes to actual combat, Sir Arcticus fights boldly and with great finesse. He generally engages at close range, but his access to various ice-based tools make him terribly unpredictable. His commitment to fighting honourably may sometimes hamper his options, but as a result he has come to be incredibly experienced and skilled in direct battle against other superhumans.

Calling All Heroes and Villains!

@Archazen Awesome! I definitely see what you were talking about.

Calling All Heroes and Villains!

In fact, reading over my CS as it stands makes it so incredibly poignant for him to be the arch-nemesis of Sir Articus, it's like they were made for each other!

@Archazen

Sounds awesome, do it!!

I'm currently set in Nova City, and as far as I'm aware, Goblin and Crimson Flame don't have a city set. So, why don't we all just choose Nova City so we can be in close proximity to each other?

That way I don't have to chase any of you down

@Estylwen

I'm not too worried about this. My wandering hero can appear anywhere. If everything happens in Nova City then that's where he'll be.

Calling All Heroes and Villains!

winter is coming guys

THOU MUST CHILL OUT

The True Visage which Lieth Beneath yon Glacial Helm!

Name:
Tom Kay

Alias:
Sir Arcticus, The Frozen Shield, The Cold Winter's Knight, _{Dragonsbane, Champion of the Meek, The Warm-Hearted Snowman, a very ice guy}

Alignment:
Hero

Powers/Abilities:
- Shining Boon of the Winter Faeries: Sir Arcticus can conjure and control the forces of ice, snow, and cold. His rather powerful cryogenic abilities enable him to both produce wide-scale effects and freeze specific things. There are probably all sorts of applications, but he generally seems to keep the uses of his ability strictly on-theme with his flamboyant knightly aesthetic. He always goes into battle equipped with armour made of ice, and he can summon various weapons in a flash. Moreover, he is capable of creating ice with extreme hardness and density superior to steel.
- Prodigious Might of the Frozen Champion: Sir Arcticus' strength and speed rise massively when it comes to holding or moving cold/frozen objects. Such items are practically weightless to him, regardless of size. Thus, when clad in a suit of icy armour and wielding a frozen weapon, he moves with blinding speed and strikes with overwhelming force.
- Knight's Unbroken Constitution: Sir Arcticus possesses an extremely sturdy body, even beneath his armour. Of course, he is obviously impervious to extreme cold, but he also possesses heightened vitality and resilience to injury and other effects that would impact his health. His strength and agility are also improved somewhat beyond the human peak.

Weaknesses:
- Dreadful Dragonfire: Do you even need to ask? Extreme heat, such as from a flame, can cause Sir Arcticus' icy constructs to melt. He is capable of extreme cold, so he can prevent his equipment from becoming liquid if he continuously focuses his power into it, but the durability of his ice will be reduced. Naturally, the hotter it is, the more severe the effect on his ice will be.
- As Fleeting as a Maiden's Kiss: Life is a temporary thing. It is said that the adventures of this snowy cavalier will one day come to an end without the slightest warning. As quickly as he once appeared, so shall he be carried away on the Northern wind. What does this mean, exactly? No one knows, but Sir Arcticus encourages everyone to make the most of each day they are blessed with.

Personality:
Fiery, boisterous sort of hero. A self-described "Man Out of Time", Sir Arcticus speaks in the archaic manner of a fantasy knight. Indeed, he seems not to recognize many pieces of modern technology, such as "horseless carriages" and so forth. Is he joking? Or doing some sort of bizarre roleplay? Or is he simply insane? In any case, he's a very chivalrous sort who always prioritizes protecting women and children. His exact relationship with the law and with fellow heroes is sometimes shaky, but he reliably stands in opposition to gutless knaves (violent criminals) and wicked tyrants (supervillains). He's an extremely flashy guy, although he rarely accepts interviews and guards his identity quite closely.

Background:
By chance, a fierce storm fell upon Skyline City last year. Many buildings were damaged, homes suffered massive floods, and nearly the whole city lost power. Worse yet, this chaos initiated a spree of lootings and attacks by superhumans throughout the city.

In the midst of all this, a man in frost-covered armour appeared. He worked tirelessly through the day and night, ferrying many families to safety on icy rafts, defending homes from the rampaging villains, and even preventing a mass escape from the city's largest superhuman prison. Tales of the frozen knight quickly spread among rescued citizens. Many heroes took part in the rescue operations, but when the wind had settled down by the next sunrise, Sir Arcticus was the name on everyone's lips.

In the following months, Sir Arcticus made frequent appearances in Skyline and beyond, quickly becoming known for his cheery nature, his gentle approach to conflict, and his fierce spirit. Despite all this, he has no association or registration with any group, and his identity remains completely unknown.

A Knight's Most Secret Tale. Not For the Faint of Heart.

Athletic and sociable, Tom had enjoyed a happy childhood. Without the money or the grades for a secondary education, he found work as a painter, and after years of effort he was able to become the owner of his own painting business. Through this, he earned himself a pleasant life, and even ended up getting married and having children with his wife, Jenna. As he continued to work tirelessly and grow his business, Tom held no greater goal in his heart than to make enough money to be able to offer his son and his daughters better opportunities than had been within his reach as a boy.

His own heart was the very thing that got in the way. At age 31, Tom was diagnosed with an exceptionally rare and deadly cardiovascular condition. His remaining time, so the doctors told him, was very short. Tom had dreamed of growing old and watching his children grow into beautiful adults. That was now little more than an impossible dream. Taking the situation in stride as best as he could, he left everything he had to Jenna and, rather than seek expensive procedures or accept his death, he volunteered for an experimental program in Skyline City. He would be preserved, frozen in ice and left in a state of living death for years. If the experiment was a success, it would be possible to revive him at a future time when treatment of his condition was a possibility. His last promise to his family was that he would return to see their smiling faces someday. Then he, along with a dozen others, were put to an icy sleep in cryogenic biomonitor pods.

That was sixty years ago.

When a storm took out power to the hospital in Skyline City, the sudden switch to generator power jolted Tom awake, and his pod suddenly failed. Awakening to a futuristic world in a time of crisis, he took action. For reasons beyond his understanding, he had gained supernatural power over ice after emerging from his stasis. He used this now power as best as he could to save lives. Moreover, he took on the role of a knight to inspire courage in the frightened people he encountered during the storm.

In the aftermath of this, Tom had the opportunity to return to his pod. His condition still had no cure, and his superhuman nature did nothing to improve his prognosis. Rather than be frozen again, Tom chose to seek his family, to finally make good on his promise. But although he had hope to at least see his youngest daughter, not a single member of his family was left alive.

Neither modern medicine nor the cryogenic pod held any promise of showing Tom a future he cared to see. There was nothing left for him to look forward to except his impending heart failure. And so, he decided to live in the present. To play the hero as long as he was able. At least then, he might see somebody's smiling face.

Affiliations:
No known associates.

Motivations:
Chivalry! (Joy)

Relationships:
No known associates.

Base of Operations:
A small hideout in Skyline City.

Signature Gear:
Of course, the knight always sports his armour. That aside, he summons all sorts of icy weapons. With ice, anything is possible! Except first-aid. Sir Arcticus has an actual first-aid kit packed away beneath his armour and it is definitely not made of ice. He has also been recorded calling 9-1-1 before, so he definitely has a cell phone of some sort, but he insists he doesn't understand how those arcane devices work.

Public Perception:
A mysterious and brave hero! Popular with schoolchildren. Some die-hard superhero fans find his name and manner of speaking a bit too goofy, though. Sir Arcticus is instantly recognizable when he appears on the scene, and often inspires a palpable sense of courage and relief among civilians whenever he galavants his way into a dangerous situation.

Combat Style:
Honourable! If someone is in danger, Sir Arcticus will rush in without hesitation to rescue them. Outside of those situations, though, he always appears in a flashy manner, openly declaring himself to the enemy and commanding them to surrender themselves. He'll never harm a villain until he's given them that opportunity. When it comes to actual combat, Sir Arcticus fights boldly and with great finesse. He generally engages at close range, but his access to various ice-based tools make him terribly unpredictable. His commitment to fighting honourably may sometimes hamper his options, but as a result he has come to be incredibly experienced and skilled in direct battle against other superhumans.

Calling All Heroes and Villains!

Interested. Time to save the world!!

《 Super H.E.R.O. 》

^{5:55 AM.
September 20th, 2029.
North Brigold suburb, Castleburg}

The atmosphere that pervaded the neighbourhood that morning was one of grim dread. Those who had survived without injuries were sent away from the scene, forced to leave their devastated homes behind in the dash for safety. Forced to leave while their friends and neighbours were loaded into ambulances, or still unaccounted for.

The heroes were doing their duty, using their supernatural power to free civilians from beneath rubble that would've otherwise been their tomb, but even being rescued seemed to do little to lift the shroud of horror that had been wrapped around their hearts. Mire's orders, shouted at a tearful mother and her injured child, sent them hurrying off to safety without so much as a thank-you.

Wireframe was not free from this treatment, either, as the couple she had rescued seemed to gaze with a measure of fear at the metallic tendrils that had temporarily unfolded from her body. Superpowers, which citizens often found so wondrous when seen on television or during parades, were suddenly just another source of confusion and discomfort in the chaotic situation. Another piece of normalcy that had been stripped away from these people, along with their homes and neighbours.

If the heroes were to find any thanks amidst this destruction, it would only have been from the professionals undertaking search & rescue duty. Even then, it was only curt nods, brief murmurs of acknowledgment when a hero moved rubble or soil that would've been impossible for a normal human. And then, a moment later, they would be back to work, lacking any energy or freedom to focus on the presence of the heroes when there were people to rescue. They had few orders or requests for the heroes assisting them, only the expectation that they would do what was needed.

Sobs and shouts continued to fill the air, but at least those voices were being heard and answered, now.

After the initial communication through the watches, Alisa was no longer making audio contact with the heroes. Now that they were working, constant updates would likely only have distracted them. If they needed updates on the situation from her, they would need to look down at their watches.

Although it might have been better for their focus and morale if they didn't look.

Despite their initial efforts, and everyone that they and the unpowered responders had rescued so far, the counter of missing persons had been climbing counter to their progress. For every family that was saved, it seemed another was quickly being declared missing. The issue was the scope of the landslide. There were houses on the fringes of the disaster, buildings that stood near the highway at the top of the hill, and vehicles that failed to arrive in the city, speculated to have been buried on the highway itself. At the very least, as the exact size and shape of the affected area began to clarify itself through eyewitness reports and visual data from drones, the number began to stabilize.

Current count of missing civilians: eighteen.

Still plenty of work to be done, or so it seemed.

As Wireframe deposited a middle-aged woman at one of the medical tents and prepared to return to the search, one survivor craned his neck to lock eyes with her from his position on a stretcher. The boy, a teenager whose blonde hair was now caked with dirt, looked at the hero, wild-eyed.

"The medics aren't listening to me! Please, tell someone! We can't- We can't stay here. It could happen again." His voice was too loud for the medics to work over, and one began rushing to calm him down. "Didn't any of you hear it? Right before the hill started crumbling, something blew up!"

---

^{5:57 AM.
September 20th, 2029.
Hills beyond North Brigold}

As the operation continued, the life-detecting coins seemed to trend towards locations further and further up the hill, with about half of them floating past the farthest house-ruins of the suburbs and beginning to travel up towards the highway, seeking the heartbeats of drivers still alive beneath the earth.

It would be a few moments more before the coins would locate those signs of life, however, as they still trailed a ways behind the hero who was making his way up the decimated slope. With the distance Terraformer had travelled on his floating cube of soil, all the heroes and civilians in the suburb at the bottom of the hill looked like nothing but small beads of colour, milling about. Even the cries for help could hardly reach him.

On the other hand, he could faintly make out the honking of car horns. To Jareth's left and right, a couple hundred feet away, the highway was packed with cars who had been forced to stop as the landslide covered the road before them. This was Jareth's only clue that he was floating over the highway at that moment--the road beneath his cube was completely obscured by debris, looking no different from the rest of the hill.

The source of the disaster appeared to be roughly where Wiseman had projected. It was near the peak of the hill that overlooked the highway and the suburb. Whether there was any visible risk of another collapse was difficult to say. There was a broken pipe jutting out of the upturned, spraying filthy water that soaked into the soil. It was conceivable, then, that the soaking of the ground could destabilize it, given enough time, and cause even more damage. The pipe had quite clearly been torn open as a result of trees falling with the landslide, however. It was not the cause of the incident.

To Jareth's eyes, so experienced with his power, something may have appeared slightly unnatural about the damage to the earth near the source. The trail of damage grew narrower the further he followed it up the hill, as if it was a great cone of destruction that had blossomed from a single, tiny spot. Indeed, there was a clearing just above the peak of the destruction: a lovely patch of grass that appeared to have suffered no damage at all.

There, at the source of all the damage, a tent was pitched. It was open, empty, its canvas flap blowing slightly in the breeze. Just outside the tent's entrance sat three items: a pair of binoculars, an empty Thermos, and a map of the local highways.

Someone had been there.

《 Super H.E.R.O. 》

H.E.R.O. Sidestory 1: 「Dirty Work」

^{Three weeks earlier.
5:44 AM.
September 20th, 2029.
North Brigold suburb, Castleburg}

"Oh, God..."

"S-should we run? What if it happens again?"

"We can't! The Hacketts, the Bensons--they might still be alive under there!"

"9-1-1... Hey, has anyone called 9-1-1 yet?!"

On a normal morning, most people in the quiet neighbourhoods of North Brigold would still be in bed at this hour, or groggily pulling themselves out of sleep with cups of coffee. Today, however, as the sun was still midway through its climb over the horizon, they were on the streets. Bewildered and horrified families gathered outside their homes, many still in housecoats or pyjamas, to look upon the disaster that had befallen the northwestern edge of their suburb.

From one street to another, the sight was nearly the same. The rows of cute houses that had once stretched to the end of each block were now interrupted by a tremendous mound of earth, stone, and debris. A landslide had torn its way into the edge of town, swallowing up dozens of homes in its path.

While many citizens sheltered in their homes or ushered their children into cars to flee, more still stood stunned in the streets, gazing hopelessly through the dust clouds and trying to guess the extent of the destruction. The homes on the hill overlooking the neighbourhood? The highway beyond that? To the left and right, how widely did the destruction spread across the suburb? How much had been lost?

---

^{5:47 AM.
September 20th, 2029.
H.E.R.O. One, Savior Island, Castleburg.}

The rest of the city was enjoying the peaceful morning that North Brigold had been denied. Even on the island fortress that marked the centre of H.E.R.O.'s power in Castleburg, things were quiet. Peaceful. At least until a small Toyota screeched into the parking lot, stopping haphazardly as the driver emerged in a tense power-walk towards the door.

Assistant Director Emily Duff had taken her time getting ready that morning. She had picked out a nice outfit for the day--white pants and a creamy brown jacket that she thought went quite well together--and she was trying something new with her hair. But then, any good mood she might have been in was quickly spoiled when the bad news had turned her peaceful morning drive into white-knuckle race to get to work and coordinate the rescue effort.

"Alisa. Alert the night patrols, and activate emergency alarms for our off-duty heroes. Anyone who can get to North Brigold within twenty minutes needs to start moving right now." Duff spoke into her watch before she was even inside the building.

"Already done."

Face twisted with worry, the Assistant Director stepped inside H.E.R.O. One and rushed to her office. If lives were going to be saved today, she had her own role to play.

---

Whether they had been patrolling through the night, getting an early start on the day, or still getting some well-earned rest in their beds, the heroes of Castleburg would soon be awoken by a piercing alarm from their watches. The sound was a cruel hybrid between whistle, bell, and screeching chalkboard. For some, it may have been their first time hearing it. It was a signal that was rarely used, only activated when an urgent situation was unfolding during off-hours in the city.

"A landslide has consumed multiple homes on the northwestern edge of North Brigold. Current count of missing civilians: nineteen. Current extent of the disaster area: unknown. Report to the scene immediately to assist with search and rescue." The voice of the organization's powerful AI called out to each of them at once.

Even when heroes earn their rest, they rarely get to enjoy it for long.

《 Super H.E.R.O. 》

「 ARDENT 」

Inside Flaming Municipal Recycling Plant, Brookside

---

Once Ardent learned of the homing function of his enemy's fireballs, avoiding them wasn't so much trouble. He let the flames crash against wrecked furniture and pieces of recycling equipment around the plant as he aimed to maneuver closer to Torch. It wasn't going to be easy, or so it seemed.

Briefly taken into some sort of illusory world by Marisol's power, Ardent took a moment to parse the confusing chain of events as the blistering heat soon returned to the room. The fight was over. Was the fire fake? No, it was the water that had been fake, to confuse Torch, and Ardent himself had also been caught by that hallucination for some reason. It was good to see their government oversight finally taking action, but she then immediately decided it would be a good time to offer a critique of his moves.

"Who asked you?" Ardent bristled. Had she only gotten involved because she thought he was actually going to lose?

"You should make yourself useful and try and carry him out of here. Better you than me."

"Ohh, oops. I was totally planning to leave this guy here in the fire, because I'm either evil or an idiot. But come to think of it, you're right. Lemme get on that."

Nothing was worse than being told to do something you were already about to do. Ardent made his indignation known and tried to needle the agent a little, but the flames were getting pretty thick, even without Torch adding any more onto them. Time to go.

Ardent picked up the unconscious villain and slung him over one shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Then, he affixed a small, oblong device to his own mouth. His compact rebreather. State-of-the-art tech, by the standards of a vigilante, at least. With that done, he extended his free hand to Mari, offering the chance to catch a flight out with him as well. It seemed she didn't have much trouble coming and going from this place, but he wasn't going to turn his back on her without quickly making the offer.

Whether he was carrying one person or two, he took to the air, flying well above the flames. Up there, the worst problem might have been smoke inhalation, but Ardent's rebreather saved him from that issue, and his passenger's gas mask presumably did the same.

As he flew, Ardent passed above Freakshow, who seemed to be making her way back inside the building. Moving alongside her were Terrazards, ignoring her in favour of doing even more damage to the burning building. He slowed down overhead, putting himself in view of the transformed hero just to make sure she didn't think he or Torch were stuck burning to death in the depths of the plant. He offered a nod, a thumbs-up. As far as he knew, this side of the crisis was handled. Hopefully she could grasp that much.

Moments later, a fresh hole was blasted through the wall, and Ardent emerged into the sun with his cargo. The hero's face and hair were slightly marred by soot, and the green jacket around his waist was little more than a pair of sleeves, but he was basically unharmed. He plopped Torch onto the grass, beside Lab Rat and the twins. Leaning down, he pulled the tranquilizer dart out of the villain's skin and then yanked the stupid mask off of Torch's face. This annoying dickhead wasn't much of a looker, Ardent was guessing.

Then, pulling the rebreather off his face, Ardent surveyed the scene. The Terrazards were under their control, the villains were all captured, and no hero was hurt. On the other hand, they couldn't completely relax, since one of the twins was quite badly injured and there was still an inferno raging at the plant. These were issues, but not high-priority ones in Ardent's mind. They could afford to take a practical approach.

He wiped soot from his face with his forearm and took out his phone, the screen only slightly warped from the heat.

"Okay. I'm calling 9-1-1."

If there was a special line for heroes to call when they needed things cleaned up, the former vigilante didn't know anything about that. For him, this was the usual move in the aftermath of a destructive fight, with an injured villain on the scene.

《 Super H.E.R.O. 》

「 ARDENT 」

Inside Flaming Municipal Recycling Plant, Brookside

@Crusader Lord@Silver Carrot

Collabed with GM @Hitman

---

Ardent felt a little embarrassed for Thing One and Thing Two as the pair immediately folded after his first attack. Resting the signpost on one shoulder, he grabbed the phone he had mounted on the wall to record the fight. If he ever posted that one, it would be a pretty damn short video. Then again, maybe short-form content was the way to go these days. More digestible.

"Hey. Quit whining. You're the ones who picked a fight with me." He talked down to the twins, but he was mindful of the injured one's condition.

In Ardent's career as a vigilante, he had managed to avoid killing anyone, accidentally or otherwise. This poor fucker wasn't in a good state, but if he was left to lie there he would probably live. Maybe with some brain damage.

If he was left lying in a burning building, though, it would be a different story. And funnily enough...

"Ah, fuck."

Freakshow's old enemy (or old comrade?) was apparently taking his vendetta a bit too seriously. The drug that had enhanced The Menace's transformation into a gigantic form was now enhancing Torch's fire-tossing power into a searing inferno. Any dreams the HERO team had of being able to present a gloriously pristine and lizard-free recycling plant to the higher-ups were quickly going up in smoke. Literally. Ardent's first consideration was making sure the cloning villains didn't burn to death in the confusion, but Freakshow seemed to be on top of that matter. She had tried using her power to endure the enemy's fire attacks, but seemingly had changed her mind and was choosing this moment to grab what she could carry and retreat out of the blazing deathtrap. Not a bad idea, as far as Ardent was concerned. There was just one more person who needed to be pulled out of the flames.

Ardent discarded his parking sign and began to move quickly, darting between the whips of flame that were twisting across the indoor space. Torch was going wild, and his frenzied attacks weren't precise enough to hit Ardent amidst the chaos, but the sheer heat and the smoke that had begun to cloud the plant were still enough to make the flying hero grit his teeth and squint. Rather than shy away from the fresh patches of burning debris though, he donned his goggles and stuck close to them as he took a roundabout flightpath towards the villain, letting the damaged property provide him with cover to mask his approach. It was Lab Rat who had reached Torch first, though, aiming to surprise him from behind.

The laughing villain casually sidestepped out of the way of Lab Rat’s attack. He didn’t even need to turn to face her to do so; it was as if he had sensed or heard her in some way, perhaps. Something about the man was certainly changed, if that even needed more explanation. The crazy person that was hurling a few fireballs was not the same crazy person that stood before them now. His senses were sharper, and his powers were much, much more devastating. The fire-retardant mucus and bone spikes that Freakshow had just tried to hit him with were burnt into cinders by a white-hot flash of fire, evaporated like they were nothing.

Whatever the cause of this newfound strength and ability was, it allowed Torch to jolt quickly out of the way of Lab Rat’s attempted grab, allowing her to harmlessly pass by him. Torch then pointed a hand towards the rodent-like hero, firing a concentrated stream of fire from his hand directly at the location she landed.

He didn’t seem to be bothered or even interested in whether or not he hit his target; he was enjoying his enhanced pyrokinesis (and, consequently, his enriched pyromania, it seemed) way too much. In fact, he didn’t even seem bothered by his original target, Freakshow, any more, or by the fact that she had easily pilfered his device and was commanding the Terrazards return back to the recycling plant, or that she was now running out of the building with multiple people in tow. He simply raised his hands, sending twin streams of fire from his palms at the Terrazards, which were now frantically running into the building. Torch lifted his masked head in the general direction of Ardent.

"I see you up there, hero. Come down and join the pyre!" Five large fireballs formed behind Torch’s head, and then promptly began to chase after Ardent, honing in on him like heat-seeking missiles.

Ardent weaved between the flaming spheres that came his way, but cursed under his breath when they changed direction to follow after him. Whether Lab Rat was going to retreat with Freakshow or stay to fight by his side, Ardent wanted to take this annoying bastard out. He needed a clear shot at him, but apparently the masked villain had gained more than just enhanced firepower from the drug. Whether he was using some fire-based trick to detect the heroes’ body heat or if he had simply gained enhanced senses, it was apparently impossible to sneak up on him.

Using his power, Ardent plunged straight downwards, no longer heading directly for Torch. He picked up speed, and for a moment it looked like he was trying to outmaneuver the fireballs by changing direction just before he would hit the ground. But before he put any distance between them, the barrage of flame came crashing down. There was a brilliant flash, and the stench in the plant worsened as a pile of plastics were incinerated.

Whether Torch was detecting sound, or heat, or movement, the massive explosion of his five fireballs hitting the floor at once was sure to be quite the spectacle. Enough to make him lose track of Ardent’s position? Hopefully. After all, it looked as though the hero had been burned up on impact.

That was until a split second later, when the concrete flooring a few feet ahead of the explosion burst open and Ardent rocketed out, hands pointed in front of him like a diver’s. His boots were slightly singed, but he hadn’t been hit by the fire. Not quite. It seemed that he had pierced through the floor and tunneled underground briefly to shield himself from the attack. Now, he had unearthed himself not far from Torch, and rapidly closed in on him.

”Close call!” In truth, that wasn’t something Ardent had ever tried before, and he hadn’t known if it would save his life. But he hadn’t doubted himself either. Improvised tactics in the midst of chaos were his bread and butter.

Maybe Torch was surprised, maybe he wasn’t. Ardent was going for him either way. Flora had been on the right track with grappling the villain, he thought, but they would need to match the guy’s newfound agility. Ardent could do that, he was certain. Moving at blinding speed, he aimed to tackle and grab hold of Torch at a low angle. If he could lift him, he could get him out of here.

Torch might have been surprised by this clever maneuver. It was hard to tell, what with the full-face mask and the insane chuckling. Either way, though, he certainly didn’t act like the attack phased him. In fact, quite the contrary. The average person would have been completely caught off-guard by Ardent emerging from the concrete ground with the grace and poise of a dolphin leaping from the sea, and likely would have been easily crushed. But somehow, some way, Torch was not going to be taken down by this attempt.

With shocking reaction time, Torch faced down Ardent and, as the hero barreled towards him at breakneck speed, blasted the oncoming hero with a searing beam of fire, attempting to stop him mid-flight and take him down. The enhanced villain laughed all the while as he channeled the pulse of fire directly at Ardent. He was enjoying himself; that was clear.

Ardent had been here before. Darting around, repelled by ranged attacks whenever he tried to get in close. It wasn’t so different from his fight against that annoying cowboy. But as quick and as deadly as Torch was, he was no cowboy, and Ardent was getting tired of listening to that laugh.

I’ve played this stupid game already!

As he flew headlong at Torch, Ardent used the building to his advantage once again, dipping both hands down to break off a section of the flooring, longer and thicker than his own body. In a normal fire, the concrete skeleton of the building would be the only thing not burned up. Against Torch’s flame, even that much was optimistic. Used as a shield, the flat face of the massive slab quickly warped and glistened like melted candy. Torch was too sharp to fool, even with his attention split between Lab Rat and Ardent. No more tricks. Feeling his shield begin to reach its melting point, Ardent continued to press forwards to his target. At the last moment, he struck the backside of the slab with his elbow, letting chunks of half-melted concrete scatter forwards over Torch. Amidst that shower of debris, whirling just beyond the beam’s line of fire, was Ardent, fury on his face, finally finished closing the gap.

Clenching his teeth, Ardent brushed off tiny pieces of superheated shrapnel. He reached out towards the pyrokinetic, intent on grabbing hold of him while maintaining his own momentum, to send himself and Torch flying through a window on the backside of the building, away from everything.

《 Super H.E.R.O. 》

「 ARDENT 」

Inside Fixeon Municipal Recycling Plant, Brookside

---

After a bloody slog through the waves of Terrazards, the forerunners of the HERO team had made it through the breach. With Freakshow fully on board to try Ardent's style of approach, the former vigilante's mood was only improving. He wasn't exactly a genius, but the scene inside was basically just what he had been expecting: a bunch of villains laughing it up about how they controlled a Leftover army and how nobody could stop them. Typical.

Well, the mysterious gaping abyss beneath Brookside was sort of a surprise, but that was something to worry about later.

Apparently, the bad guys had two secret weapons. The first one was used to power-up a guy who immediately booked it outside. The backline team was going to have to handle it. The second secret weapon was the source of the problem they had been sent here to fix.

More immediately, two dorky villains were looking to face off. Ardent stuck his cam to the wall behind him. This was going to be good.

"I can take these guys." Ardent muttered to the hero by his side. Lab Rat. The ICOSA transfer. A moment ago, he had been talking big about how Freakshow needed to trust her team. He probably needed to do the same thing."You think you can snag it?"

He didn't want to be too obvious. He only inclined his head slightly and threw a glance across the room in Torch's direction. If Flora had paid attention to that villainous monologue just now, she would hopefully be able to guess what he had in mind. They needed to keep their eyes on the prize, and if any hero was going to be able to quickly work out the controls of that device, it would be her.

"Look, bro, we get the two lamest heroes. Lame Rat and...Lamedent. Sorry, didn't think of a name on time."

"Yeah, feeling's mutual, pal. I was looking forward to fighting somebody with half a brain in their skull." Ardent taunted the self-replicating villains as they began to form a small mob. "What's the point of having two guys with cloning powers, anyway? Did one of you just get hired as a package deal with the other? Out of pity?"

The enemy team's plan clearly centred around keeping the bulk of the heroes occupied while Torch settled his score in a one-on-one clash with Luna. However, it wasn't in the business of heroes to let villains have things the way they wanted. Ardent didn't feel like letting Torch dictate who fought who. These brothers had abilities that probably made them excellent nuisances, skilled in wasting time. Devoting multiple heroes to fighting them was stupid when there were more important things going on. Luna was making headway against Torch, but if the creep was so eager for an isolated battle with her, he probably had a strategy for winning against her transformations.

"Anyway, how many of you does it take to screw in a lightbulb?! Huh?!"

He taunted the twins again as he flew forwards to meet their charge. If he was gonna draw the full attention of these two, he was going to need to strike a nerve. That was something he was good at. Expert villains like Doc Holliday may have been able to see through him, but he had a feeling these two weren't quite so bright.

Cloning villains could be annoying. Left unchecked, Ardent imagined Thing One and Thing Two could go from eight, to sixteen, to thirty-two, to sixty-four. Big trouble. If he wanted to shut them down, he needed to work fast, faster than they could multiply. From eight, back to two, down to zero.

And if there was one downside to the Azure Skulls' Leftover security system, it was that the lizard army had already primed Ardent to fight against a crowd.

He swung the parking sign once again. The sheer length of the improvised weapon gave him a massive reach advantage, letting him hit the clones long before he was in range of their pipes or tasers. And with his strength, he could sweep through a whole group of them at once, crushing as many as he could catch in a single arc of the signpost. Compared to when he had fought against the lizards, he reduced his power a little, but it was still enough to inflict shattered ribcages and concussions. Maybe worse. Ardent was counting on these two having "original" bodies that would stay out of trouble, making it okay to deliver fatal wounds to all the replicas. If every clone was a full, living person... they were going to need a lot of coffins.