NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kidjake" data-source="post: 6570983" data-attributes="member: 6776876">Actually, that was a lie.  There's also a one-shot 'What If' continuity set in the near future that I ran for a separate group.  I'd nearly forgot about it... It's been eight long years since The Incident which changed Ventnor City from just another pit stop near Atlantic City into the superhuman capitol of the world.  Only eight years and yet few can remember what the world was like before.At one time Ventnor City had a population of just over ten thousand.  Only  a few years later that numbers has swelled to nearly sixty thousand; a good 45% of which are classified as superhumans.  Roughly 10% were never actually human at all.Nowadays, nobody comes into Ventnor City and absolutely nobody leaves.  Even without the government cordon which surrounds the city with orders to shoot escapees on sight, the twin powers which run the town simply wouldn't allow it.  The Superhuman Coalition owns the northern border of Ventnor City and the shoreline is owned by McCrow and Friends(A Limited Partnership), each is a faction of petty gods which demands regular tithes for the right to live in their city; while making examples of those who think they're too good to live in their city.The city is home to dozens of neighborhoods, most under the control of competing Warlords; some of which have cast their lots in with the powers that be, others who bribe both sides for the right to run their neighborhoods like their own private kingdoms.  Countless gangs either serve these warlords directly, or manage to operate under their collective noses.Our story however, revolves around the free province of Mercy Avenue; an unaffiliated neighborhood which has fought hard to stay that way.  They pay their tithes to both McCrow and the Coalition and in exchange neither side directly moves against them; however as they are unaffiliated, neither side cares about their plights either.  To survive in this day and age they have formed....The Watch.Composed of the most able individuals from within the neighborhood, who are sadly still a far cry from the weakest of the warlords from the surrounding areas, the neighborhood watch seeks to nip crimes in the bud and save their property values one way or another.The day has come that each of our heroes have dreaded for some time now as the captain of the watch, Winged Man (pronounced Wing-ed Man) has posted a notice for assistance on their doors.  Winged Man has no real authority in the neighborhood, but as founder of The Watch and one of its few regular members it's more than a little embarrassing to turn him down.  Everybody has to do their part in this day and age.It's Monday night and the time has come for their first official Watch meeting.  They find themselves sitting in Winged Man's dining room at a long table with numerous empty seats.  Our heroes, as well as a young man with long hair and dirty clothes, sit on one side and the veteran Watch members sit on the other; Winged Man sits between his partners.In the middle of the table are several paper cups, as well as a cold bottle of Pepsi; a plate of lemon squares sit next to them and as Winged Man keeps telling the man with inky black skin and black fatigues sitting next to him; they're for guests only.Winged Man is a tall, middle aged man with salt and papper hair wearing an immaculate sweater vest.  Most eyecatchingly however, he sports a pair of 6ft wings from his back.  Most people say he reminds them of Mr Rogers and he mistakenly takes this as a compliment."I'm glad you could make it!" Winged Man says cheerfully, pushing the plate of lemon squares in front of the two young girls and dirty man, "We appreciate you coming.  I hope we didn't interrupt your plans."One of the young women, a girl with a perpetual frown on her face and a note of defeat in her voice says "No...I was just playing with my dog.  Like usual..."The other young lady shrugs, "I'm just concerned with why you invited us here to begin with..."Winged Man sighs painfully and steeples his fingers in front of him.  "As you know, we don't usually reach out to the neighborhood; that's for your own protection.  But sometimes there are...accidents and we're forced to hold a recruitment drive to keep The Watch opertional."Looking around the room, both at the newcomers and his own team, Winged Man shakes his head sadly.  "I'm sure you've all heard the rumors...  There WAS an incident withe the tragically, if aptly, named Exploding Boy.  He will be missed.  But Mr Misfit and his wife Betty were also in the blast.  They're stable, but we're keeping them in our prayers.  Not to mention the fact that I haven't heard from The Once And Future Man in nearly a month and he is presumed to have kidnapped himself again.  We're suddenly down to half our usual roster."With a look of resignation, Winged Man holds up his hands and says "We hate to have to ask so much of the community, but in order to keep the neighborhood safe and free we must ALL do our part."The sad young woman asks  "What do you want us to do?"A genuine smile stretches across Winged Man's face as he says "All we need are people to take over our missing patrols.  Tuesday and Thursday nights between ten and two.  Just keep an eye out for any serious security breaches."The young ladies talk among themselves for a moment before agreeing that this is the least they could do.Winged Man claps his hands together. "Excellent." he says excitedly.  "Since we're going to be working together, it's only natural that we should have a proper introduction.  I am of course, the Winged Man.  I would think that my abilities speak for themselves, but if you would like a first hand demonstration then I teach a women's self defense course Fridays at the Y.  Come early and bring your own whistles.""To my left," Winged Man Continues, "Is the elusive Human Shadow."The man in question's skin is unnaturally dark, literally pitch black; as are his eyes.  He wears a pair of black fatigues that are several shades lighter than his own skin.  "You can be forgiven for not noticing me," the man starts; quickly finishing off a stolen lemon square less than stealthily.  "Much like the elusive shadow from which I derive my name, I am impossible to follow.""A true to life man of mystery." Winged Man agrees.  "To my right of course is our greatest champion.  A man among men who surely needs no introduction to the good people of Mercy Avenue:  The Mighty Manslug!"Arranged on a large wooden wagon is the severely bloated form of a 12ft long slug with a pitifully human face.  It's eyes have rolled back into its head as though wracked in pain and its mouth is set in an eternal, wordless scream.  A thick layer of slime drips off the giant gastropod's  horrific body.  It attempts to focus its eyes on the new arrivals and loudly rasps out "Kill....me..."Winged Man laughs obliviously and pats the disgusting creature's shoulder.  "Haha, you're right Manslug, as always.  I DO carry on, don't I?"The new arrivals stare at the pulsating mess before them and slightly wince.  "So..what should we call the three of you?" Winged Man asks.The sad girl sighs and says that everybody just calls her Loser Face.  Winged Man makes sure she's actually ok with being called that before shrugging and moving on.  The other girl's name is Alicia.Manslug wordlessly sobs in the background, writhing on his little wagon.Turning to the young man, Winged Man asks his name as well.The man looks around and replies "Oh, me?  I'm Jeff.  You know, from down the street?"Winged Man's eyes widen in realization and he fishes a twenty out of his pocket.  He slips it to Jeff and says that Jeff's mother already set things up; but warns Jeff that if something happens to his azaleas that he'll be switching landscapers yet again.Jeff takes his leave and disappointment sets in on the girls as they realize THIS is the team...Back to business, Winged Man glances over the new recruits.  "The Watch can be dangerous on occasion, so we strive to provide mentors for new recruits.  Just until you get acclimated at least.  Since tomorrow is your first patrol, I suspect you'll need all the help you can get."The girls agree that's a fine idea."That's why you'll be taking the Mighty Manslug." Winged Man says, either missing or ignoring the hope draining out of them.  "He's been my right hand man since day one and there's no one I'd rather have at my side in a fight.  Besides, the fresh air does him good and he's quite the night owl."Manslug looks pleadingly at the rest of his team and whimpers to himself "Just...let...me...die..."Winged Man laughs and claps Manslug on his sticky shoulder once again.  "Plus he's SUCH a kidder!  Never a dull moment with the Mighty Manslug around."Alicia looks at the writhing abomination and whispers to herself that it doesn't look like he's kidding to her.The basic Watch charter is quickly gone over and Winged Man calls the meeting to a close.  He shakes each of their hands and thanks them for their impending service, pointing out that many are called but not all choose to answer."I'm not sure what I can do, but I'll give it my all." Alicia says.With a look of absolute sincerity, Winged Man replies "Every bit helps."It's 10pm on a Tuesday and they've just begun their first shift on The Watch.  Loser Face and Alicia are walking the streets with Alicia pulling along Manslug's little wagon as they go.  He pretty much constantly sobs quietly to himself, but is otherwise fairly unintrusive. The neighborhood isn't all that large so within an hour they find themselves back where they started, just three more hours of this and they're home free.  On their second pass they come across three teenage boys sitting on a curb and minding their own business.  They're passing a joint between them and getting a little loud, but don't seem to be hurting anyone.Despite the fact that Winged Man stressed that ALL crime should be nipped in the bud (especially loitering, which is a fairly dangerous activity in this day and age) neither of the girls want to make a big deal out of some kids having fun and Manslug doesn't even appear to know where he is at the moment.They're about to move on when they hear a loud screeching sound, like metal on metal, followed by a heavy crash a block down the street.  The kids bolt in different directions instinctively and new recruits grab Manslug's wagon and rush towards the sound.As the three of them turn the corner they immediately see the source of the disturbance: what looks like an armored car is laying on its side and a heavy duty truck seems to be almost embedded in it; which is strange enough, there's nothing anywhere around here that should warrant an armroed vehicle's protection, however the real spectacle is the truck's occupants.A massive man wearing a light blue suit with a dark blue jacket is literally prying the armored car apart with his bare hands while six men in light blue wetsuits complete with oxygen tanks, hold shotguns on the drivers of the armored car.Loser Face gets the drop on them and clears her throat, as the six scuba men look up she unleashes the power she was cursed with all those years ago.  Everyone looking at her feels an intense feeling of despair wash over them; weighing them down and overwhelming them.  One man breaks into tears.The large man smiles as he resists the effects and they can see that his skin is strangely pale and his mouth is considerably larger than it should be.  His teeth seem overly numerous and terrifyingly sharp.  He tears the side off the armored car with a casual grunt.While the one man sobs uncontrollably, the other five open fire with their weapons against the team.  Loser Face dodges out of the way, while Alicia takes a handful of pellets to the shoulder.  Manslug takes numerous shots since he's the largest target, however they seem to lose all momentum once they come into contact with his slime and are slowly expunged.Alicia rubs her hands together to build up a charge before unleashing a burst of electricity into the chest of one of the man in scuba gear and while he's pushed back a step he manages to shake it off.Manslug wiggles violently as a Full Round Action and manages to roll his wagon 5ft in the direction of the shooters.  "Do.....it!" he roars breathlessly.Loser Face charges into the fray and throws a punch which lucks out and connects with a man's throat, he gags and goes down gasping for air.  Another man sobs in despair as he succumbs to her abilities.The large man pulls a foot long wooden box out of the back of the armored car and cracks it open, revealing a thick gold plated amulet which he dangles in one hand for a moment before strolling around the side of the upturned vehicle and shouting in a booming, boisterous voice "You think YOU cam defeat Sharkman and his Sharkpack?  You've got another thing coming!"There's a hail of gunfire, most of which slams into Manslug while the rest misses them completely.  "Get down stupid slug!" Alicia shouts, but Manslug seems to be holding his head a little higher to give them a better shot.  The bullets seem to be doing no good.One of the members of the 'Sharkpack' charges Alicia and throws a haymaker, barely missing her chin.  She presses a hand into his chest and delivers an overwhelming burst of energy which lays him out."Push...me..." Manslug suggest pitifully and Alicia kicks his wagon, sending it rolling downhill towards the Sharkpack. He wiggles as best he can to get even closer.  "Please....?" Manslug almost begs.  The Sharkpack laugh at the pathetic superhuman's desperation.Loser Face's ability consumes almost everyone on the field except for Sharkman and she uses this chance to punch another of the Sharkpack in the back of his head, the man goes down and she smiles to herself."You think that's funny?" Sharkman asks from behind her.  Loser Face starts to turn around, Alicia tries to shout a warning, but before either is finished Sharkman has rushed the 50 feet between himself and Loser Face and delivered a flying knee to her spine which snaps like a dry twig. (The DC for the attack was 34 after Power Attack and critting.  In all, she rolled a six to resist.)She tries to say something but only manages a bloody rasp comes before she succumbs to the shock and passes out.  The remaining Sharkpack members snap out of their funk now that she's no longer clouding their minds and open fire on Alicia who manages to dodge most of the attacks but catches another bullet in the thigh.  The final Sharkpack member chuckles as he walks up to the Manslug, presses the barrel of his gun directly against the creature's head and fires.Alicia unleashes all the charge she has towards Sharkman who's pushed back a step or two but shakes off the charge like a wet dog.Manslug's distant gaze settles on the man that's so close to him as the useless bullets push their way out of his forehead.  The man starts to question what the hell's going on when Manslug's eyes suddenly lose their usual unfocused quality and something else takes over.  Some dark, primal survival instinct which he has no control over.  Manslug lunges forward and his jaw splits open, burying dozens of sharp, sawlike teeth into the man's neck and chest.  Before the man even has a chance to scream he's missing the bits that let him and yet Manslug continues feeding despite the fact.Alicia, Sharkman and the entire Sharkpack stand staring at him in open mouthed horror and almost as one they each take a step backwards and away from him.Manslug suddenly seems to realize what's going on and his sobs grow louder as he throws back his gore soaked head and shouts "WHAT...HAVE...I...DOOOOOONE?!"Sharkman blinks and mutters "What the f*** have I stumbled into?"Alicia takes this opportunity to slam him with a twin blast of electricity that sends Sharkman's teeth rattling together.Sharkman growls and seems poised to retaliate when a black figure rushes out of an alley, still slipping on a dark bullet proof vest as he scrambles to the scene of the crime.  At nearly the same time, Winged Man charges from another side street.Sharkman glances at the amulet in his hand and decides that it's more important than a street fight.  He shouts to his men to fight like their lives depend on it, because as far as he's concerned they do.The remaining three men gulp but rush the remaining heroes anyway.  Winged Man reaches his man before the guy can bring his gun to bear and points a small cannister into the man's face, spritzing him slightly.  The man shouts and grabs his eyes, completely abandoning his gun."I imagine that hurts." Winged Man lectures him.  "I'm sorry, but that's what you get when you try to rob my neighborhood in the middle of the night."The man continues wailing as the second man takes a shot and miraculously misses Winged Man.  The Human Shadow presses a tazer to the back of that man's neck and he collapses like a puppet with its strings cut.Alicia charges after Sharkman and hits him with a powerful enough blast to drive him to his knees, however she makes the mistake of getting too close and he responds with a backhand that throws her about 20ft backwards and breaks most of her ribs.  She blasts him again with everything she's got, but he just grits his teeth and bears it; charging for everything he's worth into the night with his stolen trinket.When the dust finally clears and Alicia's limped back to the armored car, she finds Winged Man kneeling sadly next to the corpse of Loser Face.  "It never gets any easier..." he says morosely; closing her pained eyes.  "But...at least she died protecting friends and family.  It's all any of us can ask for."Manslug writhes in irritation.  "Why....not....me....?" he whines deeply.Winged Man wraps an arm around the still bloody Manslug and wipes a tear from his own eye.  "I know what you mean Manslug.  Why not ME?  Why must we old timers keep burying those who depend on us?  It's just not fair."The Human Shadow rests hand on Alicia's shoulder.  "You did good rookie, even with...you know.  Who knows what he would've done if you hadn't stumbled on him."Alicia bites her lip nervously, realizing that despite the fact Winged Man seems genuinely upset at the death of a recruit, he doesn't seem surprised.  She realizes that The Watch is far deadlier than she believed.  "I just...I just wish he hadn't gotten away." she mutters."That's the way it goes sometimes." The Human Shadow says bitterly.  "Don't worry though, we'll track him down as soon as we figure out what he was doing here to begin with."Alicia nods in agreement,  "How do we go about doing that?"The Human Shadow smiles proudly.  "You just leave that to me.  Much like the elusive shadow from which I derive my name, I'm QUITE resourceful""We'll get on that soon," Winged Man states, "But first...there's something we must do."Alicia tilts her head questioningly and Winged Man looks out over the still sleeping neighborhood, a sadness etched on his face."We've got to run a new recruitment drive." Winged Man says sadly.</blockquote>

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