Order And Chaos: A Superpower RP (Started, Closed)

[Pm0n3y]

Soarele bared his own teeth as the equally sized (yet steadily growing) Leviathan collided with him. She managed to tackle him to the ground, and from there was a struggle of control. He tried to keep her at arm's reach, to keep her from using those teeth of hers. Unfortunately for him, he underestimated the situation. As he tried to reposition himself, she saw the opportunity and embedded her massive jaws into his shoulder. "GrrAHHH!" He roared. He grabbed for the mouth, to try and pry her free. She was definitely stronger than he would come to expect, throttling him in her grasp in attempts to rip a chunk out of his flesh. Gradually, he ripped her away, both claws used to hold her by the jaws. His mouth began to fill with fire as he opted to just finish the scuffle immediately. "No! Not like this!" He shook away the attack, and instead managed to rise to his feet. With a mighty shove, the two stumbled out of the cave. Immediately, the dragon unfurled his wings. "Thou may have your dominions o'er the waters, but 'tis I that rule yon skies!"

 

[SkyeNeko]

Ianthe knew that if the dragon flew high enough, it would easily escape. It was already wounded, and from the looks of it, partially disabled by a preexisting injury. But still, it taunted her from the sky. Ianthe inched into the water, watching the winged reptile. The points of her four arms barely broke the water as the winds and waves increased. How will you fly in the wind, and in the rain, and in the lightning, little dragon? she rumbled in her own language. She observed it closely. It was like a child. He was blessed with this form only recently, from her observations, and was less dangerous than a real dragon, this theriantrope. Are you going to run away, little dragon? she taunted, circling beneath him in the water, waiting for a gust of wind to blow him closer or for him to attack.

 

[booksv2]

Driving down the street a little wildly and just scraping by a few potential crashes Marcus's hands and bike waver as lightning strikes out of a mostly clear sky then does it again just a few minutes later. Screeching to a stop and looking in that direction he weighs the options between going on with his business and going to check it out. Chewing on the butt of an unlit cigarette and wishing he could light it he shakes his head and revs his engine to speed off in a different direction deciding that he doesn't want to get involved with anything that may be happening there yet.

Speeding down the street and ignoring a cop that pulls out and tries to follow Marcus laughs behind his helmet as the cop gets caught up in traffic and stuck. Taking a sharp turn into an alley and stopping at the back he reach's over and flips open what looks like a power box and lets it read his palm. As the back of the alley opens and the dumpster moves to block the view from the road he speeds down into darkness, knowing the lights will come on soon he slows till they do. Going on at just above a crawl till he gets to an open area and turns his motorcycle off. Letting it stand and walking over to some computers he pokes at a few of the buttons as he takes his helmet off, growling around his cigarette as nothing happens. Raising his fist and starting a punching action he forcibly stops himself and lowers his hand slowly, hitting the strike plates on his gloves together he feeds some flames and lights his cigarette. Taking a deep drag and poking some more buttons he kicks the table they are on hard and flops down into his chair.

Spinning around slowly and taking in his hideout he smokes his cigarette slowly as he considers. Slowing and stopping facing the blank computers he flicks the butt away and vaporizes it in midair as he pulls his phone out and sets it on the table in front of him. Leaning back in his chair and pulling a second cigarette to light he tries again to turn his computer on and grunts in satisfaction when the lights turn on and it starts powering up. Using a zippo on the desk to light his cigarette and clicking it closed he pulls up the files on the bank and when the guard posts change as well as the most likely time hero's would be around to try stopping him. Looking at the schematics and leaning back again Marcus sighs and silently smokes his cigarette before stomping to his feet and walking over to a filing cabinet. Opening one drawer and going through the files inside he mumbles to himself.

"Dead, killed, said she would never work with me again."

Pulling out a file and opening it he looks over the contents slowly before putting it back and making a face.
"Caught 3 times and in prison already. Damn it! How hard can it be to find one person to help in a bank robbery. Just one, though 3 would be better."

Slamming the cabinet shut and turning to look at his hideout and rub his face slowly.

 

[Pm0n3y]

Justin took a brief chance to glance down at his shirt, to remark on the smoldering hole left by the blast of electricity. "Aww goddammit! I just bought this shirt!" The gangster didn't want to hear him bicker. zzkZAT! So he shot him again. "Okay dumbass, that clearly didn't work the first time, why would you do it again?" Aggravated by the boy's sass, the man pointed the staff Justin again. This time, the various sized orbs gravitating around the magical stick sprayed towards the boy like bullets, causing him to run for cover back on the city sidewalk.

"Welp, guess now would be the best time to field test the latest Awe prototype." As he thought, he brought his backpack forth, rummaging through it before producing two gloves. One was the usual navy blue glove, hooked to the power source and covered in wires and technological thingies. The second glove, however, was brown and sparkly kind of, and had no power source to attach to. As he slid his (brand new) phone into its designated port, the Awe whirred to life.

"Alright, time to try out the latest feature." He began adjusting the presented options shown on the phone's screen. As he turned things up, the glove replied in turn, fierce jolts of electricity beginning to show. "Parameters reached for macro-plasma generation." With his palm facing up, Justin placed his other hand over the glove. In time, light began to peek out from what cracks his fingers left. "It's...it's working!" What he had produced, was a highly volatile, highly unstable, sheer sphere of pure plasma. "HA!" Triumphant in his victories, he immediately tossed the sphere down the alleyway, where it promptly exploded at the gangbanger's feet. PPFTH! A burst of blinding light, deafening sound, and residue streaks of electricity was the result of the plasma bomb.

The burst being the opportunity Justin expected, he rushed back into the alley, his blue gauntlet outstretched for the knockout blow. Instead, as he struck the hand into the man, the electricity just seeped past, and began to gravitate into the staff's orbit, the way all the other elements did. "Oh." Justin didn't expect that. KkZZAP! The mook retaliated, this particular blast of electricity producing a heavy shockwave, knocking Justin clear off his feet. "Welp, time for plan b." He muttered, scurrying behind cover once again. He brought forth the company phone, making a quick conference call to a couple of folks that could properly know how to counter this occurrence.

"Hey, Vicky, Marky Mark...so I found this guy. He's got like, some sort of magic staff...?" He peered back down the alleyway for just a second. "Annnnd an amulet of some sort. The necklace hasn't done anything yet, might not be anything important, but the staff's been going nuts. Just, crackling with mystical energies. Does that sound like something either of you would know how to stop? 'Cuz I tried, and we're kinda sorta just cancelling each other out. I'm like...five blocks away from the Tower. The guy's on a ego trip, so to find him, just follow the random acts of lightning strikes-" KRAKA-THOOM! "Yup, just like that one."

[hr]

Meanwhile, on the coast, a storm quickly began brewing. Rain and thunder and lightning and fierce winds and all that. Yet from his vantage point, he could easily spot the (now much bigger than before) Ianthe, lurking about in the waters below. Just through her body language, Soarele could tell he was being mocked. "GRAARH!" He dove towards the Leviathan, his confidence easily being mistaken for recklessness. He collided with the sea monster, his claws digging into her hide. While Soarele savored the fight, Richard was just trying to regain control of his body, as well as the situation. "Perhaps I could talk her down if I could just get her back to human-like form..." All the while, Soarele attempted to beach the monster, in hopes to leave her vulnerable.

 

[socialtangent]

"They say they've tried everything your physicians can devise, even attempted magic to reverse it to no effect.

When a Gargoyle dies their bodies turn into stone...and it is not all at once."

Kurt's expression soured and his glare narrowed. Arlana was the closest thing to a friend he'd made at Seraphim so far, and it pained him to be completely powerless to help. No, it angered him. He pressed a hand against the glass, but it soon contracted into a fist.

"I don't buy that," he replied. "There has to be a way to help you, I'm sure of it." He took a deep breath. "I'll find it. Besides, I owe you one."

One of the technicians politely tapped his shoulder and informed him that it was time for Arlana's treatment. From the man's tone, Kurt could tell that it was his cue to leave. He glanced at Arlana one last time.

"Stay strong, Arlana. The answer's out there somewhere, and I'll be damned if I don't find it."

[hr]

The following night was difficult. There was far too much on his mind to allow meaningful rest. He managed to achieve a few hours of unsatisfying rest before he gave up and decided to get ready for the day. Donning his outfit, sans his mask, Kurt left his room.

His destination was Seraphim's paranormal research department. It occurred to him the previous night that perhaps their archives could help him find something for Arlana. Finding the department, however, was a challenge. It was tucked away in an isolated corner, near the elevator a few floors below him. He passed by the door several times before he actually noticed it. Kurt could hear the sound of bickering on the other side, but he entered regardless.

His first thought was that this was the setup to a bad joke. It was a diverse bunch that was assembled in the department, Kurt could definitely say that. One of the women, the Russian occult professor, was hunched over a table, pointing at a graph. The others were around her, conversing. "Look at this. Atmospheric sulphur increase coinciding with those arsons we've been having. Also coinciding are an increase in N-17 class visions and nightmares among those with a PSI rating greater than sixty."

The old priest nodded. "Those are the subtler, harder to fake signs. There are more obvious ones - earlier this morning the Hudson was covered in dying frogs, and we have a..." A massive crack of thunder cut him off. "...a lightning storm arising from nothing. I think we can safely assume that we have a major Demonic presence in the city."

"We have a guest." Vega said. "How may we help you, Seer of Souls?"

Kurt glanced at the blindfolded woman curiously. "Uh...you have me at a disadvantage, I'm afraid. Pretty sure I haven't met you before..."

"Janet loves that trick." One of the men, the Priest said. "I'm Gregory MacTavish, these are my colleagues - Zeke, Janet, and Dr. Malik."

"And?" The Russian said, her voicr dripping with violent intent.

"Oh, and Professor Velikova, she's here too."

"Right." It was probably best to get straight to the point. "I'm Kurt, codename Spectre. I'm actually here to ask about Arlana Dehannsen's case. Something tells me that you guys have been asked to look into it."

"Arlana." The Priest furrowed his brow and took a seat.

"The Gargoyle, Greg." Natalia said.

MacTavish glared at her. "I know who she is, idiot. But quite frankly, Spectre, there's not a lot we can do."

"She's been infected with a rapidly mutating virus. By the time we devise any treatment it's already mutated and changed almost entirely. It's concievable we might get lucky and the virus will mutate into a form she can eradicate, but that seems incredibly unlikely." Doctor Malik said.

"There is one possibility..." Ezekiel said, but trailed off as he received a quartet of glares. "I'm just pointing out the possibility."

"Other than...-that-, perhaps some potent restorative magic could rejuvenate her. But we've tried a number of spells to minimal effect."

"Wait, hold on a second, I want to hear him out." Kurt's glance focused on Ezekiel. "What is that possibility?"

"A stupid idea I suggested. As Arlana dies her body is converted into a form of granite. If I were to then perform the ritual to create a Golem upon her it may restore her to life." He paused a moment. "It would likely be successful, but I doubt the result would be anything other than a Golem bearing her likeness."

"Aside from that..." Gregory shrugged. "Prayer has been my only idea, but thus far to no effect."

Natalia looked at him with sympathy. "We have done all we can, from spells and rituals to folk remedies and fringe science. I fear there is no miracle cure, no holy grail to restore her."

Well, it was worth hearing, at least. The prognosis wasn't good. Perhaps Kurt would have to continue his search elsewhere.

Wait, holy grail...here goes nothing.


"We're already airing stupid ideas, so here's one from me. You said there's no holy grail, but what about the literal Holy Grail? It has to be within Seraphim's capabilities to find it, and every one of us knows it could very well help Arlana."

By most standards, it was a colossally stupid proposal. However, after a lifetime of being in touch with the paranormal, Kurt knew he couldn't ignore even the most ridiculous of ideas. Legends didn't come into existence on their own, and the Holy Grail was no exception.

"The Holy Grail? If all the powers ascribed to it-" Malik began.

"It's popular culture, there's no evidence it actually existed even in the Bible!"

"Actually...something must have happened to the dishes used at the Last Supper, dishes that would have been imbued with Christ's power through his body and blood."

Ezekiel leaned back. "Okay, so where are they? Grail lore says that Joseph of Arimathea takes it, catches some of Christ's blood at the crucifixion, then after that it vanishes aside from the legend of Galahad." At their looks the Rabbi shrugged. "What, I read."

"There's one way to find that out," Kurt paused for a moment so that he had everyone's attention. "I have a little chat with Joseph himself and ask him where he put it. I can commune with the spirits of the deceased. Can't really think of a better way to get a solid lead than talking straight to the source."

"Really. Ever try Jesus?" Natalia said.

"Not a terrible idea. We gonna need to arrange you transport to Jerusalem?" Gregory added.

"Jesus is a frustratingly elusive soul." Kurt replied. "Never answers my calls, probably because he's a popular guy."

He looked to Gregory. "Assuming that's where the Grail still is, yes. I'll have to confirm that, if Joseph will even talk to me. It's a longshot, but it's also our only chance."

"Good luck. If you find it, the Grail could change everything, not just save Arlana."

Kurt nodded. "I'll let you guys know how the talk goes."

 

[CounterAttack]

Over the course of the past day or so, Mark and Talsper had been testing their improved magical capabilities. Both were now able to project their spells with greater power, and exert more control over them.

Mark's phone buzzed in his pocket; glancing down, he found Justin's caller ID waiting for him. Some sort of conference call... it was probably important. The traceur tapped his earpiece to patch into the call.

"Hey, Vicky, Marky Mark... so I found this guy. He's got like, some sort of magic staff...? And an amulet of some sort. The necklace hasn't done anything yet, might not be anything important, but the staff's been going nuts. Just, crackling with mystical energies. Does that sound like something either of you would know how to stop? 'Cuz I tried, and we're kinda sorta just cancelling each other out. I'm like... five blocks away from the Tower. The guy's on a ego trip, so to find him, just follow the random acts of lightning strikes-" KRAKA-THOOM! "Yup, just like that one."

A call to action, eh? A test of their newfound power; against magic, no less. "I'm on my way. Veil, you may want to bring a car to the scene just in case we need to get out in a hurry. Track my phone's GPS to get there: I'll be running." As he spoke, Mark sped out of the training floor and down the stairwell, quickly dashing across the entrance hall of the Seraphim building. He cocked an ear, listening for the sound of lightning strikes. It was a clear day: perfect. Anything untoward would be the source of that lightning staff Justin had mentioned.

BOOM. There it was. Thunder in cloudless skies. Mark began to run in the thunder's direction. He soon ducked into a back alley, both to avoid dodging and weaving through foot traffic and because familiar territory helped him pick up the pace. Most alleyways were pretty much the same: dumpsters, chain-link fences to vault, the occasional protrusion to grab onto to swing round a corner.

 

[Pm0n3y]

The two monsters had wrestled under the murky waters for minutes now. A massive struggle for power that was only bringing Sorele skirting closer and closer to unconsciousness. "I will drown at this rate." He thought, a realization that challenging a steadily expanding monster in its ideal environment probably wasn't the best idea. Even as the two thrashed about, it was clear that Ianthe was holding the upper hand.

"But still, my resistance shall never waver!" Through a muffled roar, he began to push. His wings unfurled under the water, and he began to steadily push himself towards the surface. Like a lumbering locomotive, his powerful wings and legs began to propel the two faster and faster, even against the sea monster's mass. SPLOOSH! The two bodies blasted out of the water.

Soarele roared once more, against the boom of the rolling thunder, and the flash of striking lightning. With the Leviathan held overhead, the dragon's stride was only enhanced now that he was out of the water. And like a weight being lifted off of his back, his flying only seemed to have benefit from the underwater struggle. And with that, he took off towards the city with Ianthe in tow. "If we are to fight, than it shall be on even ground!" The dragon roared. And even as the two flew away from the beach, it seemed like the raging storm only followed, and intensified. "Even then, you must focus! Your daughter grows sicker while we fight! I wish to help you cure her of her sickness!" He added.

 

[Captainguy42]

A Super Criminal's day was never wanting for activity and today was certainly proving that. With Keller's future cooperation assured he could now focus on his next task. He began dialing Hellhound, and as he waited he boot up his monitors. A dozen screens lit up, each showing the view from a different drone, each strategically placed around the bank. He checked one more time to make sure everything was in place and then the call connected.

" Greetings, Mr. Hound, or do you prefer Hell? Ah well that doesn't matter, what does matter is that I believe we have a mutual interest in a certain bank, and as we are now Allies in Virus's cause I thought it would be a great opportunity for some team bonding, so what do ya say?"

 

[booksv2]

Picking up his phone when it started ringing Marcus looks at the number in both heavy confusion and suspicion. Slowly answering it as he stands in front of his deck he speaks with an air of suspicion and annoyance.

"Yes?"

" Greetings, Mr. Hound, or do you prefer Hell? Ah well that doesn't matter, what does matter is that I believe we have a mutual interest in a certain bank, and as we are now Allies in Virus's cause I thought it would be a great opportunity for some team bonding, so what do ya say?"

Stiffening slightly and letting his eyes roam the room as he thinks he stays quiet for a few seconds before answering.
"Hound is fine, and who is this i'm talking to"


Sitting down and propping his boots up on the edge of the table his computer is on Marcus leans back and pulls a cigarette and lights it, letting the smoke trickle from his nose as he takes a deep breath of it.
"I have an interest in a bank yes, mine is some numbers and boxes inside. Team building maybe, but first i would like to know what kind of things you are going for in said bank."

 

[Captainguy42]

"It's Red Coyote, simply put the only thing I desire is to see this heist succeed, the benefits of the fallout from it will be more than enough reward for myself." Red Coyote said as he scanned the screens. Carefully making notes of the behavior of the tellers and guards, then logging it into BoB's database.

 

[booksv2]

"It's Red Coyote, simply put the only thing I desire is to see this heist succeed, the benefits of the fallout from it will be more than enough reward for myself."

Taking draws of his cigarette slowly as he listens Marcus smiles slowly and taps it out as he answers.
"That works for me, everything i want is in the safety deposit boxes. Specifically Boxes 154 and 189. Our elustrous mayors aide's and the secretary also. I do plan on taking pretty much all of them to cover what i am doing, but those are the two big ones. Some intel i got says that he got them to hide something and they both put it in that bank."


Pulling up a list on his computer and slowly sliding his finger down the screen Marcus stabs the screen with his finger and says into the phone to his soon to be partner.
"I have a when there should be how much money in the vault and what else. In 26 hours there is going to be 12.242 tones of gold in their vaults on its way across country. While security is about double what it is normally it does give a tasty treat to add to. There is always someone who is looking for gold out there, and this is where i needed a partner. Someone to help keep the civies under control, then again we could just kill them all at the start and not have to worry about keeping crowd control."


Turning the phone on speaker and getting up Marcus carries it over to a covered shape and sets it on a work table close by. Pulling the cover off a large modified truck with half one side still apart. Leaning in and connecting some wires from the cabin to a good size mini gun. Half yelling out the side of the truck as he starts putting together the gun and the truck from the inside out.
"It is close to 13 tones with the gold and the boxes. The fall out will rain down all over those hero's and several much to green company's. As it is, i need someone to punch tickets and bounce when needed."

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

The call from Justin caught Veil at a bad time, just getting out of the shower. She snatched up her phone.

"Can't give you much advice from here, Justin, but I'm on my way."

She didn't have time to grab all of her spooky necromancer gear, just threw on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, yanked on her boots, grabbed her book, and hit the door, dialing on her phone as she ran.

"This is Veil. I need a car ready for me before I get to the garage, heading for the elevator now."

"On it." Came the voice at the other end. She hung up, darting into the elevator with Manny at her heels, slapping at the garage button. Thirty seconds later they were out and an unmarked black car was out front, a Seraphim security man next to it. He tossed her the keys, but she got in on the passenger side, Manny grabbing the driver seat. She handed him the keys and let him handle it.

Two minutes later they were at the scene. The car slowed and she stepped out, dark energy coiling about her arms, Manny speeding away as soon as she was out. She didn't wait, finding the weird wizard quickly and releasing the bolts of necromantic power at him.

Ordinarily she would have shouted some kind of witty quip or threat at him. All she could think today was "Eat death, stupid!"

 

[CounterAttack]

The staff-bearing thug yelled as Veil's bolts lashed through him, doubling over and dropping the staff. Or, he would have dropped the staff... if he could have let go of it. Something seemed to be locking his grip on the arcane tool. He straightened up again, his once-brown eyes now twin orbs of white. Electricity crackled across his face as the body - clearly its owner was no longer in control - began to spin and twist the staff, switching from one hand to the other and back again, trails of stone and steel arcing from the orbs as they moved.

The stone sphere cracked apart, and a gesture with the man's free hand exploded part of a brick wall. Shards scattered, then converged to form a set of massive fangs. They sped towards Veil, turning with intent to clamp down on her whole body rather than an arm or a leg.

[hr]

Yet another taxi horn blared at Mark as he sped through the streets, sliding across the bonnet of a car as needed. More than once in his pursuit of criminals had be been cursed at by commuters, taxi drivers and even a trio of buses of which he had once run the length. But he was getting close now. The Seraphim car had passed him on the way, of course: parkour training did not grant superhuman speed, merely conservation of momentum and an eye for environmental changes - whether helpful or a hindrance.

Soon all that remained between the traceur and his target was a chain-link fence. Normally that wouldn't be an issue, except there was barbed wire ringed across the top. How typical. A solution quickly presented itself. Vault up to the dumpster, leap to the fence - tuck both feet under yourself - push back from the feet, twist in midair to catch the fire escape. Pull-up with both hands, one extra stretch to grab the handrail properly... not the best move, but it'll do in a pinch.

Momentum's shot. Lovely. Still, he'd gotten what he needed. A way over the fence. Now crouched on the fire escape's handrail, Mark jumped, clearing the barbed wire by a fraction of an inch. A roll when he hit the ground and he was up and racing round the corner to take in the scene.

"Talsper, go!" The mage's spirit burst into existence as Mark ducked into the cover provided by a dumpster. The street-ganger was distracted by Veil and her skeleton buddy, leaving Talsper ample opportunity to throw a stream of fire magic in the staff-wielder's direction.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

Seeing the attack Veil tried to recall a spell of warding from the grimoire, raising her hand. "Das Venarun ilan ulagaia ketah!" Instead of the wall of swirling mystic energy intercepting the shot there was more of a buzzing sound followed by a gout of foul smelling fumes and a few swirling lights.

"Oh, damn."

Before her miserable failure could result in her bisection the Seraphim car returned, Manny driving into the shot to deflect it and bringung the car around to drive straight at the wizard. Veil noticed the incoming bolt of flames from Talsper and grimaced, sending a quick order to the skeleton. He opened the door and bailed out, bones cracking on the pavement as the car continued on course like a ballistic missile, about to be detonated by the flames.

 

[Captainguy42]

" I see, I imagine you have a plan for getting in and securing the gold, leave the civilians and distraction. Big question is how do you plan to move 13 tones of gold?" Red Coyote asked.

 

[Pm0n3y]

"Oh, damn." Justin could hear from down the alley, the sounds of the necromancer's attacks being mostly deflected. "OH DAYUM!" Was how he replied, scrambling to his feet to steer clear of the car now barreling its way onto the sidewalk, into the alley, and towards the now-possessed gangbanger. Mixed with the shards of rock pelting the metal, and stream of fire blowing into the vulnerable bits, it didn't take a rocket scientist to guess what could've happened next. THA-BOOOM! An explosion. It was an explosion. As if the implications weren't clear enough. One such explosion that made the adjacent walls rumble in intimidation, and created a pocket shockwave ripply enough to send Justin flying off of his feet.

"I-i'm deaf. Again. This is it, isn't it? This is my life now." He remarked on the heavy ringing that invaded his eardrums as he began to his feet.

Naturally, the massive ball of flame and metal bits that accompanied said explosion extended outwards towards everyone within standing radius. Well, mostly towards everyone. At the epicenter of the blast, the fire and flames and metal bits only seemed to dance around the noticeably downed gangster. As he staggered to his feet, the fire began form in to orbs, orbiting around the staff the way Justin's electricity did. Same with the shrapnel, melting into flawless spheres in order to enter the stick's gravity. Even then, the man (or, well, his body at least) was still stunned enough to retaliate.

Justin raced back into the alley, the insulator glove already cupping the Awe. "I know an opportunity when I see one." He grunted at Veil, stopping just short of her spooky servant to toss a couple of plasma bombs at the struggling banger, one even landing at his lap. Justin (wishing he had his goggles in this particular moment) covered his eyes. PATAM! PATUFH! Smaller explosions blinded and disoriented the guy further, putting him back on his butt. "Stay down, please." Justin replied, a comment that probably sounded badass in his head, but was said in this pleading tone that made it seem a lot less so.

All the while, gray clouds and thunder began spreading over Manhattan.

 

[SkyeNeko]

Ianthe knew when they were out of the water, but the rain would give her free reign over the air and land. She just laughed. Her body slimmed down significantly, almost snake like, as she twisted around in his grip. Her arms tangled around one of his wings, while she struck out at him with her teeth. He had a good grip on her scales, but she still had a good range.

As they neared the city, she pulled down with all her strength on his left wing, causing both of them to crash into the closest high story window. Small quarters again, as Ianthe crashed around in the wreckage to hiss and strike out again. Her arms grabbed for anything that wasn't nailed down, throwing them at the dragon.

 

[booksv2]

" I see, I imagine you have a plan for getting in and securing the gold, leave the civilians and distraction. Big question is how do you plan to move 13 tones of gold?"

Smiling to himself and pulling out of the inside of the edge of the truck and lifting the side panel of the truck and set it on it, sliding the holding pins in and stepping back to see if it stays. Answering the important question to the person on the other side of the phone.

"I have a large truck, military originally and with some heavy modifications the suspension and wheels will take the tonnage while the motor will have to work some. But no more work that it can handle, biggest is getting it in and i have a winch and a cargo net rated for a ton. Few trips and dumping it in the back will get it in for one person, while the other takes care of the civies and the boxes."

Wiping his hands on a rag and reaching into the cab of the truck Marcus hits a button and looks down, the panel on the side of the truck flipping up as a medium sized Gatling gun slides out and starts spinning. Clicks going off rapid fire as it fires on empty. Hitting the button again it stops and slides back into the side of the truck. Turning to the phone Marcus asks.
"I need an answer, in or out Red. I would love to do it in a day or two."

Stepping past to a sliding garage door and sliding it up he grabs a large box of ammo and lugs it over to the truck. Stepping into the back and carrying it back to front of the truck bed to where a large raised area was. Setting the ammo box down and opening the panels on the raised area he lifts the box to slide it down into an empty area in it made to hold an ammo box, lifting the top of it and pulling the end of the ammo line out and sliding it into and loading the right Gatling gun before getting up and doing the whole same thing to the left with another box of ammo. Closing the panels and licking it down he jumps out the end of the truck bed and lifts the tail gate and slams it in to lock it.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

Veil didn't wait to give the man a chance to surrender - the guy seemed to be trying to get to his feet even as badly off as he was, and she jumped forward to land on him knees first, slamming fist to face once, then again. The man reeled, glassy eyed, but kept moving.

Her eyes fell on the weapon he carried. Naturally, she thought, then gritted her teeth and grabbed the staff, wrenching it out of his grasp hard enough that she heard a finger snap. As she did the man dropped like a puppet with cut strings, and she rose

A dark cloud rose over Manhattan, beautiful and terrible. Great flames were her legs, and storms were her crown. Death was her raiment, and ice was her flesh. She clutched her staff in hand and exulted as eight million fell to their knees and rejoiced in their despair. With a sweep of her hand skyscrapers crumbled and Central Park was reduced to a lifeless waste, and another sweep restored them, brighter and more magnificent in their rebirth than ever they or anything else had ever been.

Veil shook her head and staggered upright in the alley, trying to force that terrible and intoxicating vision away. "Staff is...dangerous..." Every word was a struggle, just barely able to squeeze out around the force of will needed to avoid falling back into the vision. "Help...get help."

 

[CounterAttack]

Mark didn't see the colossal explosion caused by Veil's skeleton driving straight into Talsper's fire stream, but he felt the heat wave crash over the dumpster, wrecking it... and probably pretty much everything in proximity. Damn it! I'd hoped that the car would have been set to go for our escape if things got too hot to handle.

Talsper was thrown by the force of the blast, but untouched by the flames and the explosion itself. Either way, he crashed in a heap nearby, but slowly got back to his feet... only to find that Veil had torn the staff out of the thug's hands. The street thug was out like a light, but now the necromancer was the one struggling with the staff's will. "Staff is... dangerous... help... get help."

"The staff doth be the real threat! We must contain it before it causeth more harm," the mage stated, hurrying forward. Mark followed, unsure of what he could do to help. "Would that I could cast a knowledge cantrip... t'would identify this weapon. With that information I could find the best way to counter its effects."

"Yeah, well, your Empress was a few sandwiches short of a picnic. We need another option." Mark turned to Veil, unsure if she could see or hear him. "Veil? Can you hear me? Can you let go of the staff?" If she could drop it, then they could all just keep away from it until Seraphim could dispatch a containment team... did they even have those? Sure, there would undoubtedly be some for biological hazards, but what about magical?

Talsper, meanwhile, noted the design of the pendant which the street-ganger wore openly. But he said nothing. They had a higher priority right now.