What Happened in Portland

[Tulir he/him]

Parity quickly shifted her attention as a group of Epics walked around the corner.  Well, I guess the killing of that rat Epic caused lots of people to show up.  She listened as a man introduced himself, then watched in surprise as the child took some control.  Interesting, maybe he doesn't have any common sense?  

 

"Forgive me for butting in, but who is this Lightwards?  I have lived in this city for a while, and I have never heard of him." Parity asked as she walked towards the larger group.

[Voidus]

 

"Thank you for your help, SoulSwitch. As a reward for your help, this griffin is yours. You helped protect me and my creatures and I owe you. His name is Tyncles. He is yours to use as you wish. Please do not leave this one to die. He is a noble creature." Chimera said, sticking out a hand.
Soulswitch grasped it, he liked Chimera, the Epic had never double crossed him even when it might have bought him the favor of more powerful Epics.
"Thanks Chi,  I'll put in a good word for you with Penumbra, make sure we don't attack the zoo. But there's factions forming, one of them will try to recruit or kill you sooner or later, and I'm not talking about lesser Epics like metalhead over there, Corpsemaker has been out recruiting, he's got himself an army."
He jumped into Tyncles, and took off, back towards Penumbra's hideout.
He hoped that Chimera survived, it'd be a shame to loose all the animals the man produced.

[Kobold King he/him]

 

"Hi there," the kid greeted happily. "I'm the Sandman, and this grumpus here is Fade. We have come from vast distances to ally ourselves with the mighty Lightwards. How fortunate we were met by someone who knows him. You can take us to him I hope?"

 

"Of course," Aldo replied, giving his most fatherly smile. He met the kid's gaze and then glanced at the older Epic. Both the boy and the old man had the same grey eyes--given their respective ages, he guessed that they were grandfather and grandson.

 

"Forgive me for butting in," interrupted the brightly dressed woman, "but who is this Lightwards?  I have lived in this city for a while, and I have never heard of him."

 

"Oh, you wouldn't have," said Aldo, twirling around and adjusting his smile to be more charming. "If Lightwards had lived here this whole time, you'd have seen quite a few more of his Warriors."

 

Before he could continue, Backtrack took a few steps forward of his own, smiling at the female Epic and gesturing to the sky.

 

"Take a look above your pretty little head, doll," Backtrack said with a slight drawl. "See that museum, floating in the sky all cool and majestic? That wasn't there till yesterday. Lightwards and his mates took it from the Epics there, and they've been sprucing it up ever since. And I should stress that this is all after two days of Lightwards being in town."

 

Cricket folded her arms and glared at him. "You in love with this guy, are you?"

 

Backtrack winked back at her. "Just building up to the best part. Lightwards is giving away free dinosaurs."

 

 

 

Nathan stared at them with a look of incredulity. For a moment, Sam caught herself casting a glance over her shoulder to make sure Lightwards or Nighthound wasn't standing behind her.

 

But whatever had surprised the guy seemed to fade from his mind. "I don't even know why she kissed me in the first place," he said flatly.

 

Sam stared at him expectantly.

 

"But I'm pretty sure she'd want to give all the zombies clown outfits, if she found out what we're doing. Conscript them into party duty or something like that," he added quickly, smiling a little. "But if we tell her he's making threats, she'll probably want to hear everything. So we'll have to make sure he's actually threatening us, if we want her to believe that side of it." 

 

That will be the easy part.

 

"We should try and get him to say something whimsical or cute," Nathan continued. "So if she finds out what we're doing, we can tell her we were trying to get them to throw a party for her, or decorate the town in streamers, or something like that." His smile broadened. "Getting him to say anything halfway fun will be hard enough that she won't wonder why it's taken us so long."

 

She laughed at that. "Well, getting Lightwards to threaten us will be a piece of cake."

 

"He's already threatened to revoke our mouth privileges," Revolution added, smiling. "If we get Sam to do her impression where he can hear, he'll probably treat us to more of that charming creativity."

 

"Consider it done," Sam said with a grin of her own. "Only..." She trailed off for a second, casting a glance to the distant Epics. "Nathan's right," she sighed. "Lightwards thinks he's a big deal, but he's just a puppet. Funtimes is the real empress, and I don't even know what Nighthound is."

 

Revolution nodded thoughtfully. "We'll have to make sure they're all preoccupied when we make our get away. If they're like other Epics, they should start fighting their neighbors pretty quickly."

 

"We'll get plenty of chances if they start fighting Altermind or CorpseMaker," Sam agreed. "We just need to get those recordings."

 

She turned to Nathan. "Anything else on our agenda?"

[Fatebreaker he/him]

"Lightwards is giving away free dinosaurs."

 

Sandman grinned from ear to ear. Now he was talking. He even ignored the condescending smile the man gave him. he looked up at the floating building with anticipation. He had noticed it of course, but he hadn't had any way of knowing that it belonged to Lightwards. He couldn't wait to get up there.

 

His grandfather however seemed less than thrilled. 

"Only two days?" His tone was neutral, but Sandman knew what his grandfather meant. Sandman was not aware that Lightwards and his kingdom were so new. The man he had Met had made it seem like Lightwards was more more thoroughly established. Empires could rise and fall within a week when Epics were involved, and this empire was only two days old. Fade would never have agreed to check it out if he knew it was so new. He didn't take his eyes off the other Epics, but Sandman could feel his grandfather's gaze boring into the back of his head. He was going to have a hard time selling this one. He turned back to Fade.

 

"Look," he said, "with a newer kingdom we have a good chance of gaining premium positions. You can help shape this empire into something you prefer. Plus you already gave your word. Let's just check it out, and if we find it unacceptable, we can leave. You know we're good at that."

 

Fade's scowl only deepened, but he nodded grudgingly. 

 

Sandman turned back to the magician.

 

"We are agreed. Take us to this Lightwards."

Edited September 28, 2014 by Fatebreaker

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Make our getaway. Revolution may as well have suggested they affix portraits of Lightwards to the raptors' backsides and parade them through the city. People didn't escape from Epics. They ran, sure, but that ended as well as could be expected. The safer option was to stay under the radar, do as commanded and pray not to be noticed.

Not that it helped you any.

Six months. From the day he was hired to the end of his first December at the casino, Nathan had been certain each day would be his last.

Two years. That was how long he had spent watching. Listening. Serving Epics and learning from them, becoming slowly more adept at evading their wrath.

One year. Over that year he had grown steadily more confident. Beatings decreased. Compliments, such as they were, increased.

Six months. He was a pro. He had outlasted many, survived Epics known to kill on sight. He was a fixture there, the one new servers sought for advice. He and the other long-timers gathered in their apartments to regale the newbies with tales of the more ridiculous Epics they'd seen. He knew his job and did it well. His experience kept him safe.

One night.

One minute.

One question and Fortuity dashed that notion to bits.

Compared to Funtimes, Fortuity was the picture of sanity and stability. 

"She can teleport, so we have to make sure we leave when she can't follow. And if we can swing it..." He glanced over his shoulder, saw they were just as alone as they had been before, and lowered his voice anyway. "If we can swing it, we should convince her we'd be better off leaving without her. So she can stay behind and fight while we look for safer ground, then let her think we just got separated or something. To do that, we'd need to earn her trust, which means...."

He broke off with a small chuckle and a rueful smile. "Any date ideas for a guy whose girlfriend thinks Calamity is the Flying Spaghetti Monster?"

Edited September 25, 2014 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Altermind needed to call a council. There were things to discuss, people to introduce, and plans to make. After he told Flashpoint of Scorch's death, he sent out to the security Epic and the guards who were near the other Epics a message to meet in the Planning Room in ten minutes.

He arrived after only Al. The greasy man was sitting at the table with one of his ever-present sausage sandwiches that contributed to his large girth. As he swallowed, he said a quick hello. Altermind nodded and took his seat in his large chair that was just shy of being a throne. It was large and soft and extremely comfortable. It sat at the head of the table in the back of the room. The others began to come into the room, by pairs and by themselves.

"Hello everyone. There are some people here you may find unfamiliar," Altermind said once everyone arrived. "I have news to share, but first, introductions. Here, you Epics all carry equal weight and your suggestions do as well. Share your thoughts and we'll get through this less painfully." Altermind added a small auditory hallucination of his voice becoming a little louder to make sure it was heard throughout the room.

"I'll get this done real quick. If you have to add more to your description, do so when I am done speaking. Flashpoint," he gestured, "can emit small electric pulses and fly. He is head of security and my right hand man. Sightline, who is gone on a mission currently, is a teleporter and has extremely good vision. He'll most likely be wearing a blindfold. Currently, he and Voidgaze, a Resurrection Epic who can control white objects, are meeting with the Empire of Light to discuss our alliance. Al here creates this food. Kathy is our fire Epic. Travis is a photographer human. He has research on other Epics." Altermind explained why a human was at their meeting.

"These three on the end are new. Panacea, Strongsteel, and Mare. A healer. One who can strengthen things and coat them in steel. Mare can create fanged shadow horses. I believe that's every-" he was interrupted as a call came over his mobile. Exasperated, he answered it, "What?" He barked. The soldier explained that there was an Epic who was heading towards the building right now. He had caused all the guards to feel intoxicated and they had been unable to stop him.

Altermind was about to tell the assembled group when a man with long, black hair strode in. "My name is Intervention. I'm here to join you," he said.

"Perfect," said Altermind, sitting in his chair. He was tired of so many Epics. They all wanted the spotlight and their own power. "We were just introducing ourselves."

"I heard," the man said. He walked up to the table and took an empty seat, keeping a hand on his staff. "I can intoxicate others and full glass with alcohol. I've killed my share of cruel Epics. I'm here to help you. Corpsemaker sounds just like the dictators I hate."

[Tulir he/him]

Parity was about to speak out, when Sandman and Fade started conversing.  She stopped what she was about to say.  Truthfully, Parity hadn't noticed the new speck in the sky.  The last few days had been spent hunting the origin of the rats, and if it was created before that, well, it was small in the sky, right?  Anyone could have missed it.  

 

As she was still mulling her habit of not looking up, Sandman spoke up.  "We are agreed. Take us to this Lightwards."  If that's what they want, fine.  Doesn't really leave me with much of a choice, seeing as taking down enemy Epics is the right thing to do in their shoes.  And dinosaurs did sound intriguing. 

 

"I will follow along as well." Parity said as she walked to the other side to avoid Sandman, Fade and the man who interrupted the main speaker to chide her.  If there is another faction, then survival is definitely not an option without picking a side.

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

Sightline stepped forward, interrupting the current group. “People, I’m sure you’re petty little discussions are quite Important to you, but some of us have Tasks of actual Importance.” Eyes, but these people were talkative, yet they didn’t say anything. “Our Mutual Friend, Altermind, wishes to arrange a meeting with you.” As he said this, he turned to Funtimes, she obviously scared the Necromancer, and this would just put more fuel on the sparks. “Lady, If you could pick a Representative, I would be glad to take them to Altermind.” That ought to stir the pot a bit.

 

[Voidus]

Refill stood in a large room crowded with people, Zip standing at his side, it had taken them hours to find and bring all of these Epics together, but they'd done it, they'd started on his plan, the plan to bring down the so called 'High' Epics.

"Welcome one and all!" He cried to the crowd. "To the first meeting of the Epics Alliance!"

There was a small smattering of applause at this, most people just glared at him.

"Too long have we all been forced into either hiding or servitude to these self-styled 'High' Epics, well I tell you that even the most minor of Epic powers can be lethal! Many of you may know, until recently I was forced to serve at a bar, using my powers to top up drinks! All thanks to the likes of Altermind and Corpsemaker."

He gestured to the pile of bones and flesh, that rested in a corner, swimming in blood.

"But even such powers as mine can become lethal if properly applied, I tell you this because I want my own empire!"

I did not mean to say that last part. Refill thought to himself, quickly scanning the crowd and finding Subtext.

"Subtext can't you turn that off? I was right in the middle of a speech..."
He felt a pressure leave his mind.

"You see though? Many consider Subtexts powers to be virtually useless, he's just a less powerful telepath, but his abilities reveal thought to all, not just him! We all are great, we all are Epics!"

The crowd seemed to be warming to his speech, he spotted Stitch cheering him on from the back, flanked by Latermind, who'd started cheering before he'd even finished.
Refill smiled to himself, satisfied with the response.
Time to take those leaders down a peg or two.

Jeff followed Aldo with the rest of the group, Marigold had threaded her arm through his again after they'd picked up the trio which they'd met after those explosions.

If Lightwards' recruiting parties are all going to be this successful then his empire is going to expand far too quickly to be stopped, but then with mistrust between them so high it could all be destroyed by infighting.

They'd reached the underside of the museum to find a gigantic pillar of diamond protruding from the ground all the way up to the museum.
"Anyone you know?" Jeff asked Aldo, though from the look on his face he knew nothing about this. "Funtimes launching it into the sky was extravagant enough, now we need diamond flagpoles?"

"How are you proposing that we reach the museum if this 'Funtimes' has made it fly?" Saccharine asked.

"We can take care of that" One of the twins said with a grin, grabbing a piece of rubble from the ground. "See?"

With her last comment the rock shot out of her hand arcing towards the museum and was quickly out of sight. Jeff was about to reply when with a mighty crack! The rock landed again, shattering into a thousand pieces.
The group exchanged skeptical glances.

"Maybe someone else can try?" Jeff asked. He stepped up to the diamond structure, it seemed to be sturdy, it should hold their weight.
He closed his eyes briefly, shadows rippling out from him to grasp around the diamonds, then flattening and forming a dark floor underneath the group.
Any more than this and that voice is going to go out of control again.
Shrinking the floor slightly and forming some thin rails he slowly raised the floor, using the diamonds to support most of the weight they slowly climbed their way up.
Up towards the necromancer, the insane genius, and the dinosaurs.
 

[Fatebreaker he/him]

Dodgeball and Growthspurt cheered along with the others. Here was a cause they could get behind. Once the speech was over, they made their way to the front. They found the Epic who had been speaking in conversation with other minor Epics and Dodgeball tapped him on the shoulder. 

 

"We're in. We're ready to finally stand up for ourselves and become a part of something greater, like you said. Epic alliance all the way dude!"

 

He grinned and raised his hand for a high-five. Growthspurt sighed and shook his head. This was a poor first impression. If only they could do it over, try and sound more mature. Teenage Epics were often underestimated and devalued, so first impressions were key. They'd probably get stuck with a lame job, like janitor work or guard duty. He wanted to just ignore Dodge and make his own introduction. But he also Dodge wasn't going to put his hand down until he got a high-five. And he also knew what would happen when he tried to give Dodge a high-five. He tried anyway, and gave a small groan of exasperation when Dodge inevitably pulled his hand away, yelling, "Too slow!"

 

Growthspurt turned back to the Epic, "Sorry about that, he's really hyper. But that's that's what you get when you've got perpetual energy. I'm Growth spurt and he's Dodgeball," Dodge took and exaggerated bow "and we're extremely useful epics. I can make things longer or shorter and he can dodge anything. Need a ladder to reach the top of a four story building? No problem, just get me a step stool. Need to get someone past enemy gunmen to open a door? Dodge is your go-to guy. So what's the plan? We gonna kill some Epics? Establish Territory? What?"

 

Suddenly Dodge had an Idea. He turned to Refill, "Oh! I remembered that there's an Epic who's set up shop in the zoo who sells crazy animals that obey you! We could check that out! Or we could go on a raid mess some stuff up! Or we could go steal all the cocoa puffs at Walmart!"

 

Growth groaned. Dodge had no sense of propriety...

Edited September 25, 2014 by Fatebreaker

[Kobold King he/him]

 

 "Any date ideas for a guy whose girlfriend thinks Calamity is the Flying Spaghetti Monster?" Nathan said with a nervous smile.

 

Sam stared at him with an eyebrow cocked for a moment. "You're kidding. About the Spaghetti Monster, I mean."

 

From the look on his face, he wasn't kidding. Sam bit her lip to keep herself from laughing and thought for a minute.

 

"She definitely likes parties," she suggested finally. "Anything whimsical, really. I get the feeling she's kind of fed up with the stuck-up Epics she's working with, so she'll probably like us more if we follow in her footsteps. You know, act random and spread pink things everywhere."

 

She sighed and raised a foot off the ground. "Which means I'll probably have to act way more pleased about these shoes than I am."

 

 

 

Lightwards' eye twitched.

 

He thought that he had made it perfectly clear who was in charge of this Empire. He had the dinosaurs. He had the Warriors. He had shown everyone how willing he was to wield them against anyone who stood in his way. Calamity, he was the one who'd came up with this idea in the first place.

 

And yet, Sightline turned not to him with talk of representatives, but to the Epic who was least suited towards any kind of decision-making.

 

For a moment, it almost seemed that Doctor Funtimes didn't want to deal with this matter any more than Lightwards wanted her to. But her eyes glittered over him, causing her pursed lips to spread into a wide grin.

 

"Representatives are for baby meaniefaces," she explained happily, patting Sightline on the cheek. "If Altermind wants a meeting, I'm going myself and taking all my friends."

 

Well, at least she acknowledges just how much she needs me, Lightwards thought irritably. She wouldn't be bringing me up if she didn't realize how much she needs my rationality for this--

 

Then her vanilla hunter spoke. "Who's your friend here, Doc?"

 

"You, duh!" she giggled in reply. "And Traveler, and Sam, and Revolution, and the Unicyclist. They're all my friends." She paused long enough to giggle in an even more bubbly manner, smiling cheekily at Lightwards. "You can come too, if you want."

 

Lightwards tried hard not to let his jaw drop. This was not happening. His carefully planned Empire was not being usurped by this pink tyrant, this glittering... usurper.

 

He'd raise his gun now if he thought it wouldn't turn to cheese in his hand. He'd order the dinosaurs to advance and kill everyone in the room if he believed for an instant they wouldn't be trapped in tar or taffy the moment they stepped forward.

 

Clearly this was not the time to strike back against her. But to Calamity was he going to have those idiots of hers snarking around like the spoiled brats they were during an important conference.

 

He walked forwards, giving Funtimes an icy smile of his own. "My coming was never disputed," he told her, letting his cold rage filter into his tone. "This is, after all, my Empire, built from my plans and my Warriors and my blood."

 

He took a deep breath before continuing. "You're welcome to stand by my side when I meet with my allies. I'm sure your input will be quite valuable." Now he paused. He had to find some way of appeasing her while still drawing the line somewhere. "Traveler as well," he added, "is a bright young Epic. He's welcome to speak at our meeting."

 

Traveler at least knew some semblance of respect, aside from those smug smiles of his.

 

"Your vanillas keep their mouths shut during the meeting," he finished, meeting Funtimes gaze. "I won't have them disrespecting Altermind while we discuss matters of consequence."

[Kobold King he/him]

 

 

"You'd know all about consequences, wouldn't you, Emperor?"

 

Lightwards shot his head around, glaring at the hunter. The man was shooting him a glare to rival the raptor's, his fingers occasionally itching for the rifle on his back. Lightwards ground his own teeth and met his gaze. He'd at first assumed the man to be a hidden Epic--who else would dare speak to his betters with such contempt?

 

It was clear now though. This hunter was just another pet with no respect for those placed above him. Same as Traveler. Same as the goth girl. Same as the young hippie woman. Just a mortal man with an unfathomable grudge against authority.

 

And absolutely no threat at all. Lightwards turned away from him with what he hoped was a derisive sniff, instead focusing on Funtimes. 

 

"They'll be quiet," The Doctor was saying, zipping her hand across her mouth. "If you're nice to them." 

 

"Yep," added the hunter, "Hold up your end, we'll hold up ours."

 

Once again, Lightwards couldn't help but to snap around and glare at the man. Standing there with his cocked eyebrow, looking somehow furiously pleased with himself. Doesn't that man know when to shut up?

 

Lightwards felt his mouth opening to fire off an angry reply of his own, but was interrupted by the sound of opening doors.

 

"Hello floating museum!" a man's voice was yelling. "Backtrack and friends are in--"

 

There was a quiet argument in the entrance hall before Aldo the Enigmatic entered the jungle with a flourish of his cape. Lightwards gave a final glare at Funtimes.

 

"It's good to be in agreement," he hissed to her. "Keep the vanillas in their place during this meeting, and I won't say a word to them."

 

He turned to Sightline. He had started the discussion with a slight amiability towards the blindfolded man, but it had all evaporated after he'd sought an important decision from Funtimes.

 

"There's a neutral suburb to the west," he told the Epic impatiently. "Cross the river and head slightly to the south, and you should find a demolished part of town. I own a house nearby to the wreckage. Tell Altermind that if he ventures to this place after sunset, he will find me and my lieutenants waiting for him at the Sadry residence."

 

Giving Sightline a final nod, he strode away from them and towards Aldo.

 

"You returned my belonging?" he demanded of the magician. "I would hate to think fetching a single Warrior is beyond your ability."

 

"No need to fret, Emperor," Aldo assured him. "We failed to find Mrs. Regway, but I believe you'll be pleased with our crop..."

 

The magician snapped his fingers and the Museum's front doors swung open again. Lightwards had his mouth open with a retort, but it died on his lips.

 

Through the open doors came a veritable crowd of Epics, all entering single file and meeting his gaze as Aldo introduced them.

 

"This is Purple Phoenix, but he doesn't mind if you call him 'Jeffy.' This is his lovely wife, Saccharine; she likes needles. Here are the momentum twins, Impact and MV. There's Backtrack in the sunglasses... ah, this fine gentleman is Fade, the most stylish of the bunch! He travels with his grandson here, Sandman. Let's see... you've met my assistant Cricket, and I still don't know who the tie-dyed lady is. But there you have it!"

 

Lightwards stared at the group for a minute before a wide smile stretched across his face. In a single round of meetings, the Empire's size had more then doubled.

 

He slowly turned to the magician, who was watching his face in anticipation. "Aldo the Enigmatic," Lightwards said, still smiling. "I believe you just made first lieutenant status."

 

Aldo beamed broadly.

 

 

 

 

"They're not that bad," Nathan assured her, chuckling. "Really." 

 

Sam gave a slight hmph and stared out into space. 

 

"Sounds good," Nathan was continuing. "I'll figure something out for her. Something colorful, a little weird. She'll like it." 

 

There was a silence after that. No more ideas pouring in, no more planning. They had a plan settled; either they carried it out and escaped to freedom, or they'd face the good Doctor's wrath in the attempt.

 

Finally, it was Revolution who got off her stump and brushed away some loose woodchips. "It's great to have a plan," she said in a hushed voice, smiling at the pair of them. "We need to make sure we get plenty of chances to talk in private."

 

"Definitely," Sam agreed. "Lightwards likes to talk, but he has that minor drawback of wanting to kill us all." She grinned at Nathan. "Thanks for not wanting to kill us, Nathan."

 

"We really do admire your lack of murderous intent," Revolution told him. "It makes you a much better conversationalist." She craned her neck behind her, watching the distant Epics.

 

"It looks like Lightwards got some new teammates," she added, an impish smile spreading across her face. "Shall we make their acquaintances?"

 

"Count me in," replied Sam. "Might as well show 'em what they'll have to put up with in this place."

 

She hopped to her feet, then looked at Nathan. His hand was still absently rubbing at his side. "Need an ibuprofen?" she suggested, "I was gonna offer you one of the muddy ones we found in the gift shop, but I could ask Funtimes to whip you up a few."

 

"That would probably be the healthier option," Revolution laughed.

 

"Yeah, I don't want to kill him with bad medicine," Sam replied, laughing herself.

 

She cast a glance at Nathan, then shot him a mischievous wink. "Anymore."

 

[Tulir he/him]

Parity had been awestruck when she saw the diamond tower rising up to the floating object in the sky.  She mutely followed the group, and tried not to think about how she was trusting her life to another Epic.  The diamond tower was fantastic, and as they progressed higher, Parity watched the patterns in it.

 

When they reached the top, the main who was informed about Lightwards started yelling "Backtrack and friends are in--" But Aldo interrupted him, and they spoke quietly together for a little.  After they reached a consensus, Aldo walked on in, then let the rest of the group enter.  

 

The first thing Parity noticed was the greenery.  There were plants everywhere, and color abounded in the Museum.  She nodded appreciatively, and took in the people standing near the door.  Several of them were obviously Epics, and she thought some were plain humans.  Interesting, maybe they are servants? She thought as Aldo introduced them all, but left out her name.  Ohh, right, never introduced myself. 

 

"My name is Parity." she said as she stepped out from the back of the group and looked around more.  "Can you explain how you got this many plants to grow up here?  Or actually, how there is a museum several thousand feet above the ground!"  Parity stifled the screech that she was about to voice, and waited to see which one of them would speak up.

[Edgedancer he/him]

It was a good hit. She did not want to have to deal with one of her brother antics right now. He quickly regained his stance and shot her an angry glance. Not further caring about his mood she pointed her chin at the others.

 

The blindfolded man turned to Funtimes and asked her to send a representative, certainly a mistake even a blind man wouldn´t make on accident. On the upside it was a chance to see how Lightwards handled challenges to his authority and he handled them badly. That the color mishap wouldn´t respect him was to be expected but empty threats wouldn´t help him to gain any authority. Dealing with unruly Epics like that meant either to treat them as insignificant as they are or in the case of something dangerous as Funtimes you got rid of them, building something grand and lasting is impossible with a unstable balance like this, making his attempt at whatever he was doing entirely pointless. She shot a look at Nighthound, who was visibly enjoying the show. This man will need more than a few pointers.

 

Luckily, the futile posing was cut short by a sizable group of Epics entering the museum, ranging from young to old and well-kept to probably homeless. The emperor was downright enchanted by the new recruits before hearing anything more than their names, showing Nighthound´s description of him to be more and more correct.

 

She dismounted the dinosaur and stepped next to her brother, “Seems like you just got demoted.”

He only gave a lazy shrug, “Just means that you make less of an impression than that bunch of misfits, which is even worse because one of them is a known traitor.”

 

Groaning was the only response worthy of that stupidity. After she managed to regain her composure she stepped towards the crowd, grabbing their attention with a sharp clap of her hands, cutting off a woman that was dense enough that a simple flying museum was enough to keep her from closing her mouth, she should never meet the metal.

 

“I´m sure that someone had a stroke of genius when designing this place but certainly we have more important matters to discuss than the overdone ledgermain to impress the masses, namely business and presumably this would be the man to discuss it with.” Lucentia waved towards Lightwards. This place will need a lot of salvaging.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

For more than a few seconds, Lightwards looked ready to strike him. He stood with his mouth agape, fingers twitching. Remington met his gaze without flinching. 

 

Go on now, he thought. Hit me. Get this fight started and we'll see who ends it. 

 

Doors crashed open, and man's voice called out. "Hello floating museum! Backtrack and friends are in--"

 

A moment of silence passed, and some sort of magician swept into the jungle, flourishing his cape. A host of Epics—for that was the only thing they could be—followed. 

 

One wore a pair of shorts and tight blue shirt, her cricket tattoo the only indication of her status. Beside her were a pair of twins, flanking a grinning man in pink sunglasses. Then Purple Phoenix, who stood beside a tall woman with disheveled hair and upwards of a thousand pockets stitched into her old-fashioned dress. There was an old man in a suit and top hat beside a young boy in a grey hoodie. Finally, another woman who stared at the jungle as though she had never seen trees before, spoke. 

 

"My name is Parity. Can you explain how you got this many plants to grow up here?  Or actually, how there is a museum several thousand feet above the ground!"

 

Funtimes skipped over. "I'm Doctor Funtimes. That was me." She giggled. Whatever murderous thoughts were floating about her head seemed to have been stuffed down in a drawer somewhere. "Isn't it prettyful?" 

 

Lucentia clapped her hands for attention. 

 

“I´m sure that someone had a stroke of genius when designing this place but certainly we have more important matters to discuss than the overdone ledgermain to impress the masses, namely business and presumably this would be the man to discuss it with.”

 

Remington scowled at Lightwards. He would have liked to land a punch or two. 

"It looks like Lightwards got some new teammates," Revolution said, her smile broadening. "Shall we make their acquaintances?"

 

"Count me in," Sam said, bouncing to her feet. "Might as well show 'em what they'll have to put up with in this place."

 

There were new Epics in the museum. New Epics who may or may not be the dismembering sort, and Sam and Revolution were planning to stand and make snide remarks about their costumes. Not in hushed giggles in the safety of a noisy kitchen, but at full volume to their faces. 

 

What kind of human did that? 

 

What kind of Epic chose a human like that as her friend? 

 

"Need an ibuprofen?" Sam asked as Nathan got to his feet. "I was gonna offer you one of the muddy ones we found in the gift shop, but I could ask Funtimes to whip you up a few."

 

"That would probably be the healthier option," Revolution said with a laugh.

 

"Yeah, I don't want to kill him with bad medicine." She paused to slip him a wink. "Anymore."

 

Does she even know about this? He thought back to the previous night, when Revolution had proclaimed Lightwards a joyous leprechaun. That was when Funtimes welcomed her to the circle of people she liked. 

 

People she called her friends. 

 

Nathan gave a small laugh. Now wasn't the time to consider Funtimes' reasoning; he doubted she paused to do that often. "Thanks, but I'm good. I've survived worse—without wanting to kill anyone, I might add." He grinned, then straightened. There were new Epics in the museum, and his secret stayed in the Empire. If the thought of joining those Epics made him want to run, the thought of joining them while pretending to be one of them made him want to lock himself in a closet and beg Funtimes to remove the door. 

 

But Sam and Revolution, whether they realized it or not, were right. They had to join the Epics in the main hall—or at the very least, he did. If a whisper from Voidgaze was enough to make Lightwards demand he blow his cover, then finding him chatting amiably with two smart-mouthed girls would wreak havoc on what was left of it. 

 

Then again, if Funtimes called them her friends, her boyfriend might have slightly more liberty in his reactions. 

 

"Look, can I just tell them you amuse me or something?" He couldn't contain a grin. "I don't think I'll be able to act mad if you say anything about Lightwards' hat." 

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

Scorch was dead. 

 

Scorch, a former teammate, was dead, and Altermind was calling a meeting. 

 

Panacea couldn't say she was upset over Scorch's death. The thought of one less fire Epic who enjoyed harm in the world was a comforting, if not a happy one. But to give him one announcement—one announcement that was mostly insults—and call a meeting immediately after….

 

Why did I let you talk me into this, Strongsteel? We were doing just fine on our own. Now we're with some guy who'll toss us aside the second we're no longer useful. Throw an announcement out on the mobile network, and call a meeting to talk strategy….

 

She tried not to think of the injured people in the infirmary. Sitting there, cuts and burns and bruises blighting their skin, one woman with a broken arm….

 

Her eye twitched. 

 

Altermind introduced everyone in turn. Before Panacea could think whether or not she had anything to add, a man with dark hair entered the building, preceded by an announcement that he had made the guards drunk. 

 

Intervention. An Epic who caused drunkenness. 

 

Panacea's eye twitched. She couldn't stop thinking about those people in the infirmary. 

Edited September 26, 2014 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles

[Tulir he/him]

The crazily dressed lady skipped over.  "I'm Doctor Funtimes. That was me.  Isn't it prettyful?" 

 

"Yes, yes it is..." Parity said, distracted as she realized that there were dinosaurs in the room and she didn't notice them.  She spotted a nearby one and gave a cursory glance to the women next to it, then started staring at the dinosaur.

Edited September 26, 2014 by Tulir

[Fatebreaker he/him]

As Maximilian stepped into the floating museum he stepped out of the regular, mundane world and into a prehistoric jungle.

He pulled off his hood, releasing his wild curly hair and laughed in ecstasy

There were massive ginko trees and other forms of prehistoric botany filling the museum, plants from a world he had only dreamed of.

 

And there were dinosaurs. Real, live, dinosaurs!

 

His face broke into a grin so large it nearly bisected his face. He drunk in the sight of creature that hadn't walked the earth for ages, and decided then and there he had chosen the right side. 

 

Finally he turned to take in the humanoid aspect of the environment. A bunch of people were already in the museum. He listened for information, names or possible abilities. He found the famous Lightwards, who was much less impressive than he had pictured. Instead of a burly tarzan-type, he looked like a math teacher had gone through the apocalypse. Ugh, math. Sandman hated math. He could never understand it and the only one who could help him was Mo...

 

Sandman's mind and face went blank for a second. It was unnoticeable unless you were looking for it. His eyes were unseeing and he stopped breathing. Then just as suddenly as it had occurred, he has acting as if nothing had happened. His gaze moved to the other epics

 

There was a man and a woman who radiated an air of arrogance and disgust. Their faces made Max want to kick 'em. There was a guy wearing a blindfold. Maybe he had laser-vision like Cyclops! There was a man dressed like one of the Doctors. Ugh, Whovians. You couldn't escape 'em, even in a floating museum filled with dinosaurs and people with super powers. His friend in his old life had make him watch episode after episode of that show. Max had preferred Avatar the Last Airbender personally. More action.

 

He moved on. There was a hippy, a goth lady, a guy with a huge gun, and Sparkle-lady.

 

Everything about her glittered or glowed. Her clothing could have qualified her as a bio-luminescent organism. She seemed friendly though.

 

No one had greeted them yet, so he decided to make his presence known. He checked with his grandfather, who nodded his assent  then raised three fingers. He wanted Max to use the third question. This would be interesting...

 

"Excuse me! So who exactly is in charge here?" He looked from Epic to epic, making sure not to dwell on any one of them longer than the rest. This was a good way to get a sense of the pecking order, if you watched their eyes.

 

As an after thought he added, "And when do I get my dinosaur?"

Edited September 26, 2014 by Fatebreaker

[Voidus]

Jeff was deep in thought as he let the others exit the lift and meet with Lightwards, he needed time to think about his introduction, Penumbra hadn't exactly left the best reputation for him upon his departure.
I need a way to appease Lightwards, the others seem to be content to at least act as though he's in charge for now.
He pushed through the group of Epics, ignoring the vegetation and dinosaur he found the necromantic leader of the Empire of light.
He swept his purple coat behind him and bowed as low as he could without seeming to mock.
"Emperor, as you requested I have finished surveying the area and discovered a multitude of new Epics for your Empire."
Please catch on, this is for your benefit.

[Kobold King he/him]

 

The jungle suddenly became very noisy.

 

While the crowd of Epics was a welcome addition to the Empire, they immediately began to spread out in an unruly manner, many of them speaking at once.

 

Aldo tipped his hat and went to introduce himself to the other members of the Empire, while Funtimes immediately gravitated towards the nearest similarly-colored woman she could find, the Epic called Parity. The child Epic strode forward and immediately began asking for his own dinosaur, and Nighthound's sister began asking when they could get down to business.

 

Lightwards cast the latter a particularly long look. She looked something like her brother, though far more regal and reserved. As he'd noted before, one of her arms seemed to be cast from pure movable diamond, and she was dressed in tight plates of black crystal. The crystals formed a glittering carapace that made her look like a sleek, stern beetle.

 

The beetle-woman was also looking at him with a look of utmost contempt, which made Lightwards set his jaw. "Business," he replied finally, fixing her with a determined smile. "I believe that introductions qualify as business, Lucentia. If you truly have an interest in claiming a role in this Empire, you will be meeting these people every day. I would suggest you get to know them now."

 

He gave her what he hoped was an equally frosty and contemptuous smile before moving on to the next newcomer.

 

Sandman was still smiling at him expectantly. Lightwards hesitated a moment before giving the kid another smile. "I am the founder of this Empire," he informed Sandman. That should suit the lad's infantile curiosity--now to settle his request.

 

With what he hoped was a fatherly kind of smile, he called into the jungle for a specific dinosaur. Within a few moments the specimen came hopping out of the foliage. It was a smaller predator, standing on two legs and covered in deep blue scales. It's thin body came up to Sandman's waist, and it's fangs jutted out of its mouth in the semblance of a snaggle-toothed smile.

 

"This is called a Masiakosaurus," Lightwards explained to the boy. "It's small but agile. The teeth aren't suited for biting people, but it can probably use its claws to bring down larger prey. He's yours to command."

 

Technically, this animal had evolved for catching fish and would not be spectacularly useful in a fight. But it would hopefully sate the child Epic's enthusiasm for now.

 

He tried clearing his throat to speak to the other Epics, but before he could get any words out, Purple Phoenix came before him in a low bow.

 

"Emperor, as you requested I have finished surveying the area and discovered a multitude of new Epics for your Empire."

 

Lightwards raised an eyebrow. "Have you, now? I believe Aldo the Enigmatic claimed credit for that particular achievement."

 

The last time he'd seen this man, he'd found himself soaked in gasoline in an alleyway. After the man had planted explosives in his Museum.

 

Purple Phoenix, Lightwards thought ominously. Whatever you are about to say had better impress me.

 

 

 

Cricket kept her eyes moving over the chattering crowd of Epics, trying to figure out who was who.

 

Some were easy. She'd met Lightwards before, and anyone who'd been to northern Oregon could recognize Lucentia the Diamond Queen. What she was doing in Portland was anyone's guess, but the identification was definite.

 

The easiest to spot out of the crowd, however, was the woman in the glittering, rainbow-splattered dress. Cricket would have been content to shoot her a glance in passing and have done with her, but Aldo seemed transfixed by her.

 

"Would you look at that, Cricket?" he asked in a soft voice. "That is an Epic. Lightwards is an impressive gentleman for sure, and there's no denying the brutal flare of a man like Nighthound... but that is an Epic to be remembered."

 

"People sure did remember her," Cricket replied, thinking back to the vanillas they'd interviewed. People who'd witnessed the Empire's playground speech were often in shock or in hysteria, but there were details that everyone recounted at great length. A few people rattled about an old man being shredded on top of a merry-go-round. A few recounted Nighthound's ride through the city and the fatalities he had so happily caused.

 

Everyone remembered the child-like cannibal who made it rain pancakes while smooching her boyfriend.

 

"I kind of see what the fuss is about," Cricket admitted. "I mean, just look at her. She looks like my old ballet teacher crossed with a giant butterfly."

 

Aldo straightened his hat and his twirled his mustache. "I'm going to introduce myself. We'll see who's really in charge of this here Empire--"

 

The magician barely took three steps before he was interrupted by a feminine voice from behind.

 

"Look at that guy! I didn't know Harry Houdini was still around."

 

Suddenly curious, Cricket turned her head to get a look at the speaker. A teenager in goth clothing stood alongside a young hippie, respectively casting a grin and an icy smile their way.

 

Cricket tried unsuccessfully to nudge Aldo away from the pair, but the man had already twirled around with a charming smile and a flourish.

 

"I'm flattered that you mistook me for him," he told the girls smoothly. "Harry Houdini was one of my inspirations, after all."

 

The hippie met Aldo's signature smile with one of her own. "Congratulations, then. You look just like a charlatan from the 1920s."

 

Aldo the Enigmatic shook a finger gently in her face in response. "Nuh uh uh," he told her with a wink. "I won't stand for anyone speaking ill of Harry Houdini. It's against my personal code."

 

The goth girl grinned. "Well, the important thing is that we know how to slight an Epic magician."

 

"Yes," the hippie added with a guilty smile. "With slight of hand."

 

Great, Cricket thought as the girls started laughing at their own wit. Now they've done it.

 

Sure enough, Aldo's smile had grown obviously forced and he had a prominently twitching eye. Cricket sighed and patted him on the arm. 

 

"Go check out the Funtimes lady," she told him. "I'll take care of these comedians."

 

Aldo gave her a curt nod, then a more sincere smile. Tipping his hat to the goth and the hippie, he strode off to regain control of himself.

 

Cricket fixed her attention to the snidely laughing pair in front of her. "Bad magic puns?" she asked with smile of her own. "Is that really the best today's youth can come up with?"

 

The goth finished laughing and met her gaze. "It made his eye twitch, so I'd say it was good enough."

 

"Oh, good enough?" Cricket replied, smirking. "Same as that goth impression, I presume?"

 

The girl raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, impression?"

 

"I don't think you're old enough to even know what a goth is," Cricket laughed. "I mean, you're the first one I've seen in years, and I've been around. I think you just found a picture of one and thought, 'what the hay, I bet I can dress like that.'"

 

The teenager stopped laughing long enough to flush slightly. "Like I'm taking fashion critique from the Epic who thinks gym shorts are a costume."

 

"I'd quit it with the jibes if I were in your shoes," Cricket said with another smirk. "Actually, in those shoes I think I'd just try to stay out of sight..."

 

The pair gave her an incredulous look, the teenager glancing at her glittering purple shoes.

 

"Guess most Epics just threaten to cut off your limbs, huh?" asked Cricket. With that she chuckled and walked away, icy glares directed at the back of her head.

 

 

 

Aldo approached Doctor Funtimes from a distance, putting on his best smile. A few more blinks of his eyes had his perception powers working as they should. Blasted vanilla girls.

 

Blasted weakness, for that matter, he thought while he was at it. It couldn't have been anything hard to exploit, now could it? It had to be--

 

He stifled the thought as he came into Funtimes' presence. "So you're the good Doctor," he exclaimed, genuine happiness coming back to him. "I've been a fan of your work since your show of pancakes at the local playground. I wasn't there, but I'm told there's been no finer rain of pastries in quite a while."

 

He bent over, gently taking Funtimes' wrist and kissing the back of her hand. "I would be honored to make your personal acquaintance."

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Funtimes blushed and giggled as the magician kissed her hand. 

 

"Ooooohhhhh, your mustache is snazzy," she said. Remington wasn't so sure he agreed. He had hoped that sort of Snidely Whiplash mustache had been outlawed the moment people stopped going to vaudeville shows. It, coupled with the smile below it, reminded Remington of a used car salesman. One in particular. 

 

His mother had proven capable of throwing quite the punch, when he said the things he did. 

 

Speaking of punches….

 

Traveler had walked over with Sam and Revolution, the former of whom seemed engrossed in some sort of verbal sparring match with the cricket-tattooed Epic. He wore his usual smile, though if Remington wasn't mistaken, there was an undercurrent of Please help me get away from these crazies before I fling myself off the museum. 

 

Amazing how much one smile could convey. 

 

Funtimes finished her giggle and brightened. "You need to meet my boyfriend! Let me go get him you'll love him so much!" 

 

She scampered off toward the only sane Epic of the bunch. Remington tried to catch his eye, but he had already turned his back. 

There was no blending in as an Epic. 

 

If any Epic saw this as a drawback, Nathan had never met them. Even those graced with invisibility found ways to call attention to themselves if the situation allowed for it—vanishing when the bill was brought, or reappearing at the exact moment a foe collapsed from whatever had been slipped into their drink. So far as Nathan could tell, he was the only Epic who would rather stand in a crowd and remain unnoticed by everyone in it. 

 

And, as Lightwards now knew, his Epic identity was nothing more than a costume. 

 

He hated admitting it, but his talk with Sam and Revolution made joining the others worse. His Traveler mask had slipped, and he wanted to crush it and stomp it into the dirt. Stand behind Sam as she traded jibes over gothic garb and shoes. Let his suit camouflage him as he melted into the jungle. 

 

Instead, he smiled through their verbal sparring match, shook his head with a chuckle, and turned away—only to have Funtimes wrap her hands around his arm. "Come see come see there's someone you need to meet!" 

 

She giggled. Nathan couldn't help feeling relieved. It might be as much as mask for her darkness as his duster was for his lack of powers, but she had never giggled—barely even smiled—as she threatened Lightwards with repeated murder. She had giggled as she turned Fortuity's own hat against him. Giggles were definitely an improvement over scowls. 

 

"There's somebody I want you to meet," she said. 

 

"Oh?" Why hadn't she demanded he take her there? 

 

"He's nice. His mustache is soooo snazzy!" 

 

Nathan turned and followed her pointing finger. What appeared to be a magician crossed with an early 1900s vaudeville villain stood some distance away in top hat and cape. "Another Epic?" 

 

She frowned briefly, but it vanished into an even wider grin. "He'll like you and you'll like him. Come on. Please? Please?" 

 

Funtimes drew out the second please so long Nathan couldn't help a small chuckle. Terrifying or not, she knew how to be cute. "All right, take me to this…what was his name?" 

 

"I don't know yet," she said, tugging him toward the magician. "But he likes pancakes and he knows how to wear a top hat!" She stopped before the magician, throwing her arms around Nathan's waist. "This is my boyfriend. He's awesome."  

Edited September 27, 2014 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles

[Mrs. Voidus she/her]

Saccharine stepped gracefully from the shadow platform, and took in the Jurassic themed flora with awe. If Funtimes was responsible for this creation, then she could create anything, even things that haven't been seen by any human or epic before.

 

Were these creations real copies of actual plants from the past or mere representations of approximations? I suppose either would be use full,she thought, as she discreetly pinched the tips off of several surrounding plants and tucked them away quietly.

 

Keeping her distance, Saccharine watched her husband schmooze with Lightwards, and was impressed that after so much mental anguish and confusion Jeff had maintained his ability to take advantage of the situation.

That was something that did not need her attention. There was however a need to meet Funtimes before anyone else got a chance to manipulate her.

 

Perhaps manipulate is the wrong word, Saccharine thought, but impressing her is something that can't wait.

 

Walking over to where Aldo had taken Funtime's attention, Saccharine joined the group as the magician kissed the multicoloured woman’s hand.

 

“It would be a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Aldo said.

 

“Yes,” Saccharine interjected, “from what I have gathered, your whimsy miss Funtimes, is something a magician could make himself quite famous attempting to imitate. But perhaps our friend Aldo here would be better sticking to the classics.”

 

Winking towards Aldo, to show no hard feelings, Saccharine leaned towards to impressively glittery woman and reached behind her ear.

“For example,” she said as she teleported the brightest and largest flower from its stalk nearby into her hand and seemingly pulled it from behind Funtimes' ear.

 

“You have created a magnificent playground my dear, and I happen to be a biochemist, who could turn your creations into the deadliest weapons imaginable, and provide you with the best samples of, shall we say, other powers with only your help. Perhaps we too could become better acquainted and come to some sort of arrangement.”

[Voidus]

Strongsteel ignored Intervention 's arrival, and strode to the front of the crowd, addressing Altermind directly.

"Introductions are all well and good, and I suppose we need to know each others' limitations but aren't our action plans a little more important?"

His work reinforcing the wall had left Strongsteel in a bad mood, he'd needed to continually assert his wishes upon his own mind, being wary whenever his thoughts became to confident or too Odious, and whenever he'd begun to feel confident that he could contain his emotions he had to be wary of that very confidence lest it grow and become the arrogance so many Epics were known for.

Jeff seethed inwardly as Lightwards refused to bite, attributing the new Epics to Aldo instead, he didn't want to steal any of the credit from Aldo, indeed he quite liked the Epic, he'd never even heard of another Epic who would take time to help a poor crazy man wandering the streets. But it was imperative to the stability of Lightwards' rule that he couldn't be seen to just let his Epics betray him.
"Of course, Aldo should be congratulated on his efforts, but there are others you have yet to meet, my wife of course is with me, and I shall soon introduce you to Soulswitch, a body switcher along with Zip the spatial manipulator along with Refill, the master of all things liquid."

Jeff had no idea if he'd be able to find any of the Epics that he'd recruited, or that even if he could they'd want to join Lightwards, but what mattered was making an impression.
Well this should take care of that at least.
He lowered his voice until only Lightwards could hear.
"But more important even that those are what I can offer you now that I have found my wife again. After Calamity we were researchers studying Epics, replicating their abilities with technology, with your assistance we could ply that trade once more, outfit your Empire with the greatest technology in the world, create a truly eternal empire."

Refill greeted those who came up to him after his speech and was soon greeted by a pair calling themselves Dodgeball and Growthspurt, he tried to get a word in but the teenaged Dodgeball just kept talking and talking, breaking only for a brief high five with his companion and ending with a suggestion that they meet an Epic in a zoo.

"An excellent idea" Refill said, finally butting in "I've heard of Chimera myself, he would be a fine companion for our alliance. For now we're going to divide our efforts in three ways, research, recruitment and offensives. We need everyone to provide as accurate a summary of their abilities as they can, then our research teams will brainstorm how best to put those powers to use, who to put on a team with whom to ensure that we make the most of our abilities. If you want to be a part of our recruitment team you can join me and my group."

He gestured to a small group nearby that he'd been talking to before the arrival of these two. Stitch, Subtext and Flowerface, he hoped that between them they'd be able to impress any Epics they sought out and fight off any of the enemy Epics should they be confronted.

"We'll stop by this zoo, picking up other Epics as we go. Come night time  both the research and Recruitment teams will join up again and we will go on the offensive, we will send strike teams to the three main factions in town, we will decimate their armies and show their Epics that we who they call minor Epics are not to be underestimated."

[Mailliw73 he/him]

As Intervention spoke of cruelty, Altermind knew he would be a good asset. "Welcome to the team," he said. He gestured to a seat for the man.

Strongsteel, ignoring Intervention completely, stood up, came to the head of the table and said, "Introductions are all well and good, and I suppose we need to know each others' limitations but aren't our action plans a little more important?"

"Mister Strongsteel, take your seat. We will address our plans momentarily. First, we must all be on the same page. As you have now all met each other, I have an announcement. My previous lieutenant, Scorch, who defected to Corpsemaker, was killed. His head," Altermind shuddered inside, keeping his hallucination strong, "was sent to me in a box. Corpsemaker grows stronger by the day if he no longer needs a couple of his recruits."

"We have sent two of our number to speak with Lightwards. They should be returning soon. Then can we finalize plans with regards to the Empire of Light and our mutual war on Corpsemaker. For now, let us address our plans for a meeting with our comrades. They are destructive and will turn this city to rubble as soon as they have power. We cannot allow that to come to pass. We need a plan to deal with this self-proclaimed Emperor and his staff. Ideas are welcome." Altermind sat back and let them think about what he had said.

[Voidus]

MV walked into the museum with a touch of awe,  groaning inwardly as Backtrack shouted out his now traditional greeting to the museum.
She considered trying to kick him again but settled for an imperious sniff and strode off with Impact.

"Sis, check out these plants!" She called, forgetting again to call her sister by her new name.

"How are they growing? This is a stone floor." Impact said coming closer and inspecting the fronds of a nearby plant.

"Uh... Epics" MV said, sometimes it was hard to adjust to a post-calamity world sometimes, getting used to being an Epic was even harder.

They continued through the forest until they caught sight of a goth next to a hippie talking with one of the Epics they'd arrived with, though the latter quickly left followed by icy stares.
MV nudged her sister and together they walked up to the two girls.

"Hiya! I'm MV, this is Impact, we have momentum abilities. What can you guys do?"

MV had once tried to guess Epics powers by their names and costumes but some of them just made no sense, she'd learned to just ask, and hope that they didn't provide any first hand demonstrations.

[Edgedancer he/him]

From what Ray could tell Lucentia had exactly one good quality, the more she demanded Nighthound´s attention the less she had to deal with him herself. A chance to use that came in the form of a nice chunky diamond in the back of his head. She used the chance and ducked over to the Voidgaze, everyone that had ripped Nighthound´s arm out had something good in her book.

 

“Hey, I´m Ray, you´re Voidgaze, right?” She held out a hand to her, which Voidgaze shacked after a bit of hesitation.

“Yes, that´s me. Are you alright?”

A sad smile showed on Ray´s lips, “Not really but I´ll survive, I hope. Might I say that I already admire you for ripping Nighthound apart?”

It seemed that Voidgaze wasn´t sure how to react again, after waving around with her hands a bit she laid one on Ray´s shoulder, “Don´t worry, we´ll get a chance to deal with him.”

“Oh, you already are making me all excited.” Both Epics turned their head to the voice and found Nighthound walking towards them, emitting his creepy arrogance from every pore.

 

He moved in closer and reached towards Ray, the white cloth whipped up, blocking Nighthound´s movement. Voidgaze was staring up at Nighthound, as if he was a nasty bug, she was about to squish and having her do that  on her behalf was probably the best thing to happen to her in a long while.

 

Giving himself unimpressed Nighthound raised an eyebrow and leaned towards Voidgaze, “Turn order, my-“His smile was literally whipped from his face by one of the tassels.

 

In response Nighthound grabbed Ray´s throat, ignoring the fingers that got cut off. “See Voidy, the problem you don´t understand is that, if you don´t let me do with her what I want, I have very little reason to keep her.” He might not have a mouth to smile with but the mist rising from the edges of his wound were more than enough to compensate. Struggling against his grip was as futile as was to be expected but that didn´t keep Ray from repeatedly kicking into his ribs.

 

Pleased, if anything, from their resistance he continued his speech. “Naturally, none of us want that, just think about the party we would be interrupting right now. Here´s my offer, you get to keep watch that I´m not too cruel to her and I get to spend the day with two nice girls.”

 

Ray didn´t expect much, she barely managed to breathe and not many high Epics would fold to a challenge like that. Still Voidgaze lowered her weapons and Nighthound released her from his grip. That white ball of niceness deserves a hug. She wasn´t free from him yet but at least someone was on her side.

 

In between gasps for air she could see Nighthound surveying the people in the museum, trying to decide which group he wanted to torment with his presence.