DragonRage

I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling, letting the existential questions wash over me. Why am I here? What is this place? What am I? But then, it hits me. While it would be nice to know these answers, I know what is most important. "I am here!" Everything else can wait. I stand up. It takes a few tries to steady myself, but it's not so hard. "This place is strange! I am unsettled by this place. I would like to leave this place. Would you like to come with me?" I check the door, to see if I can leave this place.

Alexandria frowns, "Perhaps I should have put a higher priority on bringing offensive systems back online. I don't think I enjoy not being able to restrain people without... unfortunate consequences," She raises a hand in the direction of the uncooperative cyborg, "Deploying alternative countermeasures." A glowing hexagonal pane of pale yellow energy appears in her palm, hovering in an invisible magnetic field. With a gesture, she sends the hexagon shooting outward, even as countless others just like it materialize in its wake seemingly out of thin air, linking up to form a barrier preventing 'junior' from leaving, glittering with hexagonal facets in the light of nearby neon signs.

"I wonder..." Vitor equips Phantasmal Blueprint - Astro Viewer, and activates its infrared filter. He then turns it on the rubble, hoping to get an idea of what's coming with a look at its heat signature.

As he starts to push past Lilya, Alexandria casually places a hand on his shoulder and squeezes with what she estimates is just enough pressure to make escape... difficult. "No. You will not."

"No sense standing around then. Let's goooo already," Zoe whines obnoxiously. "We're wasting my valuable time here! But not anyone else's, because only my time is valuable."

Spider-Man fires a line of webs at the Necronomicomic, hoping to disarm Necromaster now that he's pinned down. But a mystic energy field covered in tacky skull decals blocks the webs! He looks like he's considering saying something to Thunderlord, but decides not to. Danielle is not having a good day. Necromaster punches Aquila in the face! Aquila takes 9 damage! Necromaster takes 1 damage from punching a guy with a helmet in the face. Thunderlord keeps shooting, and deals 2 damage to Necromaster as a bullet clips his ankle! Danielle is really not having a good day. Aquila marks Necromaster, bullies him, and then shows him how you really hit someone! Necromaster raises an arm in a pitiful attempt at defense, but Aquila's Vorpal Sword goes "Snicker-Snack" and slices into the would-be wizard's torso and robes anyway, dealing 25 damage! Stretch says hi to Spider-Man, and heals him for 10 HP, but also reduces his resistance. "Uh, hi?" Spider-Man offers, "I'm Spider-Man?" Freya sics 28 zombies on Necromaster, dealing 95 damage as they swarm over him, clawing and biting! Dyno goes for the grapple and grasps Necromaster! Necromaster's feet are glued to the floor! Necromaster can't be pinned without breaking his legs! Dyno holds him in place instead. "Uh, I'm not on perscription drugs," Spider-Man tells Harry, "Am on Advil though. I think my normal temperature is 98? I, uh, haven't been to a hospital since I got my powers." Harry extracts the glass and applies bandages, restoring 18 hit points! He also treats the softening effect from Stretch's healing. Sha'tith bullies Necromaster some more, and deals 13 fire, 3 bleeding, 20 electric, and 1 pure damage to him through the power of spectacular spam. Alan's call comes through to Harry! "AAAAAUUGGHH!" Necromaster screams in pain and fear as he gets out-necromancied and bullied mercilessly by a knight, a lizard man, and a mecha zombie bear, "AS YOUR MASTER, I COMMAND YOU TO SAVE ME, NECRONOMICOMIC! KLAATU BLARGL!" As Necromaster attempts to speak the magic words, a golden, clawed limb smashes into his face, sending teeth flying. He drops the Necronomicomic in shock, and a second one grabs it, retracting with sinuous grace and blinding speed to a figure suspending itself, unnoticed until now, from the ceiling by two more golden limbs. "This never should have belonged to you, you pathetic sack of grease." Doctor Octopus' mechanical arms deposit the Necronomicomic into her original ones as they retract, holding themselves at the ready to defend her as she opens the magical comic to the first page. Her eyes briefly play across the easily decyphered and extremely user-friendly panels, and she smirks, before speaking three words. "Klaatu. Barudo. Nikdo." Thunder rolls in the background, even as the supervillainess' arms begin carrying her backwards across the ceiling. The sky grows dark through the mall's skylights, and the lights flicker. Skeletal hands begin bursting through the floor, even as some of the fleeing cosplayers, those with especially well-made costumes, twitch and flinch. Then they turn upon their under-dressed counterparts, biting, clawing, and swinging replica weapons now made far more real. And those who fall... rise again. Within seconds, a small knot of cosplayers remain, surrounded by a cackling, clicking, shambling legion of Deadites, even as Doctor Octopus moves to make good her escape...

Cicivexa dons and activates the Great Mask of Vision and has a look around! The party and the Matoran look exactly as they appear: cybernetic organisms. Of note is that there's no sign of machining or manufacture anywhere on them. Either the Matoran somehow sprung into being in their current states, or their cybernetics grew with them. It is worth noting, though, that the party has far more mechanical parts than either of the Matoran. Looking at DOOM only reveals the shape of his armor beneath his cloak. The man's suit is impervious to the Kanohi's enhanced sight. Taking a look at the trap reveals a collection of gears, levers, ratchets, and counterweights. (Intelligence check 17 v 12 success!) Cicivexa is fairly sure he sees a few places where a rock wedged into the gears would render the whole assembly unable to move. Gozer phases into the rock and awaits instructions. "THERE ARE NO OTHER EXITS A HUMAN COULD FIT THROUGH." DOOM states.

Vitor starts climbing. "There's a prison cell, and some fighting happened. That's about all we know. We're going up, because it's better than staying here."

"You don't have a gun? In this neighborhood?" Alexandria raises an eyebrow, "That's optimistic. You may be a bit hasty in referring to others as chowderheads in such a case."

Spider-man fires webs at Necromaster, adhering his feet to the ground! "Stick around, Jared." Danielle hugs her knees and shakes. Necromaster fires a strange, black ray at Thunderlord, as he does not wish to be shot! It doesn't hurt, but somehow everything feels heavy. To Thunderlord, it's like she's suddenly moving through thick syrup, and all her gear weighs half a ton. Thunderlord has been afflicted with Ennervate, reducing her physical damage output by 16! Thunderlord blasts away at Necromaster, but thanks to being Ennervated, she can barely lift her namesake gun, let alone hold it steady! Bullets pepper the area in front of Necromaster, who yelps and flinches backward... but manages to not fall on his butt. Danielle cries a little. Aquila draws his mighty magic katana, and slices into Necromaster, dealing 21 damage! Necromaster screams in pain and starts bleeding lightly, a deep rent carved into his clothes. Stretch exits the Macy's! Freya calls up a massive horde of zombies! They have 77 HP! Harry exits the Macy's! Sha'tith exits the Macy's! Initiative: Status

Alexandria makes a vaguely sigh-like noise with her fans, "At least he hasn't shot anyone yet," She slides the appropriate payment for her drink and a bit extra across the bar to the bartender, and then strides after the big guy, coming up behind him as Liliya slides in front. Should he attempt hostile action, she'll grab and restrain the unfortunate thug.

"YOU WISH TO BETTER YOURSELF? VERY WELL. DOOM SHALL EDUCATE YOU. THE MASK OF VISION HAS A TELESCOPIC LENS BUILT INTO IT, AS EVEN AN IMBECILE CAN SEE. BUT IT ALSO GRANTS THE ABILITY TO PERCEIVE ALL FORMS OF LIGHT, AND TO SEE THROUGH ALL BUT THE DENSEST MATERIALS. AND WITH THE TELESCOPIC LENS, IT CAN DO THIS FROM KILOMETERS AWAY. "THE MASK OF FATE IS FAR MORE SUBTLE, BUT NO LESS POWERFUL. IT CAN TURN FEATS THAT ARE ALMOST POSSIBLE FOR THE WEARER INTO FEATS THAT ARE. NO FEATS ARE IMPOSSIBLE FOR DOOM, BUT DOOM'S SERVANTS AND MINIONS ARE NOT ALL SO CAPABLE. IT MAY ALSO INFLUENCE PROBABILITY, BUT DOOM WOULD NEED TO RUN TESTS TO BE CERTAIN, AS DOOM HAS NEVER SEEN THIS MASK IN ACTION BEFORE, NOR USED IT." -------------------------------------- Cell deduces that the ancient builders of this structure put a huge and vital structural support between their trap mechanism and the places where people are meant to go. There's a lot of weight resting on that particular stone. Perhaps if there was a way to brace it somehow...?

"Certain locals have been very naughty indeed. And by naughty I mean exceedingly stupid. You seem far more cognitively capable. I'm certain you don't need specifics to imagine the sort of illicit goods that would demand a repossession agent immune to all forms of biological poison or disease. I also am certain you're well aware of how familiar the locals are with lab safety procedures and biohazard containment," Alexandria smiles brightly at the bartender and then spins about, speaking a bit louder as she addresses the room, "These particular fools do not seem to greatly value keeping themselves in good repair, but I suspect you all here might be somewhat more concerned with maintaining your biology in its currently functional state, hm?" Her eyes narrow, partially shuddering their warm, faint, purple glow, "Would it not be a shame if I were unable to locate these fools before their ineptitude results in a containment breach? Who knows how far such a thing could spread in the air and water? Experimental technology can be so... unpredictable."

Vitor takes a look around the room. Assuming nothing looks threatening, he'll try to use his psychometry to read the past of the area where the stairs used to be. He might be able to get useful information from that. If the foundations are still sound, he might even be able to, with Satomi's help, construct new stairs.

Alexandria grabs the shot glass and tosses it back with relish. She swirls it around in her mouth a bit before swallowing vigorously. A faint gurgling sound can be heard from her neck and chest as she sighs contentedly, "Aaaah, that's the good stuff. Strips the residue out of my coolant lines right quick. I really should upgrade to a cleaner coolant solution one of these days, but then I'd not have a good excuse to visit bars."

"Ahahahaha... Ya can't touch this! Nananana nana nana can't touch this!" Zoe half sings, half raps, half cackles as she returns to existence, performing MC Hammer's distinctive crab-walk as she lines up a shot at the Psycho Midget with the Ted-Las Scrap Rifle, and fires at the squishy bits, dealing 1d12 + 3 damage with a 10% chance for a x2 crit. Then she fires another lightning bolt, aiming to strike Marauder 2, Psycho 1, and the Psycho Midget, dealing 2d4 + 3 damage to each and unequipping her other Chain Lightning spell. Loadout: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pCAy5IhIlhOun1CcI0nbtNohTV_eJTCfe4XTSp9pA6M/edit?usp=sharing

"I am Lexiel. Formerly of the Boros and Izzet guilds, and current Strike Commander of Overwatch," Lexiel offers. Her story would have to come out some time, and some of the team already knew it, but... Even if it was painful to tell, every time made it a bit easier. "I was born human on Ravnica, an ancient city encompassing every part of the world it rests upon. I was orphaned, I know not by what, and taken in by an old Nivmagus of the Izzet guild, arcane scientists and keepers of the city's public works. However, one of his experiments ended in disaster, and instead of dying in the collapsing laboratory, my Spark ignited, sending me hurling through the Blind Eternities. I fell in with an... undesirable group, and sold my skills wherever among the worlds they would be best compensated with gold. "Until I found myself on the war-torn world of Alara, recently restored from the effects of a cataclysm that had torn it into five shards. In the Bant region, I happened upon a school being beset upon by a demon, and his army of undead. For all that I was not at that time what I would call a good person, I found I could not stand by. And as it so happens, those who die in Bant in defense of the innocent, having not committed crimes or heinous actions on that plane, are transformed instead. They... We become angels, or should our magical potential be great enough as mine was, archangels. Beings of elemental law and order to safeguard the defenseless for all time. But, as the magic could not see what I had done elsewhere, the transformation was flawed. Or perhaps it was not the magic that was flawed, but myself. My magic carries concepts unrelated and even antithetical to the mana of law and order; chaos, passion, creativity, and a thirst for knowledge and understanding. It did not always get along with the new infusion of power. "The conflict between who I had been and who the magic shaping my new form believed me to be was... unpleasant, but thanks to the efforts of Feather, former guildmaster of the Boros police guild on my home plane, my old friend Marisa, an expert in magical contracts and laws, and the philosopher-sage Zenyatta I have found a balance of sorts. I've battled for the fates of a dozen worlds, rarely with success, and taken part in countless police actions. This fight against the Trespassers has been by far the most important yet, and thankfully, the most successful."

With a satisfying 'clunk', Iowa's crew slams the heavy breech-blocks home, and her main battery swings around again, ponderously elevating to target the hovering Trick. A fairy climbs out from her hat, shouting coordinates as the gunners deep in the turrets take aim with hand cranks and steam-powered mechanisms. "Range locked, distance locked, all guns ready... FIRE!" With a stunning, thundering report, thick, white smoke billows out from Iowa's heavy guns as three rounds crater the ground well behind Trick... And the fourth slams directly into the creature, penetrating deeply before converting the possessed monster into a fine, red mist with an enormous explosion. "Hah! Take that you savage!" Iowa shouts after Trick, "Who attacks people by licking? Gross!"

"THERE IS A MECHANISM IN THE WALLS. DOOM'S CURRENT EQUIPMENT CANNOT ACCESS IT WITHOUT CAUSING UNACCEPTABLE DAMAGE TO THE STRUCTURE. DOOM COULD RETURN WITH MORE SUITABLE TOOLS, BUT BY THEN THE MASK MAY HAVE BEEN TAKEN BY A THIRD PARTY. THE TRIGGER ITSELF IS HIDDEN UNDER A PLATE OF MATERIAL THAT VEXINGLY RESISTS DOOM'S SCANS," The armored man indicates a certain section of the wall, "THE TRIGGER SHOULD BE HERE, ASSUMING AN INTELLIGENT CONSTRUCTION METHOD, BUT WITHOUT A BETTER IDEA OF HOW IT FUNCTIONS, DIRECT ACTION COULD BE DISASTROUS. DOOM WOULD SURVIVE A COLLAPSE, OF COURSE, BUT THE MASK MIGHT NOT." Meanwhile, Hiroki (17 v 18 fail) and Cicivexa (35 v natural 1 success!) examine the carvings. Hiroki can't make heads or tails of any of it beyond that there's definitely carvings of matoran and something bigger but still humanoid being depicted. Cicivexa can't read the writings either, but it occurs to him to ask Halhi and Nuparu if they can. Nuparu has no idea how to read it either, but Halhi recognizes some of the symbols. It looks like a very old version of the matoran language, which it seems being transported here taught all of you how to speak but not how to read. After putting their heads together, Halhi and Cicivexa think they've figured it out. They're pretty sure that the left plinth carries the Kanohi Calix, and is trapped. While the right one carries the Kanohi Akaku, and has the Toa Stone concealed in a compartment within.

As events in Brockton Bay come to a close, Harry, Sha'tith, and Stretch happen to be close to each other when a letter materializes amongst them, hovering in midair until Stretch curiously grabs it and opens it. "Greetings, Sha'Tith, Harry, and Stretch. You may not have heard of me, but I have heard of you. I am Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme of Earth 42. I recently contacted your group about assisting me in resolving certain issues with a rogue sorcerer. However, events have progressed beyond the scope of my original predictions and... It is not unlikely that they will need a bit more firepower, and significant medical attention, before the end. If you wish to assist, I have provided transportation." A ring of sparks appears, hovering in the air before them. And on the other side, a clean if slightly battered stall that Harry would recognize as a mall changing room. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Ahhhh!" Necromaster makes some strange gestures and an animated skeleton appears out of nowhere before him. Dyno mulches the skeleton, but it gives Necromaster enough time to run for it and climb up onto a nearby stage. "Er, (huff puff), heroes! I, Necromaster, will not fall for your cheap tricks! You will bow before my mancy of Necromastery! Er, mastery of necromancy!" Initiative: Status:

"Ah, I love places like this. You can just feel the ambiance!" Alexandria saunters up to the bar, bulldozing through the strange looks she attracts with cheerful confidence, "So many interesting people come through. And the stories they can tell... Ah, barkeep! A double measure of your foulest rot-gut, if you please! Do not concern yourself with holding back! I assure you I will not be harmed."

"Well, this place is spooky as all get out," Vitor materializes his spear just in case, and gives the bars an experimental kick, "Looks like the decay might make it harder to move around than the actual design. How are we gonna get out if the stairs have rotted? And I don't trust that chain to hold our weight. I suppose we could try to build new stairs, but that's not gonna be fast or quiet."

"Do we have any flashbangs? Or something else that might disrupt whoever's on the other side of the door without doing structural damage?" Lexiel scratches at her chin, casting a concerned glance over the group, "Even in the best case scenario, clearing a house room by room is a dangerous pain in the rear, and a demon infestation is far from the ideal circumstances. We'll definitely want some way to disrupt the aim of anyone who might be waiting to ambush us as we enter rooms, even if it doesn't last very long."

"Knock knock void-suckers! Are you ready for ALL THE LIGHTNINGS?" For her first action, Zoe uses Chain Lightning, dealing 2d4 + 3 electric damage to psycho 1, psycho 2, and the psycho midget. "And now for my ultimate unbeatable secret technique learned from the ancient Saotome masters! Later noobs." Then for her second action, she uses NOPE, banishing herself until her next action. As a slot was freed up, Zoe equips her sword as a free action. Loadout: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pCAy5IhIlhOun1CcI0nbtNohTV_eJTCfe4XTSp9pA6M/edit?usp=sharing

1 round until Iowa's main battery reloads with AP... For lack of anything better she can think of to do, Iowa sends down orders to her gunnery crews, and barrages Trick's Draining Tongue with her 8 Inch Guns, landing 3d4 hits of 5 damage apiece! That thing's just nasty, and impolite to boot. 8 Inch Guns will go on cooldown for 1 round.