Regitnui

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@Zelosse, you'd have to attract Zeke's attention to the subject matter. He isn't ignoring it. There's only one way I can see that would really get Zeke to focus on that sort of thing, and Jordan has no chance of doing it.

Though a video might either squick Zeke out or confuse him beyond belief.

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@Zelosse How little you know Zeke. He wouldn't be paying attention at all to those matters until someone forces the issue.

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@Zelosse of course. Different rooms, but close enough that the boys and girls leave the venues and can see each other right away.

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@Zelosse planning the sex ed class?

Epic City: Starburst

Chrysopoeic laughed at Dragon's words. "I would think one such as you would know better. That you of all these misguided children would understand the fault and failings of these liars."

Dragon shrugged, taking Spectrum by the hand. "I couldn't care less what the High do. People threaten me and mine is when I get irritated. You're talking about stuff that's way over my head, anyway, Chris. You cause trouble, I..." He squeezed Spectrum's hand and indicated the rest of the gathered heroes, "We come down on you."

"And I had such high hopes for you," Chrysopoeic replied with a shake of the head. Holding up his hands as if in prayer, he continued, "I forgive you, child, for your ignorance. May you be cleansed before the coming storm so that you may weather it and find your rightful place by my side. Both of you."

Bringing his hands down, he looked back at Dragon. "I give you one final chance for you and yours to break free of your shackles and join me in freedom. To grow and gain, and to remove the oppressors from your head and heart."

Dragon frowned and sighed, rubbing his chin. "Don't tell me you're some mainland evangelist cult or something. There's a Catholic church about six blocks that way that's even got nuns, if you want to pray to your own God." His tone was flippant, but Spectrum noticed how he checked where everyone else was with a casual glance. He was nervous, and that made her more worried. His gaze lingered on the armless girl, Alex' friend, but he was soon matching gazes with the man in the suit again. Since her eyes were less distinct, Spectrum watched her instead, trying to weigh up supporting Dragon and keep Charlotte close or going to her.

"The only cult that exists is the one you have all been secretly anointed into," Chrysopoeic said gravely. "That same cult that I am trying to save you from."

Dragon blinked, stepping back from the group. "Spec, get that girl and bring her back. Charlotte, run to Traveler and get her to open a door back inside, quickly," He whispered. The orders given, he frowned and stamped his foot a few times. Anyone else might have mistaken it for a nervous twitch, but it was anything but. "Look, Chris, I can see you've put quite a bit of effort into the theatrics here. I mean, matching costumes, a nice gender mix for representation, but you're just missing that one final shred of coherence in your message. Take it from me, I do the marketing thing all the time between hero gigs. Probably saw my face on a billboard on the way here."

Kneeling next to the girl, Spectrum tried to remember her name. "Um... Cushy, can you walk? We need to get away from these guys." Looking at the girl's leg, Spectrum thought. If she went Green, she'd be able to carry the girl back on her own, but it'd take her forever, and Dragon's distraction might not last that long.

"If you want to sell something, you gotta make sure people understand it," Dragon continued, as if he were about to walk up to Chrysopoeic and putting a hand on his shoulder. "My rugged good looks and iron hard abs, those people understand. If I stand in front of a mirror and spray on deodorant, people understand that the deodorant is used by attractive and good-looking people. Now your whole spiel of a cult and freedom and stuffing people into tiny metal balls, I'm sure that works for you. But you gotta have a coherent message. What exactly are you trying to sell here?"

Xoxi looked up at Spectrum as she said her name through her sobs. "I-It's Xoxi..." As she tried to stand up, feeling the sensation of pain even more in her leg. The sudden pain caused the girl to fall back down onto her face, arms gone so she couldn't even pick herself back up. "... n-no... can't stand..." All the pain really made her just want to throw up.

Speaking of throw up, Xoxi gagged a bit before feeling like she just began to spew out of her mouth... only... there was no substance leaving her. More or less. the air around her began to feel more... in tune. Everything just sort of began to work together in ways Xoxi hadn't been able to understand before. A ghost hand appeared in front of her face, flashing a peace sign before fading into the abyss...

Xoxi found herself floating upwards slightly, as if she picked herself up without her hands. Her form was encompassed by a purple aura as she did so, her eyes changing from their normal shade to a color akin to her ghost hands.

She felt... good. Like she was more intact with herself. Like she was more... her... than she'd ever been before.

Falling back down on her foot and balancing, Xoxi spoke again to Spectrum, her tear ducts stopping production. "... d-do you know what happened there...?"

"Nobody likes someone who tells them they're living wrong, you see. That's negative and makes them feel bad."

As Dragon continued his monologue in the background, Spectrum watched the girl she was trying to rescue stand up in a halo of colour. She stepped forward, letting Xoxi lean on her to keep the weight off her leg. "I think you floated," she answered, really having no better answer. "But we gotta get moving." She felt something rest on her shoulder and back, as if Xoxi had put an arm around her shoulders, but when she put a hand up for the other woman's, grabbed nothing but air. "Keep holding on or however you're doing that. Alex should have a gate for us."

Xoxi let a soft smile escape her tears as she nodded, tapping into whatever power she had again to levitate off the ground once more, returning to being in the purple aura from before. "I-I feel... complete. Like the world is my oyster, but even more so..." Xoxi's gaze zoned out until she finally responded to Spectrum. "Y-yeah! Right behind you." Xoxi looked over at the ongoing conflict before questioning what had just happened with her powers. Did she get an upgrade? It seemed like she did, but she couldn't describe it right now.

That being said, there definitely was something new inside her. Something comforting.

Chrysopoeic shook his head, metal pooling from his hands in a lazy fashion. "You are deluded child, listen to reason." Dragon didn't blink, though he noticed. He was going to end up like the comic-book Epic if Traveler didn't give him a portal soon.

Epic City: Starburst

@Mercenary Lord No retcons. We can pull the old comic cliffhanger "it looked like he died but not really", but no outright retcons.

Epic City: Starburst

@Mercenary Lord, Thanks. Best make sure that my personal stupidity doesn't get in the way again.

Epic City: Starburst

@Sedjwickj And nobody tells me this stuff?! /ridiculous Thanks, guy. I couldn't find it and I wasn't getting much help from the poster.

Epic City: Starburst

@thewizardguy, this is the fourth time I'm asking: Please put Jack's sheet in the characters tab. Both Old Amsterdam and myself use it as reference. Right now, we're operating on assumptions and what we remember about Jack, not what he can actually do. I cannot go back 10 or so pages in this thread every single time I have to check on a character. Considering how creating heroes now seems to be his modus operandi, I'm surprised that he'd put time and effort into them without keeping a tighter leash or with a specific plan.

What I was assuming, and this is backed up by the lack of a character sheet I can reference, was that Jack would create "Epics" for purposes and as pawns. If he put so much investment into them, he'd keep them to be bodyguards, or have them "thwart" his villains or allies to keep other heroes off their backs, or have them infiltrate the retinues of the High (or other group) as spies. If you invest a lot of time and effort in raising a thoroughbred show dog, you don't leave it running the streets and potentially being injured or worse by feral dogs and leopards.

Also, I understand your fondness for Emblem and need to have characters who are involved in the action. Though you seem to forgetting you have a third. Or is Dusk the one you were willing to sacrifice? And I don't mean "kill", rather suffer at the hands of plot.

Epic City: Starburst

The copies eventually began to thin, and the original teenage girl started to fade in like a film transition next to Rend. Before she'd even finished fully materialising, she was adjusting her shirt and brushing her hair back. "Hey, Rend." She tried to sound disinterested even as she reached behind her and pulled her top a little tighter to attract his attention. It did, but she missed the annoyed eye-roll that followed when he looked away. Mimic grinned from ear to ear. Progress!

"Well done with this mess," Chrysopoeic rumbled at the front of the group. Her smile faded. It wasn't her fault, and she opened her mouth to say so, but then Dian caught her eye. The little brat stuck her tongue out at her, while she was busy with her leg too. Little baby. Mimic returned the favour. She could stick her tongue out further anyway, unless Dian did something funny. But it definitely wasn't her fault for this mess. Rend was supposed to take care of that teleporter lady anyway. He'd seemed too eager to go looking, so Mimic had already decided she didn't like the teleporter.

She looked over at the new guy. He looked cute. Maybe she could play with him later. Those discs flying around him looked like he had a cool power too. With a small smile, Mimic decided she'd find his room later and have a little talk. Maybe he'd appreciate her properly. Maybe it would make Rend jealous. She bit her lip, pleasant thoughts running through her head as she let her top adjust itself back to normal and her last few copies burst or faded. She liked that power sometimes. Too bad Null had killed the Epic with that power. She wanted to use it more often.

---

Spectrum looked around as the air around her spontaneously cleared itself of copies. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, she scanned around for Charlotte, a pang of white fright making her drop a few feet when she couldn't see the girl. Ignoring the group battling on the street, she spun and pointed a finger, heading in the direction she was facing when it stopped. A nearby window shuddered in time with an explosion, and she glanced at it to see Charlotte inside. "Charlotte!" She shouted, smashing the window and taking out the last copy assaulting the girl. "Thank the High you're okay." She took the girl in her arms, then held her at arms' length checking for injury. "You are okay?"

Another explosion rumbled, and Spectrum decided it'd be more prudent to be out on the street when whatever was causing those rumbles got here. "Come on, let's find Dragon," she said, taking Charlotte's hand and practically dragging her out of the building. Dragon wasn't far, thankfully, and she went to him right away. "What's-"

"Sh." Dragon interrupted her, looking down the road. She followed his gaze and a chill went through her. Just the two girls had been enough, and now there was a whole group of them, men and woman and... Was that metal ball bleeding? She stepped closer to Dragon, ushering Charlotte behind her even as she hid behind him. The man in front of the newcomers gestured, and the ball dropped to the floor, cracking the tarmac and rolling to a stop between them and her family. She blinked, a colour flickering across her armour. Her family?

"Hear me, so called heroes!" He called out, his voice booming through the area. "You have been blinded by the lies and tricks of your false gods. You have fought valiantly to defend those which should have been destroyed, grown like cattle before the slaughter! Your failings in this are of no fault of yourselves, but of those who claim to guide you and protect you."
"But have you been protected? No, you have not! Your city has been a playground for the twisted beasts of the dark, of the murderers. You attack children because of these liars! You sit when you should act! I, Chrysopoeic, have come to rid this corruption from this City and take my rightful place on the Throne, my Alkahest at my side. Lay down your powers against us, and rise beside of us into glory and greatness, bringing the flood of change that are coming."

In the silence after that speech, the explosions were drowned out by a slow, pervasive rumble. Spectrum recognised it even as she wished she didn't. It was a building falling. A few blocks away, but still close enough that she squeezed Charlotte's hand for comfort. The Island would put it right back up, but that hadn't mattered to the residents of the Fitch building. Dragon, oh High he looked cool, folded his arms and waited for the rumbling to finish before replying, "Gee, thanks, Chris, but the High don't take too kindly to blasphemers. Perhaps you should run off and find some other city to play warlord in."