Night falls, and across Century City they start to emerge. Common criminals, mobsters, police, and...the costumes. Hero and villain alike begin to clash, fighting for dominance, as the city starts to show its true face... @moonblack "Wakey, wakey!" Yuki's (or Azura's), eyes flicker open as she lies on her bed, exhausted from a day of maintaining her spells. Panic fills the magical girl, as she realises that, while asleep, nothing has been maintaining the illusion that keeps her looking like a normal human. Bolting up from bed, Yuki sees a figure standing in front of her bed, and her fight or flight instinct kicks into overdrive, flooding her body with adrenaline. As her sleepy eyes unblur, though, the panic is replaced by befuddlement. Standing in front of her is a woman dressed in what only barely resembles a Japanese schoolgirl's outfit. Spoiler: Yuki's 'visitor' Yuki can't explain it, but the woman has some sort of aura - a strange, foreign feeling of kinship. She has no idea of the specifics, but somehow, the two of them are the same. "Heh, you're not exactly the 'up and at'em type' your predecessor was, are ya?" The blonde giggles girlishly. ------------- @Omega98 "Great job, honey!" As the last of the carjackers goes flying, repelled by a blast of Jennifer's telekinetic power, she feels her husband's voice in her ear, praising her. Normally her beloved would be out there on the streets beside her, but after being overpowered by a villain a week ago, he's been on desk duty, providing operational support for the various team members out in the field. As she uses her powers to bind up the fallen jackers, a small band of criminals - easy pickings for a hero of Psychana's calbre - her husband's voice picks up once more in her ear. "Oh, looks like someone special is coming to see you, honey. Look sharp!" He chuckles. Spoiler: Infinity "I see you made short work of them, Psychana. Well done." Looking up, the blonde hero spots a colorful figure on a rooftop, eyes going wide as she realises she's looking at Infinity, Century City's greatest hero. "I'm sorry to just pop up unnanounced like this." Infinity's voice sounds out in the alley, every bit as...well...heroic... as it does on the news. "I have a favour to ask of you. I'm tracking down a particularly dangerous supervillain from out of town - I've recruited the rest of your team as allies. But I'm worried about the regular criminal element exploiting our absence while we're gone. I was wondering if you could possibly track down a lead for me? There's a particular criminal gaining traction in your territory - by the name of Dylan Duke." ---- @asddas193 Through the glass, Vanessa watches the fat old man's chest rising and falling steadily as he lies in his hospital bed, every bit as unconscious as he has been every day since the night he tried to enslave his ward, since the night he put his hands on her, slid the collar around her neck, licking his lips as he imagined the depraved things he was going t- "Ahem?" A polite cough from beside her stirs the heiress from her reverie, as she turns to face the lawyer, a weaselly little old man not unlike the one lying in a coma. "I beg your pardon, Miss Fitzgerald, but perhaps we should get to why we came here?" He affixes his reading glasses, as he opens his notes. "Since Oscar- Mr Hawkins, has been unconscious for more than six months, certain sections of his will have become active. As someone he considered to be almost a daughter to him, Mr Hawkins has given you title to-" The man stops, as the lights go out with a thunk. Around the hospital, Vanessa hears the sounds of staff and patients crying out in worry and confusion, the scattered emergency lights not providing enough illumination. Spoiler: Perception Roll D100: 36+10 (Perceptive)=46 (Fail) Vanessa listens out and strains her eyes in the darkness, trying to identify what's going on - if this is a regular power failure, or something more sinister. Then, she hears gunshots. ---- @Arachna "M-Miss?" Malady looks up as she hears the snivelling voice of one of her 'fans', the boy letting her use his parent's home as a base while they're on vacation. Cautiously, the young man enters the master bedroom the villain claimed as her own, and looks up at her. Spoiler: The 'fan' "I-I...uh...I thought you m-might want to, uh, see this..." He holds up his phone. On the screen, the villainess recognises the scene of one of her recent crimes, the backdrop for a news interview. On screen is a bespectacled man in a suit, features confident as he faces the camera. Spoiler: The Detective "The CPD does not use the term supervillain, thank you very much. These are mere criminals, even if their abilities are beyond what most criminals can bring to bear. I've been assigned to resolving this case, and putting this new villain, 'Malady', behind bars. I can assure you, the job won't be very difficult." ----- @Daylan Rising from the waters of the bay, Squidlock moves through the dark harbor and onto the streets, sticking to the shadows to keep anyone from seeing his freakish appearance. Climbing atop a fire escape, he gazes out at the streets below, looking at the little magic shop his new master ordered him to find. From afar, it looks pretty quaint and unassuming, though Gulback has informed him that it's anything but. Looking at the shop for a few minutes, it doesn't take long for Squidlock to spot his prey. Like the shop, the girl crossing the road looks unassuming, her casual clothing giving no indication that underneath is a sorceress, Spoiler: The girl As she enters the shop, however, quickly heading upstairs to the apartment above, the man once called Archie sees her true form emerge as he looks through the windows. There's a flash of light from within the shop, and suddenly the blonde's baseball cap begins to widen and expand, becoming a triangular witch's hat, as her clothes morph into a dress that accentuates the curves that weren't there a moment ago. Spoiler: Witch form If Squidlock doubted his master's word before, he doesn't now - the blonde is definitely a sorceress, inexperienced, from the description Gulback gave, and using her powers to fight crime, like so many other people discovering their superhuman abilities in recent years. Now that Squidlock's target has shown herself, now comes the hard part. Gulback's orders were simple - find the girl, break the girl, prepare the girl for seeding. Easy enough to say, but harder to do. ----- @majus Gold... How the hell had he known to use gold? T'yala speeds through the skyscrapers of Century City, a bead of sweat travelling down her brow and flying off her face as she rushes back to her company headquarters. She'd been fighting a villain - an average villain, or so she'd thought. When he'd brought out a chain made of pure gold and lassoed it around her torso, the alien superhero had thought that she was done for, her mind conjuring images of captivity, of being at someone's mercy. It was only sheer luck that had caused the chain to slacken and fall, allowing her to knock the criminal out. If he'd been any better with it... Shaking her head, T'yala tries not to think about it, as she slips into her building through an air vent, quick changing from her leotard to some form fitting office clothes. Slipping unseen into her office, it isn't long before she hears her secretary call. "Miss Cox? Miss Cox, are you here yet? Mister Arch has been waiting for 15 minutes, I'm not sure how much longer I can stall him." Trying to ease herself back into her civilian role, T'yala sighs, as she tells the woman to let the waiting man in - she's relatively new to business on Earth, but even a neophyte knows that when the city's richest man asks for a business meeting, it's wise to hear him out. Spoiler: Simon Arch Arch strides into her office with the easy confidence of a man who knows he doesn't have to show off - everyone already knows how powerful he is. Power, T'yala notes, that's both metaphorical and literal, given that the man employs The Centurion, a superhero wearing power armor advanced enough to match her in physical strength. "Miss Cox." He smiles. "Thank you for accepting to meet with me on such short notice. I have a proposal to make, but please, accept this gift - an apology for imposing on you with so little warning." He hands over a small case, sliding open at T'yala takes it, to reveal a finely crafted necklace - a necklace made of pure gold.
Huh? Is she cosplaying an anime character? Was Azura's first thought as she took her first proper look at her uninvited visitor. “Who are you and why are you here? And what do you mean 'predecessor'? I don't have a predecessor!” At least not one I am aware of. Azura demanded to know, ready to defend herself if necessary. Whoever the mysterious blonde was, she clearly had some sort of power – her strange aura was proof enough of that. Could she be a magical girl like me?
As Amethyst Heart got into the building, she quickly changed into her business clothes, taking on her civilian persona, Faye Cox. Spoiler: clothes Simon Arch... maybe if the man did not call her, her fight would have gone smoother. What did the businessman want, anyway? "Let him in, Crystal." She called her secretary. As the man entered, she got up and greeted him. "Mr. Arch." She shook his hand. "I must say, your request for a quick meeting surprised me." Faye said as she sat. When the man slid her a gift, she opened it, curious- "Ah!" She gasped, at the sight of a pure gold necklace, surprised. Her thighs quivered as she creamed her panties. She could feel her nipples harden. Second time today! Was it an accident? Or enemy action. Carefully, she put the case on the table and closed it. She could already feel the presence of the gold lessen it's influence on her. "That's very generous, Mr Archer." She said as she slid the box to the side of the table. The relief was palpable. She would hide it in the desk, but she did not want to offend the man... "Now, Mr. Archer, let's not waste time." She leaned back in her chair. She wondered if the man cooperated with the villain she thought against tonight. Encountering two pure-gold trinkets in one day was something that happened to her only once... and the villain responsible for it, was still sitting in the jail. If the man grabbed the case and tried to put the damn... very tastefully looking pure gold necklace, she would knock him out, before he could even touch her. "What urgent proposal demanded this immediate meeting?" She asked.
Jennifer couldn't keep a slight smile from crossing her lips at her husband's praise; thankfully anyone who was watching would likely just mistake it for her enjoying a job well done. "Thanks hon." Jenny replied quietly enough to not be overheard. She looked up when her husband told her too and was struck by the visage of the city's greatest superhero. Her jaw went slack and her mouth opened before she finally blurted "Infinity!" out of surprise. Starstruck, she blushed at his compliment and smiled wider. "T-thank you sir." "He knows my name!" she thought to herself excitedly. This was the first time she'd ever seen him in person and he was an impressive specimen; as such, she struggled to remain calm and listen to his request. She'd only recently started hearing rumors about Dylan Duke, ever since her team had started pressing criminals for information regarding suppliers and who was in charge. She knew next to nothing about him, but if even Infinity was looking into him it lent credibility to how much of a threat he could be. The fact that Infinity was asking her for help taking him down was a huge vote of confidence. When he'd finished she immediately exclaimed "YES! Of course I'd be happy to help you!"
"And why did you think this was worth my attention?" Malady brushed her hair as she sat back on her "throne." While some would say it was just a chair with a few books stacked underneath it, she knew better. Her surroundings weren't quite up to what she desired yet. She had the image of what she wanted in her head of what was missing. Pure silk. At least four strong, handsome men to carry her chair. Those were better times. Not that she was in any particular hurry to try and find a way back home, but life was a lot more comfortable there. If nothing else, she still had her admirers willing to shower her with gifts to try and win her favor. Yet....she took a peek, trying not to look directly at him too hard. Really. Why did these fat slobs think she would be some giggling housewife for them? They knew who she was. They knew how willing she was to use men as pawns. Why they seriously expected that would somehow change or they'd be special was beyond her. But they did. They all seemed to think that if they kept answering her every whim that somehow, she'd suddenly proclaim her love for them for eternity. Even outright trying to tell how gross she found them, they just insisted it was part of her charm. But then trying to be nicer, that just reinforces the idea she'd ever be interested in them. There's no winning here. Taking a breath as she thought to herself. For better or worse, it was almost impossible to get rid of these people. If nothing else, she had her dedicated following. Even if she couldn't get rid of them, they still had their uses. Currently all that really amounted to was freeloading off of her followers. Even if she wanted to work, her resume was a little lacking. It's not that she resorted to crime out of need either, however. It was simply the role she was given, and who was she to argue with it? "His boasting is of no concern of mine. Do you honestly believe I could ever be outplayed?" Covering her mouth as she stifled a yawn, it was obvious that she didn't take this declaration seriously. "Let him do all of his running around. In the end, it will amount to nothing." It would be much easier to just let him come to her, then have to try seeking him out anyway. "Time will tell, if anything comes of it. For now, I see no reason to be concerned. We will do best to proceed as planned.” She had stuck to small crimes since her arrival. Testing the waters and gauging the reaction. While the occasional robbery and the like put her on notice it didn’t seem a lot of the strong supers bothered with what was seen as lower level crime. That could be used. But lately…she was craving…something more. She knew what her latest plan would be.
Doubting Master Gulback's knowledge was a fool's move. And Squidlock was anything but a fool. He had not doubted for a moment that he would find exactly what he was told he would and smiled to himself as the girl's transformation confirmed things. He needed to draw her out and see her in action before he could make his move. Get a sense of her skill level and any vulnerabilities she might display in the process. Fortunately, these crime fighting types were easy to goad. All you needed was a little chaos, just enough to get their attention, and they came running like a child hearing the bells of an ice cream truck. To that end, he began chanting a spell. It was nothing all that impressive, a "small" portal spell to bring in a minor cluster of multi-colored wild Grabber Tendrils from the Bathysmal Dimension. Of course, even "small" Grabber Tendrils were long and powerful enough to start ensnaring and throwing about the innocent civilians near-by, as well as smashing store window fronts, knocking over street lights and damaging cars. And all that chaos was clearly visible from the sorceress' window, so she had no excuse to not act.
"Don't have a predecessor, she says!" The strange blonde chuckles, before sighing. "How do you think you gained your gift? Your predecessor is the one who gave you your powers." The woman rolls her eyes, looking at Azura's tense position, the girl getting ready to defend herself. "Maybe we should start from the top? My name is Sapphira. Magical girl Sapphira. As you probably guessed from the name - I'm like you. I'm here to enlist your help. Or, more accurately, get you to pay off a debt you owe."
"Not going to try it on?" Arch raises an eyebrow, before shrugging - the man making no moves to grab the necklace. "Well," he explains, "I've been examining your company's products - very advanced, I must say. Almost like they're...not of this world. But you've had problems with making your products viable for the consumer market." The man flashes a smile. "I think your company has potential - I'd like to propose a partnership. With your tech, and my money and know-how, we could be a hell of a team." Arch grins, leaning in, his hand brushing against her waist. "I know you're a newcomer to our fair town, Ms Cox, but here in Century City it's common knowledge: Friends of Arch Corp do very well here."
Azura needed a few moments to process everything and decide how to reply. “Nice to meet you, Sapphira, I am Azura – but I'm sure you knew that already. Do you always enter people's homes uninvited?” She demanded to know, making it clear she was not happy with the intrusion, but did not wait for an answer. “My powers awakened when I was trapped and desperate, as far as I know no one gave them to me. I also know nothing about a debt, so you'll have to explain that part in detail. But first, tell me what sort of help you need – let's see if it is something I can help you with...” The only thing that stopped her from immediately agreeing to help was her annoyance at the unwanted intrusion.
Infinity chuckles like he sees her reaction a hundred times a day - he probably does, before flashing her a look of humility. "Please, please... I'm just your average guy in a cape - no need for the 'sir'. Just treat me like you would any of your other team members." Before Jenny can answer, she hears the sound of sirens - the police, coming to apprehend the criminals she caught. Infinity strides across to Jenny and slides a thick arm around her, pulling her buxom body against his muscular frame, before the two leave the ground. A moment later, Infinity lands on a nearby rooftop, under the shade of a water tower, and releases her. "Sorry about that - some of the police in this town still aren't fond of costumes." He smiles. "As I was saying - we need you to look into Duke. We think he's deep into the local drug and prostitution trades - it might be worth your time to interrogate some of the local dealers, or snoop around the Red Light district. We need to take down the street level operations, but we also need to find evidence linking the street stuff to the ringleader."
"I-I...err..." The boy blushes in embarrassment. "I just thought...thought you might want to know." He stands around quietly for a moment, before adding: "T-There was, um, something else..." He fiddles with his phone, before holding it up again, showing a picture of a young man walking through the streets in an odd costume. To anyone else, he'd seem like your average cosplayer - a boy with too much time and money. But Malady knows better; she's looking at the image of the boy who inexplicably bested her in her own world. Spoiler: The 'hero' "H-He kind of looks like..." The fat boy adds, unhelpfully. "O-Oh, and my, uh, parents are coming back from vacation soon, so... I'm not sure how much longer you can stay here."
Soon, the streets are resounding with the crashing and bashing of the wild tentacles, attacking people and property at random. Squidlock's plan is vindicated as he watches the blonde look up from the tome she's reading, crossing to the window and looking out at the tentacles, springing fully coiled from a portal in one of the nearby walls. The monster watches as the sorceress' face clenches hard with effort, before there's a flash of light, and suddenly she's on the street. Spoiler: Sorceress' Energy Roll D100: 8 (Crit Fail) Looking down, Squidlock sees that the woman looks a bit haggard - maybe using a bit more energy on her teleport spell than she'd intended. Or, from the way she pants, maybe a lot more. Still, the blonde isn't going to let that get in her way, approaching the tentacles with balls of fire emerging from her palms. Spoiler: Sorceress' Combat Roll D100: 100-20 (Fatigued)=80 Spoiler: Tentacle Combat Roll D100: 25 Despite her clear tiredness, the blonde springs forth into action. As a tentacle snaps out, coiling around an old man's waist and lifting him into the air, the young sorceress lifts her hand, and a flow of pure fire springs forth, carving through the demonic limb and freeing the geriatric, who scurries away as fast as his old limbs will take him. Reacting to the heat, the other tendrils move to attack the new threat, but they're met with another fiery blast, quickly melting and retreating backwards, scurrying back into the portal, which closes promptly. As civilians run away or film the strange incident, the blonde moves to where the portal was situated, examining the magical residue in an attempt to find out who cast the spell. Spoiler: Sorceress' Investigation Roll D100: 72-20 (Fatigue)= 52 (Minor Success) The blonde's head darts up, scanning the surrounding rooftops - though she fails to see the squid man in the dark. Clearly she's felt a trace of his magic above her, though she hasn't been able to narrow down the source. Hand poised to cast another spell, she approaches a fire escape, clearly intending to ascend to Squidlock's level.
"Normally, I make it up to people, so they don't mind." They blonde giggles, before her face becomes more serious. "Your powers didn't awaken, kiddo - they were given to you. A friend of mine, a magical girl, saw you in need when you were trapped under that rubble. She was weakened from fighting two villains - too weak to help you, but she gave an oath never to abandon someone in need - so she did the next best thing: She transferred her powers to you, so that you could free yourself from your predicament. Magical Girl Esmerelda literally saved your life, so I'd say you owe her a debt." "Since then, Esmerelda has been living as a regular human - totally powerless, you understand? Without her powers, she couldn't even track you down to show you the ropes." Sapphira sighs. "But now things have gotten bad - Esmerelda's been kidnapped by some bad people, and we need to get her back."
Natalie flashed her annoyance at being bothered, but had taken a glancing peek at the image before her eyes froze on it. That couldn't be. Ryota. She still wasn't even all too sure how he actually managed to survive as long as he did. He kind of looked cute, but that was about it. Competent enough fighter perhaps, but she had never met anyone as impossibly naive and stupid in her life. And while okay, he wasn't even the best fighter of his group. It was that other one. Brooding. Something about his parents being killed as an excuse to act like a complete asshole. Then the girl....somehow she had more power than either of them but was the one who constantly needed to be rescued and then just bitches at them for helping her. Really. None of them should be a problem. Yet....she had to confess that for a supposed nobody, she certainly has a lot of trouble managing to kill him. "We'll need to keep an eye on it." It might be an issue, but....she had to go on the assumption that while she was quite a bit weaker than what she once was, there was a strong possibility that might hold true for him too. She knew what she needed to do. She needed to access how much of his strength he still had before she decided on what the best approach was. The other news made her frown for a bit. "They should be happy to see with you a woman, would they not?" Partly baiting him to keep him encouraged just enough, she slowly offered a sultry smile. "Too bad. I was enjoying having someone who could do housework. But you'll make it up to me, won't you?" She had to ensure he'd stay motivated, but internally she kind of shuddered at the thought. She didn't even enjoy having this fat blimp this close to sharing the same space. Still. A proper base of operations would be important. Somewhere she could have her followers properly organized. She needed to test the "hero". She needed a lair.....something was coming together. It would stand to reason he was out looking for her and on alert to what she could be up to. She also had a detective who wanted to crack down on superpowered crime.....she'd need to cause a divide between them before they were aware of their common enemy. Looking to to the otaku, she smiled more confidently as the pieces fell in place. "Start with finding this out. Who has a base of operations around the area and no allies?"
"I-I..." The boy stutters, taken off guard by her change in demeanor from contemptuous to seductive. "I-I mean, y-yeah... I'll make it up to you, I promise! I know all about the costumes in this city - I'll find you something good!" He goes to dart from the room, before stopping. "O-Oh, yeah, does it matter if it's a hero or a villain that I find for you?"
It was almost amusing at how easy he was. Thinking about the question, she already knew what she had in mind. “Ideally a hero. Someone not especially important, but it should still be seen as a threat, regardless. A villain can still be used, it just wouldn’t be the best case scenario.”
Azura listened carefully to Sapphira's explanation, nodding along from time to time. “I see... I don't know if I believe the part about how the powers were given to me, but it doesn't matter. If this Esmerelda has been kidnapped, then of course I can't just ignore it and do nothing. Of course I will help you rescue her! Tell me everything you can about her and her kidnappers!” In the back of her mind Azura knew that it was unwise to blindly trust a person she had just met, but she did not care – she had to try and help Esmerelda if she could!
Squidlock noticed the Sorceress' mistake with her spell, nodding his head to himself in understanding. Certainly unskilled if she could be made to rush that kind of magic incautiously. The use of fire magic and the fact she was headed in his direction was a little bit of a concern but her approach gave him an idea. Sneaking out one of his tentacles, he slid it along several of the top most rungs of the fire escape ladder leading onto the roof as well as the edges of the roof itself. She would have to touch them to get up to his level, which would let his slime get its first contact with her body... and then he slunk deeper into the shadows, casting an illusion spell to make a shadowy figure that vaguely looked like his profile standing several feet away from where he actually was.
I hope you never wake up, you bastard. Vanessa thinks to herself, glaring right at the unconscious Oscar. But I suppose I should also thank you, if you weren't so stupid, I would never have found my new powers. She then grins, until her attention switched toward the lawyer. "Yes, yes, let's get on with it." Vanessa nods, trying to calm herself as Oscar's will was read, Thinks of me as his daughter? When he tried to drug, and enslave me? She hissed, as she listens to what Oscar left for her. That was until the lights went out, "Huh?" Vanessa was surprised, after all, this is the first time this has happened. "Must be a power surge, continu-" And as she tries to shrug it off, thinking a few supers, or villains were just causing havoc throughout the city. But as she heard the gunshots, "There's trouble." She grimaced, Damn it, I didn't bring my costume with me. She hissed, wearing her usual outfit, which was a tight dress that hugged her curvy body, a pair of stockings for her legs, complete with high heels. For now, Vanessa decides to wait on how the situation will proceed. What are the chances that they're here for me? She thinks to herself, figuring that her near superhuman strength will be enough deal with this mess.
The rational part of Jenny's brain knew that she should feel offended or even assaulted at Infinity's brazenness: grabbing her and flying her to a nearby rooftop. She could fly herself to the tower without his 'help', and she would be perfectly justified at berating him or chiding him for his actions! But she only flushed at his assertiveness. and subconsciously pressed her body against the muscular superhero. When they landed she felt somewhat breathless and excited and agreed instantly once the legend had finished speaking. "Of course I'd be more than happy and honored to help!" she replied trying to hide her giddiness. Jenny knew she'd be terrible at interrogating criminals, she'd tried it before but no one took her seriously. But if she could appeal to their better nature she might have some success. On the other hand trying to infiltrate the Red Light District could be more rewarding. She'd have to talk to her husband about it and find out what he thought.
