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<blockquote data-quote="Insight" data-source="post: 856128" data-attributes="member: 11437">Issue #9 - &quot;Inferno&quot; (Continued)Scene 4: &quot;Prelude to Armageddon&quot;******************************Fang stood by an open window, sniffing at the breeze.&nbsp; &quot;They're coming,&quot; he announced.&nbsp; &quot;I can smell 'em on the wind.&nbsp; Mmm mmm good.&quot;&quot;Trickster's gone,&quot; Mana said.&nbsp; &quot;Along with Lodestone.&nbsp; What should we do?&quot;&quot;A good number of those heroes are out there,&quot; Surge pointed out.&quot;There are two groups of them,&quot; the Duchess replied.&nbsp; &quot;One arriving on the beach momentarily: Harpy, MorningStar, Iron Dragon, and Pathfinder.&nbsp; One that has already arrived on the hills near the Chaos Engine -- although I doubt they know it.&nbsp; They are Seraphim, Electrostatic, the Scoundrel, and the two new foes we know nothing about: Acrobat Ace and Puncture Proof.&quot;But that wasn't entirely true.&nbsp; Cyber-Knight knows them all too well.&nbsp; He kept his mouth shut, but he certainly remembered.&nbsp; Cyber-Knight was once teammates with the United Heroes, before Trickster convinced him to switch sides.&nbsp; He hasn't ever been entirely sure about that decision, but Cyber-Knight, being a man of honor, refused to go back on his decision.&quot;I'd like another shot at that smug Iron Dragon,&quot; Bombardier said.&quot;I shall not work alongside Bombardier, m'lady,&quot; Cyber-Knight said.&nbsp; &quot;Tis most unwise to put thy faith in such a miscreant.&quot;&quot;Look,&quot; Bombardier shot back.&nbsp; &quot;What do you have against me anyway, metal-brains?&quot;&quot;Thou art a coward, and a craven fool at that,&quot; Cyber-Knight replied.&nbsp; &quot;I hath no desire to be mired in a losing propostion with thee at mine side.&quot;&quot;I can handle these fools by myself if I have to,&quot; Bombardier retorted.&nbsp; &quot;You just watch!&quot;&nbsp;Splitting our forces to face those fools may be unwise, the Duchess considered.&nbsp; But I have no desire to see MorningStar again.&nbsp; Her fire powers are the bane of my existence.&nbsp; Decisions, decisions...&quot;I'm not sure we should stick together,&quot; Mana said.&nbsp; &quot;It looks like these two are going to be at odds no matter what we do.&quot;&quot;Very well,&quot; she said.&nbsp; &quot;We split our remaining forces.&nbsp; Bombardier, take Mana, Surge, and 40 of those soldiers with you to the beachfront to meet the hydrofoil.&nbsp; Cyber-Knight and Fang, you come with me.&nbsp; We'll take the other 20 soldiers and take care of the situation to the west.&nbsp; With any luck we'll have this wrapped up by the time Trickster activates the Chaos Engine!&quot;******************************&quot;Well, here we are,&quot; Acrobat Ace said.&nbsp; &quot;Home sweet home.&quot;&quot;Hmm,&quot; Puncture Proof replied, staring at the sea.&nbsp; &quot;An island?&quot;&quot;Yes,&quot; Seraphim answered.&nbsp; &quot;This is where Trickster and his minions have been hiding, constructing the Chaos Engine.&nbsp; We have yet to locate it, however.&quot;&quot;I don't like this,&quot; the Scoundrel said.&nbsp; &quot;I wish... maybe we should try to contact the others.&quot;&quot;Yeah,&quot; Electrostatic added.&nbsp; &quot;I'm not sure about taking on these guys with just the five of us.&nbsp; Plus, it's almost dark.&quot;&quot;Oh ye of little faith,&quot; Acrobat Ace replied.&nbsp; &quot;How bad could it be?&nbsp; P.P. and I know all about Trickster and his games.&quot;&quot;Darren,&quot; Puncture Proof said.&nbsp; &quot;I've told you I don't know how many times not to call me P.P.&quot;&quot;Anyway, what's he got, a few dozen gun-toting clowns or something?&quot; Acrobat Ace asked.&quot;Not quite,&quot; the Scoundrel replied.&nbsp; &quot;Eight super-powered villains that we know of, perhaps more that we haven't seen.&quot;&quot;Anyone we might know?&quot; Acrobat Ace inquired.&quot;Barracuda, the Duchess, Mana, Surge, Fang, and Bombardier,&quot; Electrostatic said, rattling off the names he could remember.&quot;Don't forget Lodestone,&quot; the Scoundrel added.&nbsp; &quot;And Cyber-Knight.&quot;&quot;Cyber-Knight?&quot; Puncture Proof demanded.&nbsp; &quot;I... That surprises me.&quot;&quot;Wow,&quot; Acrobat Ace said.&nbsp; &quot;He's still hanging around Trickster?&nbsp; Who would have thought that?&quot;&quot;That's not all,&quot; Seraphim said.&nbsp; &quot;Our Atlantean friend Torpedo has told us that Trickster may have been masquerading as an Atlantean in order to gain the support of some soldiers from Atlantis.&quot;&quot;Yeah, you mentioned that,&quot; Acrobat Ace replied.Seraphim spotted the team hydrofoil riding a crest of waves just a quarter-mile off shore.&nbsp; &quot;No need to call them, Scoundrel,&quot; he said.&nbsp; &quot;It looks like our friends are coming to us.&quot;&quot;Good, reinforcements,&quot; Electrostatic said.&nbsp; &quot;The more, the merrier.&quot;&quot;Hey, wings,&quot; Acrobat Ace said.&nbsp; &quot;Since you know your way around this island a bit, why don't you take a look around?&nbsp; Maybe you can find this Chaos Engine from the air.&quot;&quot;An excellent idea, Acrobat Ace,&quot; Seraphim replied, and took to the air.&nbsp; &quot;I shall return soon.&nbsp; Perhaps the rest of you can meet our allies on the beach when they arrive.&quot;&nbsp; With that, the winged hero was gone.&quot;That's not a bad idea,&quot; the Scoundrel said.&nbsp; &quot;Let's go.&quot;But they were stopped in their tracks.&nbsp; Twenty Atlantean soldiers stood in their path, rocket rifles at the ready.&nbsp; Behind them were Cyber-Knight (mounted on his Cyber-Steed, of course), Fang, and the Duchess.&quot;I'd advise you to stay right here,&quot; the Duchess said.&nbsp; &quot;And maybe we'll let you live.&quot;******************************The hydrofoil known as the Harper was nearing the beach.&nbsp; Harpy stood on the bow, along with MorningStar.&quot;Why don't you fly out there and see what you can find?&quot; Harpy asked of her ally.&quot;Sure,&quot; MorningStar replied.&nbsp; &quot;Why not?&quot;&nbsp; She enveloped herself in flames and flew off the bow, streaking toward the island.Scouting ahead like that might be dangerous, Harpy realized, We have to know what might be going on there, however.&nbsp; I hate going in without any clue as to what the bad guys are doing.Iron Dragon joined Harpy.&nbsp; &quot;I assume you've sent MorningStar off to scout?&quot; he asked.&quot;I know Pathfinder can see everything from here,&quot; Harpy replied.&nbsp; &quot;But only from this vantage point.&nbsp; There's an advantage in looking at things from above.&quot;&quot;I agree,&quot; Iron Dragon said.&nbsp; &quot;I wanted to speak with you before we landed.&nbsp; I want to apologize for my attitude toward you in front of the others.&quot;Harpy did not turn to face him.&nbsp; &quot;In front of the others?&nbsp; You mean it's OK for you to undermine my authority, as long as it's not in front of anyone?&quot;&quot;Hold on there,&quot; Iron Dragon replied.&nbsp; &quot;That's not what I meant.&quot;{Harpy uses her Telepathy on Iron Dragon to try to get a read on him.&nbsp; It's DC 10 since she's trying to read his surface thoughts.&nbsp; Iron Dragon's Mental Protection lowers her Telepathy bonus to +4, and he has a Will Save bonus of +4, making the total DC 14.&nbsp; Harpy gets a 16 total, good enough to read his surface thoughts.}Harpy could tell by his surface thoughts that Iron Dragon was indecisive about whether she would be reliable to lead the others in combat.&nbsp; &quot;I understand,&quot; she said.&nbsp; &quot;You don't think I can effectively lead the rest of you.&quot;&quot;Well, it's not that so much,&quot; Iron Dragon replied.{Harpy is now going to attempt Diplomacy on Iron Dragon to get him to follow her.&nbsp; The Diplomacy DC to turn Iron Dragon from Indifferent (his current state) to Helpful (where she wants him to be) is 30.&nbsp; Adding her Attractive feat, as well as her Super-Charisma, she has a total bonus of +19, and rolls 13, for a total of 32.}&quot;Why don't you just trust me?&quot; she asked.&nbsp; She used her best schoolgirl charm on Iron Dragon, and he just melted.&quot;Very well,&quot; he replied, laughing.&nbsp; &quot;What harm can it do?&quot;Pathfinder joined them on the deck.&nbsp; &quot;We are almost there.&nbsp; I put the controls on auto-pilot.&quot;The three heroes felt the vehicle slow down as it approached the beach, and they leapt off the bow when close enough.&nbsp; Their costumes were soaked with sea-spray, but that was of little consequence now.&quot;Where is MorningStar?&quot; Harpy asked.Pathfinder looked around, but caught no glimpse of her.&nbsp; &quot;I can't see here anywhere.&quot;&quot;She'll be back,&quot; Iron Dragon said reassuringly.The Native American hero's senses buzzed with noise.&nbsp; &quot;Someone's coming,&quot; he announced.It wasn't just someone, but lots of someones.&nbsp; Forty Atlantean soldiers crested a sand dune, rocket rifles pointed in a very unfortunate direction.&quot;Looks like we've been found,&quot; Iron Dragon pointed out.&quot;We can take these guys,&quot; Harpy replied.&quot;Yes,&quot; Pathfinder said.&nbsp; &quot;But what about them?&quot;Harpy and Iron Dragon looked in the direction Pathfinder was pointing, and saw Mana, Surge, and Bombardier.&quot;Wonderful to see you again, heroes!&quot; Bombardier announced.&nbsp; &quot;We've got quite the door prize for you!&quot;******************************Seraphim, riding on thermals, was able to get a good look at the island.&nbsp; The castle was impressive from the air, as were the island's foliage and its terrain.I wonder where the villains are hiding?&nbsp; In the castle, perhaps...&nbsp; He flew toward the castle to get a better look.&nbsp; Since Seraphim didn't see anyone manning the towers, nor any gun or weapon emplacements anywhere, he figured it was safe to fly around the castle.&nbsp; The villains will know we're here soon enough, he considered.As he dove in a little closer to the castle, Seraphim spotted a small circular platform hovering along the spine of a hill toward a mountain covered in foliage.&nbsp; Getting a little closer, Seraphim spotted Trickster and Lodestone riding on the vehicle.&nbsp; He decided to watch them, to see where they were headed.On the platform, Trickster and Lodestone discussed their final plans.&quot;You realize of course that they will betray us,&quot; Trickster said to his ally.&nbsp; &quot;I trust you, and maybe a few of the others, but once the Chaos Engine is activated and we have achieved our goal, they will turn on us.&quot;Lodestone said nothing, concentrating on powering the hover platform with his magnetic powers.Triclster produced a small remote control from his suit.&nbsp; &quot;Are we ready to raise the Chaos Engine?&quot;&quot;Yes.&quot;&quot;Very well,&quot; Trickster replied, and watched as they got closer to the mountain.&nbsp; &quot;Of course, those foolish heroes will probably assault the castle, assuming that the Chaos Engine is there.&nbsp; Heroes are like that, my friend.&quot;Lodestone remained silent.&nbsp; The hover platform neared the top of the mountain.Seraphim got closer, certain that Trickster and Lodestone were up to something.&nbsp; He didn't want to give them a chance to go through with their plans, so he flew in and announced himself.&quot;Stop right there,&quot; he commanded.Trickster and Lodestone turned, surprised.&nbsp; &quot;What the --&quot; Lodestone replied, as he momentarily lost his concentration and the craft lurched to the left before he was able to regain control.Seraphim drew his Sword of Truth.&nbsp; &quot;If you surrender now, I can assure your safety.&quot;Trickster cackled in response to this offer.&nbsp; &quot;Surely you jest,&quot; he replied.&nbsp; &quot;The advantage is ours.&quot;&nbsp; He pointed to the top of the mountain, where forty Atlantean soldier stood at the ready, their rifles pointed at Seraphim.{Trickster creates an Illusion of the forty Atlantean soldiers.&nbsp; The Illusion covers an area of 75' radius, enough to create the forty soldiers.&nbsp; Lodestone sees them, and must make a Will save (DC 25) to realize they're not really there, but fails with 16.&nbsp; Seraphim, Trickster's real target, automatically sees through them due to his True Sight feat.}&quot;Where did they come from?&quot; Lodestone asked, surprised to see the 'soldiers'.&quot;Nowhere, villain,&quot; Seraphim replied.&nbsp; &quot;Save from your leader's twisted mind.&quot;Trickster said nothing, but was shocked that his illusion failed to fool the winged hero.&quot;Now I repeat, submit to justice now, and you will be spared.&quot;&quot;Never,&quot; Trickster retorted.&nbsp; &quot;You won't be able to stop us!&nbsp; Put this thing down, Lodestone, and take care of this fool!&quot;The platform dove toward the mountain as Lodestone took flight to battle Searphim.&nbsp; Trickster grimaced as the platform crashed into the top of the mountain, but he was none the worse for wear.I'm going to have to teach him how to land, Trickster realized.******************************This Ends Issue #9, &quot;Inferno&quot;!Watch for Issue #10, the Final Chapter, &quot;Chaos&quot;, Coming Soon!</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Insight, post: 856128, member: 11437"] [b]Issue #9 - "Inferno" (Continued)[/b] Scene 4: "Prelude to Armageddon" [color=red]******************************[/color] Fang stood by an open window, sniffing at the breeze. "They're coming," he announced. "I can smell 'em on the wind. Mmm mmm good." "Trickster's gone," Mana said. "Along with Lodestone. What should we do?" "A good number of those heroes are out there," Surge pointed out. "There are two groups of them," the Duchess replied. "One arriving on the beach momentarily: Harpy, MorningStar, Iron Dragon, and Pathfinder. One that has already arrived on the hills near the Chaos Engine -- although I doubt they know it. They are Seraphim, Electrostatic, the Scoundrel, and the two new foes we know nothing about: Acrobat Ace and Puncture Proof." But that wasn't entirely true. Cyber-Knight knows them all too well. He kept his mouth shut, but he certainly remembered. Cyber-Knight was once teammates with the United Heroes, before Trickster convinced him to switch sides. He hasn't ever been entirely sure about that decision, but Cyber-Knight, being a man of honor, refused to go back on his decision. "I'd like another shot at that smug Iron Dragon," Bombardier said. "I shall not work alongside Bombardier, m'lady," Cyber-Knight said. "Tis most unwise to put thy faith in such a miscreant." "Look," Bombardier shot back. "What do you have against me anyway, metal-brains?" "Thou art a coward, and a craven fool at that," Cyber-Knight replied. "I hath no desire to be mired in a losing propostion with thee at mine side." "I can handle these fools by myself if I have to," Bombardier retorted. "You just watch!" [i]Splitting our forces to face those fools may be unwise,[/i] the Duchess considered. [i]But I have no desire to see MorningStar again. Her fire powers are the bane of my existence. Decisions, decisions...[/i] "I'm not sure we should stick together," Mana said. "It looks like these two are going to be at odds no matter what we do." "Very well," she said. "We split our remaining forces. Bombardier, take Mana, Surge, and 40 of those soldiers with you to the beachfront to meet the hydrofoil. Cyber-Knight and Fang, you come with me. We'll take the other 20 soldiers and take care of the situation to the west. With any luck we'll have this wrapped up by the time Trickster activates the Chaos Engine!" [color=red]******************************[/color] "Well, here we are," Acrobat Ace said. "Home sweet home." "Hmm," Puncture Proof replied, staring at the sea. "An island?" "Yes," Seraphim answered. "This is where Trickster and his minions have been hiding, constructing the Chaos Engine. We have yet to locate it, however." "I don't like this," the Scoundrel said. "I wish... maybe we should try to contact the others." "Yeah," Electrostatic added. "I'm not sure about taking on these guys with just the five of us. Plus, it's almost dark." "Oh ye of little faith," Acrobat Ace replied. "How bad could it be? P.P. and I know all about Trickster and his games." "Darren," Puncture Proof said. "I've told you I don't know how many times not to call me P.P." "Anyway, what's he got, a few dozen gun-toting clowns or something?" Acrobat Ace asked. "Not quite," the Scoundrel replied. "Eight super-powered villains that we know of, perhaps more that we haven't seen." "Anyone we might know?" Acrobat Ace inquired. "Barracuda, the Duchess, Mana, Surge, Fang, and Bombardier," Electrostatic said, rattling off the names he could remember. "Don't forget Lodestone," the Scoundrel added. "And Cyber-Knight." "Cyber-Knight?" Puncture Proof demanded. "I... That surprises me." "Wow," Acrobat Ace said. "He's still hanging around Trickster? Who would have thought that?" "That's not all," Seraphim said. "Our Atlantean friend Torpedo has told us that Trickster may have been masquerading as an Atlantean in order to gain the support of some soldiers from Atlantis." "Yeah, you mentioned that," Acrobat Ace replied. Seraphim spotted the team hydrofoil riding a crest of waves just a quarter-mile off shore. "No need to call them, Scoundrel," he said. "It looks like our friends are coming to us." "Good, reinforcements," Electrostatic said. "The more, the merrier." "Hey, wings," Acrobat Ace said. "Since you know your way around this island a bit, why don't you take a look around? Maybe you can find this Chaos Engine from the air." "An excellent idea, Acrobat Ace," Seraphim replied, and took to the air. "I shall return soon. Perhaps the rest of you can meet our allies on the beach when they arrive." With that, the winged hero was gone. "That's not a bad idea," the Scoundrel said. "Let's go." But they were stopped in their tracks. Twenty Atlantean soldiers stood in their path, rocket rifles at the ready. Behind them were Cyber-Knight (mounted on his Cyber-Steed, of course), Fang, and the Duchess. "I'd advise you to stay right here," the Duchess said. "And maybe we'll let you live." [color=red]******************************[/color] The hydrofoil known as the Harper was nearing the beach. Harpy stood on the bow, along with MorningStar. "Why don't you fly out there and see what you can find?" Harpy asked of her ally. "Sure," MorningStar replied. "Why not?" She enveloped herself in flames and flew off the bow, streaking toward the island. [i]Scouting ahead like that might be dangerous,[/i] Harpy realized, [i]We have to know what might be going on there, however. I hate going in without any clue as to what the bad guys are doing.[/i] Iron Dragon joined Harpy. "I assume you've sent MorningStar off to scout?" he asked. "I know Pathfinder can see everything from here," Harpy replied. "But only from this vantage point. There's an advantage in looking at things from above." "I agree," Iron Dragon said. "I wanted to speak with you before we landed. I want to apologize for my attitude toward you in front of the others." Harpy did not turn to face him. "In front of the others? You mean it's OK for you to undermine my authority, as long as it's not in front of anyone?" "Hold on there," Iron Dragon replied. "That's not what I meant." [color=red]{Harpy uses her Telepathy on Iron Dragon to try to get a read on him. It's DC 10 since she's trying to read his surface thoughts. Iron Dragon's Mental Protection lowers her Telepathy bonus to +4, and he has a Will Save bonus of +4, making the total DC 14. Harpy gets a 16 total, good enough to read his surface thoughts.}[/color] Harpy could tell by his surface thoughts that Iron Dragon was indecisive about whether she would be reliable to lead the others in combat. "I understand," she said. "You don't think I can effectively lead the rest of you." "Well, it's not that so much," Iron Dragon replied. [color=red]{Harpy is now going to attempt Diplomacy on Iron Dragon to get him to follow her. The Diplomacy DC to turn Iron Dragon from Indifferent (his current state) to Helpful (where she wants him to be) is 30. Adding her Attractive feat, as well as her Super-Charisma, she has a total bonus of +19, and rolls 13, for a total of 32.}[/color] "Why don't you just trust me?" she asked. She used her best schoolgirl charm on Iron Dragon, and he just melted. "Very well," he replied, laughing. "What harm can it do?" Pathfinder joined them on the deck. "We are almost there. I put the controls on auto-pilot." The three heroes felt the vehicle slow down as it approached the beach, and they leapt off the bow when close enough. Their costumes were soaked with sea-spray, but that was of little consequence now. "Where is MorningStar?" Harpy asked. Pathfinder looked around, but caught no glimpse of her. "I can't see here anywhere." "She'll be back," Iron Dragon said reassuringly. The Native American hero's senses buzzed with noise. "Someone's coming," he announced. It wasn't just someone, but lots of someones. Forty Atlantean soldiers crested a sand dune, rocket rifles pointed in a very unfortunate direction. "Looks like we've been found," Iron Dragon pointed out. "We can take these guys," Harpy replied. "Yes," Pathfinder said. "But what about them?" Harpy and Iron Dragon looked in the direction Pathfinder was pointing, and saw Mana, Surge, and Bombardier. "Wonderful to see you again, heroes!" Bombardier announced. "We've got quite the door prize for you!" [color=red]******************************[/color] Seraphim, riding on thermals, was able to get a good look at the island. The castle was impressive from the air, as were the island's foliage and its terrain. [i]I wonder where the villains are hiding? In the castle, perhaps...[/i] He flew toward the castle to get a better look. Since Seraphim didn't see anyone manning the towers, nor any gun or weapon emplacements anywhere, he figured it was safe to fly around the castle. [i]The villains will know we're here soon enough,[/i] he considered. As he dove in a little closer to the castle, Seraphim spotted a small circular platform hovering along the spine of a hill toward a mountain covered in foliage. Getting a little closer, Seraphim spotted Trickster and Lodestone riding on the vehicle. He decided to watch them, to see where they were headed. On the platform, Trickster and Lodestone discussed their final plans. "You realize of course that they will betray us," Trickster said to his ally. "I trust you, and maybe a few of the others, but once the Chaos Engine is activated and we have achieved our goal, they will turn on us." Lodestone said nothing, concentrating on powering the hover platform with his magnetic powers. Triclster produced a small remote control from his suit. "Are we ready to raise the Chaos Engine?" "Yes." "Very well," Trickster replied, and watched as they got closer to the mountain. "Of course, those foolish heroes will probably assault the castle, assuming that the Chaos Engine is there. Heroes are like that, my friend." Lodestone remained silent. The hover platform neared the top of the mountain. Seraphim got closer, certain that Trickster and Lodestone were up to something. He didn't want to give them a chance to go through with their plans, so he flew in and announced himself. "Stop right there," he commanded. Trickster and Lodestone turned, surprised. "What the --" Lodestone replied, as he momentarily lost his concentration and the craft lurched to the left before he was able to regain control. Seraphim drew his Sword of Truth. "If you surrender now, I can assure your safety." Trickster cackled in response to this offer. "Surely you jest," he replied. "The advantage is ours." He pointed to the top of the mountain, where forty Atlantean soldier stood at the ready, their rifles pointed at Seraphim. [color=red]{Trickster creates an Illusion of the forty Atlantean soldiers. The Illusion covers an area of 75' radius, enough to create the forty soldiers. Lodestone sees them, and must make a Will save (DC 25) to realize they're not really there, but fails with 16. Seraphim, Trickster's real target, automatically sees through them due to his True Sight feat.}[/color] "Where did they come from?" Lodestone asked, surprised to see the 'soldiers'. "Nowhere, villain," Seraphim replied. "Save from your leader's twisted mind." Trickster said nothing, but was shocked that his illusion failed to fool the winged hero. "Now I repeat, submit to justice now, and you will be spared." "Never," Trickster retorted. "You won't be able to stop us! Put this thing down, Lodestone, and take care of this fool!" The platform dove toward the mountain as Lodestone took flight to battle Searphim. Trickster grimaced as the platform crashed into the top of the mountain, but he was none the worse for wear. [i]I'm going to have to teach him how to land,[/i] Trickster realized. [color=red]******************************[/color] [size=3][b]This Ends Issue #9, "Inferno"! Watch for Issue #10, the Final Chapter, "Chaos", Coming Soon![/b][/size] [/QUOTE]

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