What Happened in Portland

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Their arrival at the Sadrys' was quick—too quick, in fact, for Nathan to think of a way to avoid showing Funtimes the book. 

 

So he didn't. 

 

He took his duster from the closet and put it on. Either the Sadry hunter was a neat freak or his parents were, because his closet was organized. An empty steel-frame backpack sat on the floor near the closet door. Nathan took it from the floor and piled the hunting cap, two more Calvin and Hobbes collections, and a taxidermied quail into the bottom, guilt gnawing at him. If I meet the guy, I'll give his stuff back, he promised himself. 

 

"Ooh, that looks fun!" Doctor Funtimes bounced over and added a fishing hat, a box of .44 ammo, and a Batman comic book to the backpack. Nathan whisked the pack away, wondering if Funtimes had added the comic book on accident and hoping she had. 

 

If the Sadry hunter had kept Batman comic books after Annexation Day, he was either very brave, very stupid, or very dead. Perhaps all three. 

 

Nathan lifted the covers, slipped Revenge of the Baby-Sat into the pack, then tugged a pillowcase from the pillow and shoved it on top, concealing the forbidden books. One last glance at the closet revealed no more books that he could see, so he zipped the pack closed and put it on. Exhaling, he faced his fake girlfriend. 

 

Was she fake? The kiss had felt real enough. 

 

It's just a cover, he assured himself. She wants to keep you, so she's covering. That's all it is. 

 

"Ready?" 

 

She giggled and took his hands. 

Edited August 7, 2014 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles

[Matrim Bloody Cauthon]

"Sure, i'd be happy to help." Mason replied moving to follow altermind.

Just as he sat down in the planning room to read everyones mind, an epic and another person teleported in. As they started talking to Altermind, Mason let his mind touch their thoughts. He sifted through their minds checking to see if they meant what they said. Once he decided they were clean he moved on to the others in the room.

When he finished with the others he settled on Alterminds thoughts and projected words into his thoughts. "They are all good for right now. They all have triggers that will cause them to turn on you. But what those are i cant say. Even they dont know what they are."

Altermind glanced over at Mason and nodded.

[Mailliw73]

Altermind took Mason and Joshua into the Planning Room with Flashpoint bringing Travis behind. Altermind had told Flashpoint to take off Travis' chains but to keep a close eye on him. 

 

When they sat down in the Planning Room, Voidgaze walked in with Big Al. Altermind had kept the man on because of his random power and skills. Hearing a voice, Altermind spun and saw two people teleport into the room. The woman was the fire Epic he had been keeping in prison. Thinking, They are all good for right now. They all have triggers that will cause them to turn on you. But what those are i cant say. Even they don't know what they are, Altermind realized that Mason had been talking to him in his mind. So that's what that felt like.

 

"Sightline. Kathy. Welcome. You are willing to help us? Good." Altermind gestured at the large map of Portland that was spread out over the table. "Here is where the bank was. Corpsemaker is not going to be there anymore. I suspect he's going to come and take his revenge, either on Voidgaze and I, or the transformation Epic. If he comes near here, we'll know before he makes it into Thoughttown."

 

Let's keep the hyperobservance a secret for now. How do you feel about revealing the telepathy, Mason?

[Edgedancer]

Nighthound followed the rest of the group to the house of the… what were they called again Sardines? Not that it matters. When they arrived there and it was almost a miracle that the house was still intact, given how close to it they rampaged, he searched for some semblance of clothing. He had limited success, not that he didn´t find anything, the clothes that fitted him were just plain.

 

Let´s see if this house holds anything interesting. Bookshelves? Boring. Maybe he should just spend the night taking control of animal and set them up in a death fight to train for the dinosaurs. His attention spiked, when he found the Epic couple who were in a room full of hunting equipment. Interestingly enough they held their hands in their teleportation gesture and had a back, made from a pillowcase, with them. Yeah, not happening.

 

Nighthound turned back to the exit and exclaimed “Hey, Lightwards there are hunting trophy’s back here!” Next, he stepped into the room and laid his arm around Funtimes´ shoulder. “I can´t belief you keep this room from us. It´s literally combines Lightwards´ and mine favorite past-times,” He gestured towards Traveller´s bundle, “So what do you have there. You didn´t plan on just ditching us, did ya?”

                                                         

 

Voidgaze followed the guard into the room, as did Big Al. As she entered she saluted everyone with the muffin and sat down on one of the chairs, setting the cat on her lap and petting it. Another pair of Epics teleported in and volunteered to join, she also gave them a muffin salute. “Welcome on the team.”

After that she paid attention to Altermind´s explanation and cuddled the cat, well she mostly cuddled the cat.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Nathan froze as Nighthound entered the room. Before Funtimes could teleport, he had his arm around her shoulder. She remained impassive, but fear flickered briefly across her eyes. She couldn't go anywhere without taking Nighthound, and he was still nude, depriving her of readily available weapons.

“So what do you have there. You didn´t plan on just ditching us, did ya?”

"I don't think that's any of your business," Nathan said coldly, tugging Funtimes toward himself. "And I know there are extenuating circumstances, but there are clothes in the house. Please put some pants on before coming near my girlfriend."

Edited August 7, 2014 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles

[Kobold King]

There was an uncomfortable walk back to the Sadry residence. Lightwards entered it followed by his Warriors of Light, most of whom he directed to sleep standing on the front porch through the night. The vulture, of course, he allowed to perch on his wrist. He himself walked into the house following his new allies.

 

Funtimes and Traveler were already rummaging around in the bedroom. He heard Nighthound's voice coming from in there, saying "Hey, Lightwards there are hunting trophy’s back here!"

 

This caught his attention. Lightwards nonchalantly strode into the bedroom, which was now crowded with Epics. He was slightly taken aback by the fact that Funtimes and Traveler were holding hands in their typical teleporting position, and that Nigthound had his arm around the Doctor while smirking smugly. Traveler himself was clutching a packed travel bag. The man irritably tugged Funtimes closer to himself while glaring at the naked Epic.

 

 "I don't think that's any of your business," Traveler informed the man briskly, replying to some query Lightwards hadn't heard. "And I know there are extenuating circumstances, but there are clothes in the closet. Please put some pants on before coming near my girlfriend." 

 

"Yes, Nighthound, do be a dear and put on some clothes," Lightwards said with a chuckle from the doorway. He took a step closer into the room, gazing at the trio intently. "What do we have here? Are you three going somewhere? You didn't seem to invite me--and I thought we were getting along so well."

 

He narrowed his eyes at Traveler, whom he still regarded as the most intelligent man--apart from himself--in their strange little company. Something nagged at him whenever he thought of the ridiculous pair of Funtimes and Traveler. The Doctor couldn't possibly be as dumb as she made herself out to be, and Lightwards could tell plainly that Traveler didn't seem happy around the other two Epics. Were he and Nighthound perhaps intruding on some vague hold the teleporter had on Funtimes? Or was Traveler, like Lightwards himself, particularly cautious around other Epics?

 

He decided the best course of action, as always, was to be intimidatingly cool. So he picked up a portrait of a grinning buffoon posing near dead fish and a deer, displaying it into the room.

 

"I heard there were hunting trophies," Lightwards smiled. "Do refrain from hogging them to yourself, Traveler. I could make them so useful to us."

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Once again, Nathan found himself in a room filled with Epics. A mortal among gods. This had been the way of things at the casino, the everyday routine to which he had grown accustomed. And at the casino, he would have dipped his head, apologized, and tried to make a graceful exit before the Epics in question could think of a suitable punishment for whatever infraction they had seen or imagined. Sometimes, it had worked. Sometimes not. 

 

But now there was a difference. He was dressed like them. He had fought with them. He talked like them. And, most importantly of all, one of the Epics actually liked him. 

 

So he did what he would have never, ever done when wearing a server's uniform: He hardened his gaze into a glare, leveled it at Lightwards, and let a haughty smile curve his lips. 

 

"They're yours." Still holding one of Funtimes' hands, he reached over to a bookshelf, grabbed a stuffed rabbit, and tossed it at the necromancer. "Honestly, why you'd even think I wanted them is beyond me." 

 

He let his smile fade to a scowl, which he directed at Nighthound. "As far as our 'ditching' goes, the Doctor and I were merely heading back to our place for the night." He tipped her chin with his finger, smiling into her eyes. He saw no trace of disapproval, so he continued. "As I said we would. But you evidently weren't listening. Disturbed by a little affection, were you?" 

[Edgedancer]

Traveler´s behavior was a jackpot, getting defensive about whatever was in that bag and immediately giving Lightwards what he wanted to get rid of him. Granted, he overplayed all of that very well but Nighthound had a knack for figuring out when he got under peoples skin, it´s a very rewarding hobby.

 

Nighthound pointedly ignored the others´ pleads for him to get dressed and instead leaned over to Traveller. “I´m sorry, I think my eardrums didn´t fully regenerate at this point from being blown up. Tertiary organs like that tend to take a sweet while,”

 

At this point he completely let go of Funtimes and instead laid his arms around Traveller´s neck, pressing down just hard enough to be uncomfortable. “Still, it´s not nice to leave your team alone so soon after founding it. We could all have one big sleep over at your place,” He blew softly against the other Epic´s ear, “I also don´t have any problems with physical affection, even if it doesn´t involve hugging you girlfriend.” Nighthound´s smile was downright demonic, spreading from one ear to the other. Come on, squirm for me.

[Mailliw73]

"Travis, you're now Head of Information. Flash, you're still in charge of Security. Psy, Voidgaze, and I are in charge. Sightline, what can you do? Teleporting is obvious, do you have anything else?" Altermind began delegating responsibilities. "Flash, I need you to choose fifteen of the most trustworthy guards we have and send them out as spies. Disperse them throughout the city and give them a secure, direct connection to us on their mobiles. Anything they see out of the ordinary, they tell us immediately." 

 

"Al, you're in charge of food. Keep us fed while we plan. Kathy, what are the extents of your powers? You can light yourself up on fire, but what else is there? We need to know all our resources we have available. Corpsemaker has himself, plus a strong electric Epic, and Scorch. Fire, electricity, death stare, and power nullification. We need to be able to combat them."

[A Joe in the Bush]

"I can Teleport, and I know mixed Martial Arts. I also have connections with several of the main Information centers throughout the city.

 

Best of all, I once stuck CorpseMaker in a wall for a week, and he's Sworn Vengeance. So I have bait.

 

Also, sorry about your guards. Some of them killed eachother While I was breaking in."

[Mailliw73]

Mason? I need you to be a Lie Detector for me. When I ask what their powers are, I want you to tell me what goes through their heads. Then we'll compare it to what they say.

"Good to know. You stuck Corpsemaker in a wall?" Altermind chuckled. "I bet he wasn't happy about that. "Flashpoint, make sure to send a scribe to assign new guards from the district on your way out."

Kathy quietly told Altermind, "I can heat things up and throw fire as well as put up a heat field. That's all I can do."

Flashpoint nodded and saluted Altermind. He headed out, but stopped to tell a scribe to hire some new guards from Thoughttown's residents. He walked out and chose some guards. Taking one of the trucks, he brought the guards to random locations throughout the city. "You know what to do," he told the last guard. "You see anything strange, tell me or the Boss. Got it?" The guard nodded his assent and left to search for things out of the ordinary.

Edited August 7, 2014 by Mailliw73

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Nathan tensed. He knew it was a show of weakness, but he was being accosted by a nude Epic who enjoyed every minute of his discomfort. He couldn't help it.

As his panicked brain tried to think of a means of escape, Funtimes tiptoed over, stood as tall as her short frame would allow, and cupped her hands around Nighthound's ear. "THEYRE STILL HEALING? BET ITD HURT IF WE ALL STARTED SHOUTING ABOUT LOUD NOISES, HUH?"

[Kobold King]

Lightwards caught the stuffed bunny and restored it to life in an instant. He set the rabbit on the ground. It merely sat staring vacantly up at him.

 

The bunny, of course, was not what he found most interesting at the moment. He continued watching as Nighthound draped himself over Traveler, very obviously enjoying the latter's discomfort. Lightwards simply leaned into a wall and watched the whole thing unfold.

 

He liked to think of himself as a perceptive individual, though the truth of the matter was that he rarely picked up subtle clues about other people even when they were staring him in the face. What he usually picked up was a vague sense of uneasiness, an amorphous cloud of doubt that everything was as it seemed. Maybe it was intuition, maybe it was paranoia. The old university president thought it was paranoia. Fat old buffoon. Lightwards hadn't even bothered raising him--

 

He winced as Doctor Funtimes leaned into Nighthound and screamed into his ear.  "THEYRE STILL HEALING? BET ITD HURT IF WE ALL STARTED SHOUTING ABOUT LOUD NOISES, HUH?" 

 

Lightwards laughed as the feral Epic let out a pained yelp. He immediately fell back into thoughtfulness. While previously he'd been come to peace with sleeping in a house full of other Epics, Nighthound's presence changed all of that. There was no way in Calamity that he'd willingly sleep in the same house as that lunatic. And after seeing the Epic couple's make-out session in the middle of the street, he'd changed his mind at the idea of sleeping across the hall from them. If they engaged in any... shenanigans, then he wanted them located very far away while they engaged in them.

 

So instead, he nudged the bunny into the hallway, with whispered instructions that somehow reached its delicate ears.

 

"It's been a good evening, gentlemen. And lady," he said smoothly, nodding towards Doctor Funtimes. "I think it's time we all retire for the night. Personally, I can't see that it's any of my business where everyone takes their rest. I say we split up and use the houses all around us. I'm sure the residents won't mind. At least not for long or too loudly." He gave the room a wide smile, trying to show his teeth as much as possible.  He'd once taught his students that lower primates showed teeth as a way of showing dominance. Although it felt like taking a step backwards, there was no denying that he'd seen it used to great effect.

 

The bunny came back from the bedroom across the hall with a museum pamphlet clenched firmly in its little jaws. Lightwards politely took it and handed it to Nighthound.

 

"This pamphlet contains directions to the Portland Museum of Natural History. Traveler has already studied its location on a map, and I of course know its address by heart. You're the only one of us to be oblivious to its whereabouts. So..."

 

Lightwards gathered his vulture and turned around towards the hall. "I propose that we go our separate ways for the night, and convene at the museum tomorrow morning." He gave another lower-primate, teeth-showing smile. "Then we make our little foray into Oregon history."

[Edgedancer]

Blasting woman screamed right into his ear. "THEYRE STILL HEALING? BET ITD HURT IF WE ALL STARTED SHOUTING ABOUT LOUD NOISES, HUH?" Yes it would. Nighthound flinched back and let out a little yelp. Do they honestly think that getting me angry is a good idea while I´m holding his throat?

 

Before he got the chance to retaliate, Lightwards tried to persuade everyone to go to sleep and offered him a pamphlet for the museum. Guess, at this point I would be pushing my luck. Nighthound let go of Traveler, walked towards the door and grabbed the pamphlet. “Sure, I´ll look at it, never hurts to be prepared. Anyway, what´s wrong with your teeth? You look ridiculous.”

 

Nighthound looked for another house in the neighborhood. Sadly, it was already empty, he would have liked to test out Lightwards´ theory. Now is there anything interesting here?

[Matrim Bloody Cauthon]

they're clean. ask Kathy about how she realized she was an epic though. just to be sure. and yes I would like my telepathic powers secret. i told voidgaze to keep silent about it.

 

Then Altermind heard Josh's voice over the telepathic connection. what resources do we have so far. i ask you this in private because we don't know what the future holds for this team. we don't want another telepath reading it from their mind.

[Mailliw73]

I will keep your powers silent for now, but there may come a point where we will need to reveal them to operate in battle effectively.

 

Josh, we have us nine here, the spies Flashpoint is sending out, all of Thoughttown's resources, Sightline knows informants, and the rest I don't know.

 

Altermind was busy responding to the two in his mind that he didn't realize he had been sitting there quietly for a minute or two. "Voidgaze, do you have any additional resources to add to the team? How about you, Psy-Fi, do you guys know anyone or have anything saved? Travis, when Flashpoint gets back, he'll take you to your place to get any photos you have relating to Corpsemaker. If you have anything on that electric Epic or Scorch, bring that too. We need to organize this people!" Altermind began organizing. "Battles are fought by organization. Power will come into play, but without organization, we're a bunch of little kids running around playing 'War,'" Altermind told the group. 

[Voidus]

Purple Phoenix strode along the river, anxious to reach his destination. He'd had to start travelling off road as he neared, too many people who might see him, and how could they deny that the glory they saw must surely be one of the divine Epics? Over the past days he'd met many people travelling in the opposite direction, as anyone with half a brain is want to do when Epics start fighting in their city, but still some of the stories he'd heard seemed to outlandish to believe no matter how many epics were involved, buildings turned into bouncy castles? What kind of sane person would do something like that, he shook his head lamenting the fate some of his fellow epics had fallen to.
"Well you're not exactly sane yourself you know." His Voice whispered in his mind.
It was getting into the habit of doing that more and more lately, at first it had only warned of danger, he'd thought he might have received powers of precognition but now he just had no idea what it was and tried to ignore it. The voice was clearly insane.
He juggled some of his slightly glowing pebbles as he marched into the battlegrounds, nothing around to destroy which was getting annoying, he couldn't destroy anything while travelling, the voice kept telling him not to, telling him that it might kill him. He didn't think the Voice knew about his reincarnation, which was good he supposed, best to keep it hidden, still how did it not notice that he died every night? How did the Voice explain that? Well Purple Phoenix wasn't exactly sure that he could explain it either, not the dying part anyway, he still wasn't sure which Epic kept doing it, making his eyes heavy, paralyzing him, filling his mind with bizzare halucinations and then killing him leaving him in an empty void for hours until he reincarnated in the mornings, who had such a wide array of powers? And why keep trying once it obviously didn't work? Probably just Jealous, he thought to himself.
Off in the distance he became increasingly aware of some very noisy activity, and this late at night and that loud noisy meant Epics, he'd thought for a moment that he'd seen a Jet before but had decided he must be imagining it.
"Well" He said to no one in particular. "Best start off with a stealthy approach to sift the facts out of those rumours"
He stalked as stealthily as he could towards the battlefield, certain now that it was epics, he'd heard several explosions and what sounded like either a fairly skilled fire Epic or else a team of Flamethrowers.
In his stealth however he'd moved too slowly, coming across some of the most bizarre battlefield remnants he'd ever seen, singed carpets, some kind of twisted idea of a tank, and yes that was definitely a Jet. However all the participants seemed to be retreating, he only just caught the end of their conversation, something about Dinosaurs and sisters? 
​Hmm... these ones will need to be followed carefully.

[Matrim Bloody Cauthon]

I understand. but the time is not right for revealing it.

 

"No we really don't have any other resources within a five day radius. it was just me and Mason," Psy-fi replied.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Nighthound practically shoved him aside, and Nathan barely managed to regain his footing. He straightened his duster with a huff and a pounding heart. 

 

"As I was saying, the Doctor and I will spend the night at our own place, and meet you there in the morning." Lightwards, for some reason, seemed intent on showing every one of his teeth as though he had just purchased them. 

 

"Anyway, what's wrong with your teeth? You look ridiculous." Funtimes did not giggle, but she did smile, and Nathan knew he wasn't the only one who agreed. If he wasn't terrified of the man….

 

No, Nathan Sperry was terrified of him. The Traveler feared no one. Frowning, he tilted his head in mock concern. "Next time you're hungry, Lightwards, Funtimes would be more than happy to fix something for you. Street cart tacos are always more trouble than they're worth." 

 

"They do things to you," Funtimes added in her spookiest voice. 

 

Laughing with her, he took her hands, and the Sadrys' house vanished. 

 

----------------------------------

The Tillamook cottage hadn't been home for long, but its garishly colored walls and bright rugs had never seemed more welcoming. Nathan carried the pack into his room, dropped it in the closet, and closed the door. With any luck, Funtimes would forget about it come morning. 

 

He changed into his pajamas and hung his suit and duster in the closet. The thought of a street cart taco was tempting, but he didn't trust himself not to fall asleep halfway through. He could grab something in the morning before the museum heist. 

 

The thought made his stomach turn. Tomorrow, he would meet with a delusional necromancer and an Epic who enjoyed nudity far too much and bring dinosaurs back from the dead. And then after that? 

 

Take each thing as it comes. 

 

Nathan crawled into bed as the sound of running water blended with the sound of Doctor Funtimes singing about a high silk hat. He smiled, laid his head on the pillow, and was soon asleep. 

 

He woke when something settled in the bed beside him. 

 

"Hi there." 

 

"Hi." Somehow, he managed not to jump out of bed screaming. "What're you doing here?" 

 

"Sleeping. Well, not now, but soon." 

 

"It's a twin bed." 

 

She giggled. "Not anymore." 

 

Nathan looked down and saw he was now on one side of a full-size bed. The nightstand was gone, and it was lower to the ground than the twin bed had been. He had thought it seemed a bit wide. "Why? I mean—you made separate bedrooms before, I assumed you wanted to—er—sleep alone." 

 

Doctor Funtimes scooted closer, until she had one arm draped over his chest and her head resting on his shoulder, smiling up at him. "If Nighthound gets this far, I'll be here instead of over there." 

 

He lay his head back on the pillow. "So you don't like him, either." 

 

"He's a dirty meanieface full of lame." 

 

Fortuity. She had applied the same description to Fortuity. "That's why he seemed so familiar." 

 

She snuggled down under the covers, hugging him a little closer, and laid her head on his chest. If he could feel her breath through his pajama top, she could feel his heart racing. And why shouldn't it be? A beautiful woman in his bed was reason enough, but add to her beauty the fact she could turn his pajamas into snakes or the bed into a pool of water and drown him while he slept, and he had a recipe for a long night. 

 

Before long, her breathing evened out. She was asleep. Nathan allowed himself to relax. She seemed to have a good grip on her powers. Nothing was likely to change shape or form while she slept. 

 

She wasn't like the others. Nighthound enjoyed causing mayhem, pain, leaving destruction in his wake. He killed because he enjoyed it. That was easy to understand. Lightwards, too, was easy to understand: He thought the world would be better off as subjects of his bizarre empire, stripped of their will. He wasn't complicated. Egotistical and delusional, yes, but not complicated. 

 

Funtimes was complicated. 

 

She should have laughed as he died, but she had stolen him instead. She should have killed him in the forest, but she had dressed him like an Epic. Rather than abandoning him to CorpseMaker or Lightwards or Nighthound, she had passed him off as her boyfriend—not her servant, or her pet, but her boyfriend—before deciding that carpet bombing involved actual carpet. 

 

She was smarter than she looked. Smart enough to steal him. Smart enough to fool three Epics. Smart enough to keep him by her side. 

 

But why? 

 

Nathan's last thought before drifting off to sleep was that he liked having her there, liked the way she held him close even as she slept. 

[A Joe in the Bush]

Sightline watched as everyone just sat there thinking for a Minute, and then Altermind burst into a frenzy of preparation. He stepped forward.  "Before I help you on any active Assignments, I need to visit an Old Friend to get my foot fixed. The Bandages are leaking again. I'll send a messenger with my location so that you can find me." Without waiting for an answer, he teleported out the open door and into the hall way. He didn't walk much, teleporting as much as possible to keep wait off his foot. He shouldn't have waited so long before getting it seen to. When he reached the street, he continued teleporting East towards the Church.

[Edgedancer]

Sparks but that cat is cute. Just the way it stretched itself and-

Did Altermind just say she´s in charge? Voidgaze leaned down to the cat. “Did you hear that little whity? I get to command soldiers. It´s gonna be awesome.”

 

She only paid proper attention again, when Altermind asked her directly if she had any resources. “Um, I have my house hooked on a generator and I know that there´s another Epic running around town no one mentioned that made it pretty clear that he wants to mess with all the big Epics in town, had a greatly strengthened body, you know strength speed that stuff and a pretty fast healing factor to boot plus some kind of mind control trick, he´s also an even bigger slontze than Corpsemaker and got some weird black mist around himself, apart from that… do CD-Sets of old pre Calamity series and movies count? Oh, and I have a cat,” Voidgaze held up the cat, “I don´t think she´s going to help, though, so forget I brought her up.”

 

After she finished her explanation Sightline teleprted away apperently to get his foot fixed. Hopefully he´s going to be okay... he didn´t go away because she rambled so much, did he?

Edited August 8, 2014 by Edgedancer

[Voidus]

Purple Phoenix finally found a house close by that was the right distance and already abandoned, he hated having to evict tenants, his powers got... messy when used on living things, and it brought forth unpleasant feelings unworthy of a being such as he, almost he could remember...

"No! Not that, not again! Need to prepare, need to wait, yes nearly night that Epic will strike again. Yes. Jealousy that must be it."

He whispered into his darkened room continuously trying to stave off his invisible foe, but inevitably as it always did the powers claimed him, his eyes drooped and he imagined the strangest things.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Protector sat up, moving his body, testing his limbs. A full nights work ahead, poor Phoenix was going to be tired in the morning. He moved out of the room, began collecting supplies for the coming day, he was in a city full of Epics, he would definitely need to be prepared if Phoenix was going to survive this, they'd confronted Epics before, even killed quite a few and not just lesser Epics, but never in such numbers.
"Ah, I knew it was a mistake to keep encouraging him, he's just getting more and more overconfident." he hissed.

Slipping off his deep purple coat he changed into his full dark suit, left his bowler hat by the door and strode out into the night, he needed to track down those Epics from before, find out where they were going, something about reptiles? A zoo? No, Dinosaurs! How on earth do they plan on doing anything with species that are long since extinct he wondered.

Well we're in for a long night of stalking Phoenix, I'll leave you prepared tomorrow. I just wish you'd follow my voices advice more often.

[Mailliw73]

I understand.

 

"So we've covered all our basic resources. There's another Epic threatening us? A strength gifter, it sounds like. That's difficult. He'll be hard to kill. We need to get our spies looking for him too," Altermind told the group. "Flashpoint," Altermind said over his mobile, "tell the guards you're sending out to watch for someone with strength powers or black mist around them. We found out about a new Strength Gifter."

 

"Yessir," came the response over the mobile. 

 

Sightline teleported away with a short explanation, and Altermind sighed. Getting these big-headed Epics to work together would be harder than he had thought. Especially with so many. "For now, I'll send guards to show you to living quarters you can stay in for now. We'll reconvene in the morning when Sightline and Flashpoint return." 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Travis was shown to his room by a guard, but as soon as he sat down, Flashpoint walked into his room. "Boss says we're to go pick up your pictures. Luckily, I can fly, since it's just you. Let's go," the Epic told him. They walked outside and Flashpoint picked Travis up and flew away.

[Kobold King]

Funtimes and Traveler said weird things and teleported away. Nighthound sneered at everyone and left the house. Lightwards was beginning to get a good feel for their group dynamic.

 

So for the second time that night, it was time for him to settle down to sleep. This time his stomach rumbled a little more than usual, so he opened up a can of spam and sat on the bed for a little while.

 

"Things could be worse," he explained to the vulture, letting it nibble on a slice of spam. "I have an alliance. A loose one, but it will hold for however long it needs to."

 

At another time, he might have felt the need to gloat or smile into the mirror. But not now. Now he existed in a state of exhaustion and satisfaction. For the first time since he left the university, things were finally going his way.

 

He settled down in his bed, the Warrior vulture perched on the headboard above him. Keeping watch over the night. Good bird, Lightwards thought sleepily, It'll almost be sad to replace him with a pterodactyl tomorrow...

 

With a weary smile, he fell into a deep sleep, filled to the brims with dreams. Dreams of domination and dinosaurs.

[Edgedancer]

Voidgaze followed a guard to her room, it was plain with blank walls and white bed sheets, perfect just like home. She let the cat down, so it could run of and dismissed the guard. It´s fun to get to order people around for once. After she was alone in the room she got out of her cloak, the lighter clothes she wore underneath would make for a decent pajama, and get into the bed.

 

Okay, to resume this day was… pretty rusting horrible. Murdered three times, house destroyed and involved in an annoying turf war, yup horrible. On the plus side she got to hop around in a bouncy castle, cuddle a cat and have a proper conversation with someone that didn´t even attempt to kill her. Guess the day could have been worse.