No update this week

May 30, 2019 ~ Walter ~ Leave a comment

I’m sorry about this folks, I hate to keep doing every other week updates for the main story. This time the culprit is my job, which is being delightfully unstable, to the point that I give it a 50/50 I’ll have lots and lots of writing time in the near future. I hope you understand if I hope I don’t, though!

Regime Quest 22

May 28, 2019 ~ Walter ~ 3 Comments

Results from Previous round votes:

1 Vote plan CCC

1 Vote plan Talon

*************************************************************************************

Winning Plan:

Morning: Seek information on Regime military operations: Ask Subtractor.

Let’s get the mission parameters sorted out once and for all.

Afternoon: Relax and recuperate, by patronising entertainment areas. We’re still a bit low on AP.

Builder: Memorise patterns: Guns. We’ve solved out transport issue. Now on to the question of armaments…

Owner: Let’s take a long shot here. Owner hires a firm of imaginary people in a sort of shadow world. Vanisher sends people to a sort of shadow world. There may be a teeny tiny chance that these are the same shadow world… in which case Owner, by taking out an ad in the Ar Harbour papers (looking for ‘those vanished by Merlin’) might be able to obtain the transcripts of a series of interviews by people who know things that Vanisher didn’t want widely known. This will probably lead to nothing; but if it succeeds, it’ll be well worth it.

Smasher: Direct the Warband: Train in Anti Firearm Maneuvers. (“I’m gonna be throwing a bunch of little rocks at you lot, k? Don’t let them hit.”)

Day 19 Log :

4 AP at start of day (3 at end of last day +1 for half night’s sleep)

-3 for seek info on Regime Military Operations from Subtracter (1 AP)

Roll 3, +0 for failure (1 AP)

-1 for R&R (0 AP)

Roll 10, +4 for critical success (4 AP)

Builder: Memorize Gun pattern

Roll 9, success

Owner: Long Shot

Roll 9, failure

Builder: Smasher, train warband

Roll 10, Crit Success

End of day, 4 AP

*************************************************************************************

Talk to Subtracter:

“I just want to make sure I don’t fuck this up,” I told my psychotic boss. “We both want to make sure that She gets what She wants out of this, right?”

Subtracter frowned and nodded.

“That’s a good idea,” she said. “Sometimes people mess up, and She doesn’t like it. If I told you ahead of time, you’d be more likely to get it right.”

I refrained from rolling my eyes as we carefully derived the concept of a requirements document, but so much more rubbish.

“I know you’ve said that she doesn’t like it when we win because of numbers. How strict is she about that?”

She held out her hands, taking her attention away from the trembling minion who was trying to fix her pinball machine. They were both parallel to the ground, and she sort of wavered them back and forth.

“She doesn’t, like, count. I mean, I think She can, and to very high numbers, but She doesn’t bother with that sort of thing. Just make sure that there are about as many of you as there are of them.”

“Does that apply to leadership and rank and file separately, or does She only count the entire units?”

Subtracter squinted at me, not seeming to understand exactly what I was asking. She turned back to the luckless person she’d enlisted to fix her machine, who clearly had no idea what they were doing.

“Is it ok to have more awesome people, if the Ar Harbor gang has more people total?” I tried, striving to hit the proper balance between being understood and not being seen as talking down to them.

Understanding seemed to break across her face.

“Oh, yeah,” she said, “You want to have about the same number of cool people and chumps. Make sure your posse doesn’t outnumber their main crew, and your army doesn’t have more people than their big crew.”

I nodded.

“I understand,” I said. “And the only Posse members who count for this are the ones who are there and fighting, right? Support Posse wouldn’t count?”

“Like, pussies who don’t fight?” she asked, bemused. “Nobody cares about them.”

I made a mental note, if Smasher and I were the only ones who ended up fighting I only needed to let 2 of the Round Table crew make it to the battle. King Arthur should probably be one of them, so that their warband numbers didn’t suddenly change, but the others were fair game.

“Thanks,” I said. “And I had another question.”

I pressed on despite the warning wrinkling of her brow. My life was riding on this, and it gave me the courage to dare Subtracter’s uncertain temper.

“Is the date of the battle exactly day 31, or can I get any leeway on that?”

“Why do you want to change it?” she asked, still seeming a bit weirded out by these questions.

“These jackasses are on to us,” I said. “That’s probably why the other Warlords had problems. They sent goons in town to try and take out Posse prospects, that kind of thing. I think they might try and cock block Her, maybe run away so She doesn’t get Her entertainment, something like that.”

“Fuckers,” cursed Subtracter.

The guy fixing the pinball machine cringed down over it, as though he was trying to become invisible.

“Yeah,” she said, after a moment. “Just tell Her the new time, and you can change the big day.”

I winced. I’d hoped that Subtracter would take care of notifying Prevailer, but that might have been naïve.

“Finally,” I said. “I’d like to know more about what it means to ‘leave the place intact’. I know She wants…”

“That’s obvious, isn’t it?” asked Subtracter.

“Like,” I tried, “If things get broken, but Builder fixes them back up, would that…”

I trailed off as Subtracter lost her patience, stalking forward and grabbing the repair guy.

“Fuck you,” she told him, dragging him out of the door as he shrieked in fear.

I froze, memories of my brother and neighbors rising in me, even as Subtracter cocked back her arm.

“Don’t,” I started to say, but crushed down my voice into a sort of inarticulate squawk, like a clearing my throat noise.

Subtracter gave a snarl, and tossed the man into the sky.

Those in my village who resisted had gone the same way. Rising out of my life with despairing screams.

“Fucker,” she said again. “Let’s find someone who doesn’t suck.”

I kept my composure until she was out of my presence, betrayed only by the sweat on my brow and the hammering of my heart.

*************************************************************************************

Rest and Recuperate via public entertainment:

No matter how much things went to shit, people were people.

I’d abandoned my plans for the day, put everything to the side as I tried to get memories of Subtracter’s assault on my village out of my mind. I knew myself, knew I’d be good for nothing if I let myself spiral.

Beautiful flute music rolled gently over me, the performer coaxing sweet sounds from a battered and obviously well loved instrument.

I relaxed into my booth, trying to let myself really listen to the music, pushing the screams that plagued my subconscious back down into the depths of my mind.

“Get a grip” I told myself. “Its in the past. It already happened. You don’t gain anything from dwelling on this.”

That went about as well as reasoning myself out of being sad always did. I gritted my teeth and winced as my brother’s dying scream played out yet again.

“Hey bitch!” shouted someone. “Cut that shit out!”

I was moving before she finished, eyes focused once again on the world around me. An Ultra had walked in the door and was stalking towards the stage.

The performer dropped her flute down to her side, bowing her head in apology.

“Are you fucking confused?” asked the Ultra. “Did, ‘get dinner’, sound like ‘bow into your fucking stick’ to you?

Before the human could respond I stepped out in front of her, placing myself in her owner’s path.

“Fuck you,” I told her.

“Warlord, I…” she began, recognizing me instantly.

She was a short woman, curly hair, Sigil a beret. No one I knew. Probably no one important.

“You stop the fucking music? You going to play?”

I kept the questions rapid fire, keeping her off balance as I closed.

“I…no, this bitch-“ she tried, her words tripping over one another.

“This bitch plays the flute,” I told her. “And I’m guessing you don’t, so she is officially more interesting to me than you.”

The Ultra took a step back, hands out in a placating gesture.

“She’s yours,” she said, stepping backwards again. “I didn’t meant to-“

“Get out,” I told her.

She took a step back.

“Of the Lair,” I continued.

She paused, protest visible to in her face.

“Or you could die,” I told her, reaching lazily out towards her face.

It was, occasionally, gratifying that everyone knew of my death touch. She kind of wilted in the face of my provocation, and basically fled into the streets, running as though I was right on her heels.

I turned back around and slid myself into the seat, waving lazily at the performer.

I’d see to her after this, make sure she landed on her feat somewhere. It shouldn’t be hard. There were plenty of Ultras who’d sponsor someone with a useful talent.

As the music started up again, I realized that the screaming in my mind had gone quiet.

*************************************************************************************

Debrief Posse:

I was annoyed, but not terribly surprised, to find that my evening debrief was still just me, Owner and Builder. Smasher only volunteered the morning slot for good reason, it was the only time she was even vaguely sober.

“Guns?” I asked Builder.

“Guns,” she said. “They were super simple, once I started to think of them as basically small trucks whose payloads were bullets, and whose tires were triggers.”

I chuckled.

“Sure,” I said. “But you can make them?”

“Without any trouble,” she said. “I’ve got the patterns for the bolt action things the warband scrounged up, and also for some pistols that shoot a lot faster. I can make them out of another one of these.”

At that, she showed me one of her little pouches of material shards, like the one she had for trucks. Soon enough she’d have a bandolier of these things, if I had my way. I wanted my very own Adder, and Builder was as close as it got.

“Do you think you could make better guns?” I asked. “If you we got you some? Would you need another session with them?”

She gave a hesitant nod.

“I’d probably need another afternoon to work on them. But, like, I wouldn’t be worried about failing, if that makes any sense? I feel like I have a basic understanding of shooting related stuff at this point. I’d be very surprised if there was too many more new things to learn.”

I thought she might be underestimating the artisans of the past, but I left is aside for now.

“Owner?” I asked.

She gave a sad, slow headshake.

“I don’t think their disappearing gift and mine go to the same place,” she said, simply.

I’d kind of expected that.

“So wasted effort?” I asked.

“Not entirely,” she answered. “I am getting some income from the rental properties now. I think the imaginary world is taking my interest in missing people as, like, a reason to think we are better or nicer people? So it is sending me more clients?”

It must be frustrating to have such an imprecise gift. Mine was hard enough to understand, but everything about hers had to be learned through laborious trial and error.

“Sounds good,” I answered. “Not as good as the info we wanted, but something at least.”

“It might help if I wanted to buy, say, guns?”

She looked pointedly over at Builder, giving her a lazy smile.

“There might be permit issues,” I guessed, “for the kind of guns we need, but it shouldn’t be impossible.”

They grinned over at me, the same expression on two separate faces.

“And our third?” I asked. “Did Smasher tell anyone how her day went?”

It was Owner who gave the answer.

“She said it sucked, that they sucked, and that your plan sucked.”

“So…not so great?”

“Well,” Builder chimed in, “She decided to focus on hand fighting training, then changed her mind to imagining everyone in Fists.”

I rolled my eyes.

I remembered that game from my early days, picking a group of five and trying to imagine how they’d work as Fists. I’d never heard of anyone actually going through with it for training purposes, however.

“Yeah, she decided to split everyone up and have a ‘Fist Tournament’, where they would fight in groups of five.”

“I guess that didn’t work so well,” I said, “what with their being 17 of them and all.”

“Yeah,” Owner, seizing the story back again, “So she marched them out and dragooned other Ultras, grabbed six in the first batch and it still didn’t work out.”

“How many do we have now?” I asked, slowly.

“25,” said Builder, “Though the new ones may not be quite up to the quality of the ones you got in the Yard. And they’ve had a day of hand fighting training, and there are 5 lieutenants, or ‘fist leaders’ as she calls them, so they are a little more organized than before.”

“Fine day’s work,” I said.

And really, it was.

*************************************************************************************

Day 20:

Days remaining: 11

AP available: (4 at end of day + 1 for 6 hours sleep) = 5/10

Prestige: 3

Timeslots available: 2, morning and afternoon

Builder Timeslot Available: afternoon

Owner Timeslot Available: afternoon

Smasher : Timeslot Available: morning

Posse: 3 or 3 out of 3 slots filled

Force size: 25

Condition: Healthy

(Ultra format: Role, Ultra Strength/Speed/Toughness, other gift description)

Posse:

Builder — 0/0/0, a woman who can alter objects for miles around into other things, blessed with a ‘Bulletproof’ blend

Owner – housemate, 0/0/1 operates an imaginary firm, with real effects on the world,

Smasher — 3/0/1, a woman who is billed as the strongest Ultra fighter of all time

Ultra Allies:

Maker- Friend, and protégé of Snitcher, 0/0/1, can summon the spirit of things

Clawer – Ultra fighter 2/0/1, melee combatant, deadly hooks for hands

Stopper – partner of Clawer, 0/0/0, steals form’s velocity by looking at them

Sticker – Did dentistry for her brother, 0/0/2, Creates slime, can choose its stickiness

Grower – 0/*0/1, an outside Ultra I sponsored into the Lair, has a bullet blend from me, can rapidly increase the size and mass of objects

Joker — 0/2/0, a woman who can change what other people/herself look like

Replayer — 1/2/0, she can ‘step back in time’ to undo damage that she takes

Ultra Enemies:

Masher- Enemy, and fellow protégé of Subtracter, 3*/0/3*, trades off strength and durability as she moves or stays still

Picker – First Fist protégé, 0/1/0, ‘selects the outcome of things’

Ultra Acquaintances:

Tracker – Running buddy, 1/0/1, Creates tracks, and can move things on them

Shower – Adder’s protégé, 1*/0/1*, gains strength and durability from witnesses

Echoer – Singer I am a fan of, 1/1/1, can duplicate any action that she sees

Bubbler – Operates Ultra clinic 0/0/?, traps things in bubbles that heal and move them

Sucker — Ultra entertainer, ?/?/?, pulls objects/people towards her at incredible rate

Gunner — 0/0/1, she shoots tracking Ultra Blasts at roughly Ultra Strength One

Chiller — 1/0/1, can freeze any object she touches, leaving them brittle and easily broken

Cutter — 1/1/1, she is a brutal front line combatant

Swimmer — 1/0/1, she can ‘swim’ through solid surfaces

Burner — 0/0/1, she can summon Ultra fire from anywhere that she can see

Maxxer — 0/0/0, she can augment the gifts of other Ultras, pushing their gifts

Puncher — 1/0/1, her strength and speed both go up when she repeats her movements

Faction Rankings:

Regime 7

KEM 8

Pantheon 2

Union 4

Resistance 9

Prevailer 3

Knights 3

[spoiler=Actions]

Actions:

[ ] Contact Knights (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, returns 1 on success)

Motive: My recent actions have opened up the possibility of collaboration with the Knights of Purity. Their assistance could be valuable, insofar as they don’t count towards the Regime’s ridiculous rule against outnumbering our enemies, and I might be able to acquire some of their blessed equipment if I play my cards right.

Concerns: I don’t know if I really want to be associating with such a group. KEM wouldn’t mind, but the Resistance would pull away from me, and I might end up coming into contact with Second Fist or their sponsored Ultras. It is likely that anything they might want from me would be rather evil.

[ ] Seek Transportation

-[ ] Scavenge (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: My current transportation sufficed for me in my troubleshooter role, but I will likely require a larger vehicle, or several vehicles, in order to bring everyone to Ar Harbor. I can seek to find something in the suburbs and surrounding towns.

Concerns: Leaving Shington could be dangerous, and I am far from guaranteed to find a bus or truck suitable to my needs, as the area has already been heavily scavenged.

-[ ] Trade with existing owners (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but instead of fixing up ruined vehicles I’ll negotiate to get them from their current owners.

Concerns: Snitcher may disapprove of a warlord being civil

-[ ] Seize by force (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: As above, but instead of asking my contacts for vehicles I’ll just take what I want. My role as warlord and my Tally should minimize resistance

Concerns: People like their vehicles, and won’t like the one who takes them. I will make enemies.

-[ ] Seek Transportation [Adder + Company] (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but Adder can use his gift to make something for my purposes, and the Company can duplicate it and make it permanent.

Concerns: Adder and I are not close, he may decline to aid me, owing to his rivalry with my sponsor, Subtracter.

[ ] Seek Target Information

-[ ] Company (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: The Company logs every Ultra they create. Their Ar Harbor records would be useful information

Concerns: Ultras migrate and conceal their gifts, this information would be incomplete

-[ ] Subtracter (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: Subtracter is the military leader of the Regime, she will have information on this target

Concerns: Subtracter is stupid and violent, I don’t like to be around her

-[ ] Survivors (Timeslot cost:1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: There have been 2 other attempts at Ar Harbor. I can seek out and question survivors in the outer city.

Concerns: I may be unable to find any survivors, and I may be misled by liars.

[ ] Seek Posse Members

-[ ] wander & gossip, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: There are dozens of powerful Ultras in the Lair. I know only the barest fraction of them. I can learn the basics on 1-6 of them in a few hours of socializing and gossiping, opening up in depth investigation options on them and adding them to my list of acquaintances.

Concerns: None

-[ ] At Ultra Fights, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Constraint: Only available in the afternoon or night on days divisible by 4 (day 4, 8, etc)

Motive: There are dozens of powerful Ultras in the Lair. I know only the barest fraction of them. I can learn the basics on 3-12 of them in a few hours of socializing and gossiping at this kind of event.

Concerns: Ultras associated with the Fights are more likely than most to be melee combatants.

[ ] Seek Warband Members

-[ ] At the Yard, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: The Lair is surrounded by hundreds of Regime Ultras. The strongest come to the Yard to show their power and appeal to those like me, who would give them purpose. I should be able to gather between 5 and 20 Ultras of such caliber.

Concerns: I will need to provide housing and direction to these Ultras, or risk them wandering off. I can expect to spend at least an action a day on them, and training them might well eat up more. Ideally a Posse member will be tasked with this.

-[ ] [Gang name] From a Gang, (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 5, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: The Ultras that surround Shington are organized into Gangs dozens strong. If I can recruit such a force I might have my whole Warband right there.

Concerns: These Ultras likely already have patrons in the Lair, who I would need to negotiate with. Their leader would also likely want a place in my Posse, and she would be the primary locus of their loyalty until I’d had time to win them over.

[ ] Investigate Acquaintance:

-[ ] [Name], (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success, 2 if we become allies)

Motive: I can spend some serious one on one time with an Ultra I’ve chosen, evaluating the capability of their gift, the alignment of their values with mine, and their basic ccompetence. If all checks out, I might move them into my Ultra Allies column.

Concerns: None

[ ] Invite Ally into Posse:

-[ ] [Name], (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: If I want to bring an ally into my posse, get them to take actions on my behalf and rise or fall with me, this is the way to do it. I will only take this action on those I’ve already made allies, and once this has been taken it is difficult to undo.

Concerns: Posse members are most of the way into my circle of trust, and will operate on my behalf, representing me to stranger. A mistake here would be dangerous and damaging. I should be careful before taking this step, potentially investigating a prospect several times.

[ ] Seek Information on Snitcher’s patterns

-[ ] Passive listening (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: Snitcher can ride my senses at any moment, and bring Her along. If I am ever to contact my KEM allies, my resistance allies, or show any kindness or weakness whatsoever, I need to understand when this is likely to take place. Gossip can hint at this, particularly if I carefully steer conversations. This action would be mostly undetectable, even if he was riding me when I took it.

Concerns: None

-[ ] Active interrogation of Snitches (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 2 on success)

Motive: As above, but rather than listen for random gossip I will seek out other linked individuals and directly ask them how often he rides their senses, and what actions he has reacted to in the past.

Concerns: More likely Snitcher notices this, unknown consequences of that.

-[ ] Confront Snitcher Directly (Timeslot cost:1; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: As above, but take the simplest possible route. Go to Snitcher and ask him for the deal.

Concerns: I am sponsored by Subtracter, not Snitcher, he may not wish to aid me. He may demand favors or other services in exchange for the information.

[ ] Seek Information on Regime military operations

-[ ] Ask Subtracter (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: My life depends on doing this right. I need to get a basic understanding of what She is expecting from my attack on Ar Harbor. Do I need to seize the Company Facility? Kill all the enemies? Are there any constraints on how I go about it? Subtracter is the leader of the Regime’s military, and my sponsor, she will know these answers.

Concerns: Subtracter is stupid and brutal, and she killed my neighbors, I hate spending time with her.

-[ ] Ask Around (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but ask survivors of previous missions instead of my evil boss.

Concerns: My predecessors may not have told them everything, their views of their missions may omit certain command level details that I need to worry about.

[ ] Relax and Recuperate

-[ ] By visiting Blisser (Timeslot cost: X (slots spent until AP reaches max), AP cost 0, returns 3 per time period. DANGER, this action may cause addiction)

-[ ]By lounging around, (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 0, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: I could do with some rest.

Concerns: None

-[ ]By patronizing entertainment areas (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: I could do with some rest, and I might learn some things by socializing

Concerns: None

-[ ]By using my gift to repair the city (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, refunds 5 on success)

Motive: It needs to be done.

Concerns: This is not becoming behavior of a warlord, Snitcher may take notice, and people may talk

-[ ]By using my gift to heal people (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 5 on success)

Motive: This is why I have my gift.

Concerns: This is not becoming behavior of a warlord, Snitcher may take notice, and people may talk

[ ] Organize Armory [Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, returns 2 on success)

Motive: I carry, in my backpack and on my person, various items to blend with if the need arises. I am overdue to look through my setup and take an inventory, once that is done I could seek out new objects if I am missing anything useful.

Concerns: None

[ ] Action: Direct the Warband (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful)

Motive: If I need to set my warband in motion, give them a project or whatever, it is as simple as telling them to jump. My will is their command.

-[ ] Let [Posse Member] Supervise, takes up the Posse Member’s action, modifies success chance based on which Posse member it is, and which action

[ ] Action: Train the Warband (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful) [Requires a timeslot from the teacher, who should probably be an Ultra combatant]

Motive: Yard Ultras are fierce, but undisciplined. They are warriors, not soldiers. I can get better outcomes if I teach them some basics.

-[ ] In Ultra Combat (Gives bonuses on their battle rolls)

-[ ] In anti firearm maneuvers (Makes them suffer less casualties under fire)

-[ ] In obedience (makes them more likely to obey my orders)

[ ] Action: Other (Timeslot cost: x, returns x if successful)

KEM Actions:

[ ] Assign Assassination mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 3, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

Description: KEM are the only humans who fight back on a consistent, day to day basis. We’ve come up together, they and I, and pointing them at my foes is only common sense. If I give them a target, then I trust them to make a good faith effort to put that Ultra down. Their odds of success, of course, vary wildly depending on how much info I can provide, and the gifts of the Ultra in question.

Resistance Actions:

[ ] Assign Information Gathering Mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 2, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

Description: The humans are the ocean in which the Ultras swim, the saying goes. The Resistance’s capacity to gather information about Ultras is unsurpassed. If I give them a target, then they will give me every bit of public information on the target, and often times a little bit more. Ultras are people, after all. I believe this with all my heart. And people trust other people, even those that they ultimately shouldn’t. I can assign as many targets as I wish, but the more I assign the less details I will probably get, and the longer it might take.

[ ] Debrief Information Gathering Mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 0, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

Description: The information that the Resistance gathers is worthless if I never regain it. Using protocols I’ve worked out ahead of time, and my recent discovery of Snitcher’s habits, it should be possible for me to take the Resistance’s reports with minimal risk. I expect I should give them a day or two for local targets, and possibly as much as four for targets in Ar Harbor or further afield.

Smasher Actions:

[ ] Recuperate [Timeslot cost All]

Description: Smasher hangs on the edge of death. Her body and gift will try to knit her back together each day.

Owner Actions:

[ ] Acquire Funds [Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Owner takes action to get more and more valuable assets within our world, increasing her overall funding, hopefully permitting her gift’s actions to be swifter and larger in impact. (Requires Write In clarification on how to do this)

[ ] Change Company [ Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Owner presently runs a package store, located in downtown Washington. She has, as near as I can estimate, a low six figures saved up. With this action I can direct her to acquire licenses, expand locations, purchase other businesses, or perform similar deeds, all based around changing the operation and activities of her imaginary franchise. (Requires Write In clarification on how to do this)

[ ] Company Action [ Timeslot cost 2]

Description: This is a catchall action for anything I might think of that could let Owner impact the main battle in Ar Harbor. Buying up local real estate and demolishing it on a certain date seems like the obvious course of action, but there are a lot of other fringe ideas that I’ve been entertaining. [Requires Write In clarification on how to do this. The first Action spent on this is about Owner doing tests to make sure this effort will work, the second actually kicks off whatever changes I want in the imaginary world.]

Builder Actions:

[ ] Repair Structure [Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Builder can repair most any structure any structure in just a few hours, spreading broken portions back into place and generating new matter as needed.

[ ] Construct Known Structure [ Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Builder can construct any easily described structure with the same ease that she repairs them. Her present education limits this to extremely primitive structures, but that might well be changeable.

[ ] Construct Known Items [Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Builder’s gits aren’t limited to buildings. If she can get a perfect understanding of an objects, and samples for every component, then she can form any items that I might desire. The easiest way to accomplish this, of course, would be to provide her with a sample.

[ ] Memorize Patterns [ Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Builder’s gifts are heavily limited by her imperfect education. The more patterns I can get her to learn, the more she can construct from any given material. If I provide her with patterns or specimens I’m pretty sure she can memorize them and add them to her arsenal.

[/spoiler]

Fisher 9:2

May 25, 2019 ~ Walter ~ 2 Comments

I stood, awkwardly, not sure whether I was about to get jumped or not.

An onlooker wouldn’t have seen any reason for the sudden increase in my tension. I was still on the carried platform, still standing amid a bunch of milling, squabbling white clad kids. Nothing had obviously changed.

But, of course, that only meant that what had changed was subtle, less apparent.

Vampire and Oro knew who I was, somehow. They knew at least something of my mission. Their power exceeded my own, exceeded that of my entire Fist, probably. With my cover blown, there was nothing stopping them from taking me out, here and now, with no repercussions.

Wait, something about that thought seemed off, off in a way that resonated with my thoughts on my situation.

What would the repercussions of taking Zilla out have been? Nothing, right? These were the Brides, their authority was next only to that given to Zeus. Perhaps the reason that they weren’t acting like anything had changed was that, to them, nothing had.

Oroboros gave a polite cough, pointed me over to Vampire’s card game. I went willingly, still trying to recover my equilibrium.

I sat down across from her, the Bride who’d formerly occupied that seat giving way eagerly.

I didn’t reach for the cards. I couldn’t tell exactly what game they were playing, and trying to add a random element into whatever was about to happen could only end badly for me. Better to let them direct things, try and roll with the punches.

“Regime, huh?” asked Vampire.

There wasn’t any curiosity in her voice, none of the wonder that she had to be feeling at encountering a denizen of the only place that truly challenged her master.

She just sounded bored, jaded. Old beyond her years, the kind of voice that found the world to be hopelessly tedious and entirely unsatisfying.

“Yes,” I said, simply.

This was a pose, I told myself. No matter how powerful she was, those who surrounded her should be similarly mighty. She was aping at Her posture, the blithe unconcern of the world’s strongest Ultra.

Like all teens, she was the furthest thing from uncaring, at least about the opinions of her peer group. She should be exceptionally insecure, but would die before she showed it.

“You are here to find monsters or something?” she asked. “What’s that about?”

I gave a meaningful look at Oroboros.

“She sees your past and future,” said Vampire, “But, like, the future gets messed up when she tells you about it, I think, so it is better that you tell us. If I ask her I’ll get the version that is there before you hear her talk, and so on.”

I was proud that I avoided choking at that news, though a sort of shiver or tremor passed through my form before I could check myself.

I didn’t think she was boasting or bluffing about the gift, that seemed like exactly the sort of almighty bullshit this group would be packing. But that meant that…

“We’re trying to make monster soldiers for you,” I said. “My Fist leader just had her gift tuned to allow it.”

I was spinning out a bit here, forced to speak without more than an instant to contemplate, all the while trying to wrap my head around what her gift might show her.

My bet was that it didn’t go deep into what other people might do. So if I would one day see monsters from Haunter and the healers, that’s all they’d get, my moments with them, not the fact that these were people who would have little to no interest or capability to help out the Brides in their rampage.

“Why?” asked Vampire. “Doesn’t she want to defeat us?”

It took me a second to realize that she was referring to Prevailer, without the capitals. It was a weirdly world tipping moment to see someone, especially someone so young, just do that.

“She…” I paused, “She doesn’t rely on us to fight. She is like Zeus, She-“

And all of a sudden the atmosphere was different. Glares from every quarter, even Oro’s.

“Not like Zeus,” I corrected myself. “Prevailer does Her own fighting, we aren’t for that.”

Vampire actually laughed, a strange, genuinely joyful sound that made me realize anew just how young she was.

“On this we agree,” she answered, “not like Zeus.”

“So you are here to assist us?” pressed Oroboros. “Your Fist want to join up and fight the Union?”

“Exactly,” I said, knowing that her gift might see straight through this. “They’ve waylaid us, betrayed us, ambushed us at multiple turns. If you’ve really seen our past, then you know that the Union has only ever been our enemy.”

“Five more Brides?” asked Vampire, “In strength at least? We send them in first?”

Oroboros shook her head, frowning dubiously.

“Maybe 2,” she said, “But most of them wouldn’t have qualified for our ranks. This one, in particular, is essentially helpless.”

It would have been the perfect moment to make some kind of badass move, just level her and leave no doubt in everyone’s mind that I was the furthest thing from helpless, but there was nothing I could do. The Brides who surrounded me outclassed me in ever respect, and with my Hook off with the others I had substantially no combat capabilities.

“None of us are helpless,” I rejoined, because the perception of weakness could sometimes be more dangerous than the real thing, “As Death could report, if we hadn’t killed her.”

Vampire raised an eyebrow, looked over to Oro, who gave her a solemn nod.

“Wow,” she said. “I didn’t expect that. We don’t really have a lot to do with the Council, where we are trained. I think of them as, like, Brides who have jobs or whatever? They are supposed to be strong, though, so if you guys could kill her…”

She trailed off, gnawing on a knuckle.

“We can be useful,” I said, emphasizing the last word. “We have a different training than you, a different set of gifts. There is a lot that we can do for you, and it doesn’t cost you anything.”

She gave a skeptical look at a Bride that hadn’t been introduced to me, looked over to Oro.

“A test,” I proposed.

The random Bride scoffed.

“You are going to fight one of us?” she guessed.

I shook my head.

“You’ve got plenty of fighters,” I responded. “But not so many you need to be losing them in trivial stuff like this. We’ll prove ourselves to you another way.”

I cast an appealing glance over at Oro and Vampire, trying very hard not to look like I was begging. I wasn’t sure exactly how I was trying that, but that was the basic energy I was going for, a sort of an ‘I can’t be bothered to come up with this but I’m game for whatever’ face.

They looked at one another.

“They could do the questioning,” suggested Oro. “I saw that pretty clear, so I it is definitely a thing they could pull off.”

Vampire sort of perked up, seeming to fully invest in the conversation for the first time.

“Hey, yeah, that sounds fine.”

She looked me in the eye.

“We caught the Union general after the battle. Break her, get any info she has, and we’ll let you guys stick around, go first into fights and stuff.”

With the greatest of efforts I managed not to shriek.

The universe was fucking with me. A mission to interrogate a human the instant I’d forsaken my ability to alter their values? It wasn’t remotely fair. Had I pissed off any prophets lately? Was this Predictor’s work?

“No problem,” I told them. “We’ll break her in the hour.”

I turned on a heel and stalked off, not giving them any more time to think about it. The idea that this would actually establish us as useful or loyal didn’t make any real sense, and it wouldn’t stand up to the flimsiest argument. I had to get out of there, get back to the team and regroup.

Nobody tried to stop me, or seemed to follow me. I let my shadow guide me to the others, mind whirling a mile a second the whole time.

Could we stay here, with our cover blown? We would have to if Haunter was going to pull off her plan, get bodies for all her guys. There were thousands of them, it would take days and days.

I focused my attention on my Hook form, directing the group back towards the Lure, having to practically haul Haunter away from her conversation with Lotus.

There was a ‘trouble’ gesture for the Hook that we’d worked out, but I didn’t want to use it. Oro had apparently seen my future, which would now be my present, and it seemed like it might somehow hurt her current impression of me (based on the her in the past seeing the me at this time, which would have been my future) to look worried.

Or something. I hated time gifts. Everyone did, who didn’t have them.

We converged quickly enough, making our way through the milling throngs and coming back together, all of us, with both my bodies leading.

“Loki,” said Preventer, raising a hand in greeting.

I shook my head and walked closer, lips pursed tightly together.

“They know,” I said, when we were standing in a tight formation. “We are busted.”

“How?” asked Preventer, at the same time as Haunter and Dale asked “What?”

They glared around, but I’d made sure no one was standing close by before talking. Someone might have an eavesdropping gift, of course, but I was willing to bet none of Zilla’s minions would dare anything like that with her.

“Everything,” I answered, looking to Dalefirst. “They know just about everything. There was a Goddess there, one of the Brides, who just plucked the information out of the air with her gift. They know we are Regime, my real name, and at least a general description of our gifts.”

Dale looked around.

“Then why…”

“I guess they are too cool?” I responded. “Or maybe they are getting a kill party set up? I was able to talk them into giving us a task to prove ourselves, but I pretty much made it up, and I have no idea if they’d actually honor us for accomplishing it.”

“Did they accept my elevation?” pressed Preventer. “Can we play the ‘Killed Death’ card?”

I shuddered.

“I don’t think you want these people thinking of you as strong, being among them…” I trailed off for a second.

“I can’t describe it. That many Brides, so many people who could all end your life instantly. Even the Sniper Court doesn’t compare. I didn’t just have Vampire to fear, I felt like anyone might have just decided to kill me, at any time.”

“It’s a consideration,” said Haunter. “I appreciate that it must be a deadly environment. But you’ll have to go back there.”

I guess she could see from my face what I thought of that idea.

“To announce our success,” she continued. “We will do the Bride’s dirty work, hope against hope that they are smart enough not to throw away something useful to them.”

“They seem,” said Dale, pausing a second, “very smart. I’m sure they will do what is best for their mission, and for their Divine Father.”

He clearly thought we were being observed. I wasn’t so sure myself. It was certainly not beyond their capabilities, Brides might have any damn gift, but my guess was that most of them were focused on battle. Oroboros had probably been some kind of minder or coach, but the majority should be more like Vampire or the belligerent one. Just brutes, kids with too much power and too much fear.

“There is a captured Union general,” I said. “They want us to break her, grab all the info that she knows.”

We exchanged meaningful looks. They knew the bargain that I’d made with Andy, what I’d given up for my ability to shift my forms around so fluidly.

“No problem,” said Nirav. “Let me at em.”

That was, of course, just a bluff. Nirav wouldn’t take the chance of burning an innocent in a situation like this, it would be like calling out for Condemner to return. But he was wisely playing up the tougher side of himself, probably doing the same thing that I was, trying to retroactively fool Oroboros’ gaze.

“That won’t be necessary,” said Preventer. “Or remotely wise.”

Dale flagged down a passerby, asking for quick directions to the Union prisoners, and we were away.

I was dismayed to see that they were being kept in the heart of the throng. It made a lot of sense, but I’d still been just hoping that for some reason they’d be on the edge, where I could imagine slipping away from this perilous situation.

I’d never realized just how much I’d counted on my ability to rapidly swap between forms, hiding myself in my shadow. It had become something like a security blanket, and now that I was deprived of it, forced to move both of my forms manually, I was realizing just how much I missed it.

The place we were heading was marked by a circle of Ultras, Goddesses I suppose, no Brides among them. They were shoving a bound woman back and forth across the midst of them, laughing cruelly as she stumbled.

They fell instantly silent when they saw the Lure’s flame hair. I wasn’t sure if Vampire had bothered to circulate my true identity, but if she had it certainly hadn’t gotten to this part of the march yet.

Haunter caught the general, if that’s who the battered figure was, just as she started to tumble, turned her around like they were dancing.

Dale reached down and casually ripped the gag off of her mouth, freeing her to take a series of shuddering gasps. It must have been agony to march with something like that restricting your airflow.

When she finished gasping she looked up at Haunter, eyes almost vacant.

“Jerry Greggs, General, Serial Number Eight Seven One-“

“General?”

Haunter cut her off.

“Jerry Greggs, Gen-“

“General?” Jane asked again, putting hands to her head.

Something like reason seemed to return to her eyes.

“Yes,” she said, “Serial Number Eight”

I jumped at the sound of the pistol shot. Haunter’s shades’ guns sounded just like the real thing, and they did the same damage.

General Greggs clutched at her killer, eyes widening as red gushed from her throat.

Wolf whistles rose from the gang around us, appreciative clapping and stomping along with it. I acknowledged their support with a wave of my hand, trying to ape Zilla’s distinctive nonchalance.

They didn’t know the half of it. Haunter would never have killed someone so casually. It simply wasn’t in her to do something like that. Which meant that this wasn’t a killing.

Jane thrust her away, letting the dying form drop like a manikin to the ground. She didn’t even break stride.

She must’ve used her gift on the woman, taken her into her reserve. She’d been willing to do this, to kill her form without hesitation or compunction, because she was certain that the reserve were finally about to be returned to life.

It might solve our problem. She could get information out of the General, I had little doubt. Her training wouldn’t have covered whatever hells Jane could conjure up in the place where shadows dwelled. It also made us look lethal and ruthless, which was a big plus.

All told, a big step forward.

I just wished I wasn’t so convinced it was down the wrong path.

Regime Quest 21

May 20, 2019 ~ Walter ~ 5 Comments

Results from Previous round votes:

3 Votes: Plan Humage on SV

*************************************************************************************

Winning Plan:

[X] Humane plan

-[X] Rest and Recuperate : By using my gift to heal people (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 5 on success)

-[X] Deal With Smasher : Write-in : Search for Blend that could heal its user (self-repairing toys exist, as do malleable toys that snap/ooze back into place after being damaged, or even objects that are simply immortal) (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost ???)

-[X] Action: Direct the Warband : Help me look for this stuff ! (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful

-[X] Owner action : Improve building to make it more comfortable and secure, and start renting it in the other world as an additional income stream [Timeslot cost ???]

-[X] Builder Action : keep working on those bus patterns ! [ Timeslot cost 1]

Day 18 Log :

1 AP at start of day (0 at end of last day +1 for half night’s sleep)

-1 for heal people (0 AP)

Roll 6, +5 for success (5 AP)

-2 for find healer for Smasher (3 AP)

Roll 2, +0 for failure (3 AP)

-1 for Get Warband to Help (2 AP)

Roll 7, success (3 AP)

Owner: Improve building + start renting in other world

Roll 3, progress

Builder: Finish Bus Pattern,

Roll 10, Success

End of day, 3 AP

*************************************************************************************

Heal the Sick & Injured:

I tried my best to keep the disdainful smirk on my face as my gift knit the man’s leg back together.

It wasn’t easy. I’d always derived a deep, personal joy out of using my gift to help people. This was what the Ultras could have, should have been. Selective breaches of the laws of physics to undue the worst parts of an uncaring world.

“You belong to Her,” I told him. “Your flesh, your soul. Make sure to take better care of Her property, going forward.”

He groveled appropriately, which was something of a relief. Much more dangerous would have been thanking me profusely, which happened a fair bit.

I tried to put Snitcher out of mind as I worked. I’d chosen a morning, I was doing my very best ‘evil Ultra’ impression, I’d done all I could. The die was cast. If he had a problem with this then I’d just have to deal with the consequences.

I didn’t really have time to mess around, anymore. My schedule was getting exceptionally tight, and I had to make sure that everything was in place. I decided to do a quick mental once over, working on what I’d already done, what I still had yet to do.

Most importantly, I’d gathered a Posse. If I could find a healer for Smasher we’d be looking at two combatants, both of us, if I flattered myself, first rate.

We could fight two on four, if we had to, but another possibility kind of suggested itself to me, now that I thought about it.

If there were only two of us, then only two of them had to make it to the confrontation. It would probably be ok to have KEM take one or two of them out.

Aside from the posse, I’d also started gathering my warband, thought that had a bit more to go. I was about a third of the way there, however, and our quality was fairly high. The Yard had been an excellent choice for recruits.

King Arthur’s forces apparently had roughly fifty lesser Ultras, but now that I’d read the report on him it seemed like a lot of those were probably humans augmented by his gifts. The actual core of Ultras might well be a lower number.

The guy I was helping got up, moved out. I gestured at the woman who was managing this impromptu operation to help in the next person. She’d been doing a fine job so far, which was another thing that didn’t always happen. I’d once had a mob form when I started promising free healing.

It wasn’t a fond memory.

My Posse might be excellent hand to hand fighters, and I could probably rely on them in the scrum, but there were still a few complications to get around. The last team had been attacked in transit by a Union drone strike, and it sounded like they had a number of guns in Ar Harbor. Maybe I could do some training, get them better at taking cover, have Builder make some kind of armor?

As far as the Union strike went, I’d have to be as careful as I could not to let something similar happen to us. I was already going to be using trucks instead of walking overland, was there anything else I could do? If Builder was making trucks, would it help to have a truly ridiculous number of them? Could I armor them? Worth thinking about.

This was all ignoring the elephant in the room, however. Smasher had been attacked, quite possibly by the Knights of the Round. If that was the case, then they were keeping an eye on me, and my attack would be actively defended against. My odds of success went way down if I wasn’t the only one preparing.

I wasn’t sure what I could do to stop them from interfering, of course, it would have to depend on how they were watching me. In all probability they had agents in the city who were observing me, but I didn’t immediately see a way to figure out who they might be.

The next civilian shuffled in, knuckling her forehead and trying to hold back tears of pain. I put thoughts of the future aside as I beckoned her over. The present deserved my full attention.

*************************************************************************************

Find Healer for Smasher:

“This was all of them?” I asked.

The dark haired woman, Jumper, nodded solemnly. “All we know about,” she said. “Or at least all the ones outside the Lair, that would come when we called.”

I cracked the door, peeking into the half ruined room.

“There are two people in there.”

She had the grace to look a little embarrassed.

“It’s a hard ask,” she said, “And a lot of people didn’t really understand that we are with you yet. We might have got a few more if we’d had one of your posse members.”

“They were busy,” I snapped.

“Between these and the ones you found in the Lair,” she pressed, “I hope we got what you were looking for.”

It was my turn to be a little embarrassed. My own efforts had been entirely unfruitful. People hadn’t seemed to even really understand what I was asking for. A few had begun, haltingly, to describe a ‘weird Ultra’, who they’d heard ‘used her gift on hurt people’. I’d stopped them when it became clear I was getting a telephone game version of my own description.

“What am I getting here?” I asked. “As far as their gifts go?”

“The woman is Healer,” said Jumper.

“That sounds promising,” I allowed.

“She can mold flesh, sculpt it like clay. Your girl has knife wounds, right?” she asked.

“Sword wounds,” I corrected, “But it’s the same concept.”

“Ok, sure,” she said. “She can just pinch the sides of the wound, close it up.”

“Anything to worry about?” I asked. “Side effects or whatever?”

“It apparently takes a while,” she said. “Like, she has to reach in and pinch the blood roads or whatever, and join the bones and stuff. If she messes up it could actually make it worse.”

I thought back to the stinking, blood covered hulk that we had slung into a random room in the Packer House.

“I doubt that.”

“Ok,” she said. “The other one is Unhappener. He can make stuff unhappen to anyone he touches.”

“Make stuff unhappen?” I asked. “What does that mean?”

Jumper looked uncertain.

“He doesn’t talk, so it is kind of hard to say. The girl I took him off the hands of seemed kind of afraid of him.”

“Like, the wound just closes?” I pressed. “No catches? Dude’s gifts always have weird stuff about them.”

Jumper just shook her head.

“I think he, like, goes back in time or something. I don’t know, I wouldn’t fuck around with that weird fucker.”

Time travel? That wasn’t a thing, I was pretty sure.

“Well,” I said, “Let’s go find out what they want.”

I stepped away from Jumper and opened the door, peering, as always carefully to both sides of it.

Across the room Healer looked up from where she was crouched, flashing me a smile. She was slim and dark haired, considerably shorter than most. Unhappener was laid out in the middle of the room, flat on his back in the middle of the carpet.

“Hello,” I said, addressing Healer. “I hope you’ve been briefed about the situation?”

She nodded.

“Yep,” she said. “You’ve got a Posse member laid up with a wound right through their Ultra toughness. I can help.”

She had a high, thin voice. It wasn’t unpleasant.

“And the cost?” I asked.

She looked down, then back up at me, hope clear in her eyes.

“You have a lot of influence, right? With the people in the Lair?”

“Yes,” I said, solemn now.

“Well,” she said. “I really need an influential friend. Third Fist exiled me, said my healing was making people weak, that Her Ultras shouldn’t need me. I’ve been trapped on the outside ever since.”

“Third Fist kicked you out?” I asked, surprised she’d lived through that.

“I used to work for them,” she said. “They would have me heal people. Then they turned on me.”

There was probably a little more to that story, but I didn’t need the details now.

“Simple enough,” I said. “If I get them to lift their ban, you’ll heal my gal?”

“Like you said,” she answered, “Simple enough.”

I looked down at Unhappener, who seemed to be doing his best impression of a plank.

“What’s your deal?” I asked.

He didn’t answer, or show in any real way that he heard me.

I looked down at him, at something of a loss. I noticed a piece of paper stuffed into his belt.

I reached towards it, then pulled back.

I had a touch based gift myself. I could kill someone with the briefest contact. It made me, perhaps, a little over cautious.

I looked a his limbs, looked at my own, estimating how fast he might move, how likely it was.

I chanced it, snatching the note out of his belt, never touching flesh to flesh.

The note’s content was simple.

“Tell him what you regret, then touch him. We will escape together. All rivers run eventually to the sea.”

I looked to the note, looked to the form lying insensate on the floor before me.

“I’ll be in touch,” I told them, and stepped carefully to the door, touching neither of them.

*************************************************************************************

Debrief Posse:

“That’s some weird shit,” opined Builder, leaning back on Owner’s bed and taking a sip of her beer.

I looked across the room to Owner, who was similarly taking her seat on my bed.

“Time travel isn’t a thing,” she said. “We’d be better off going with Healer.”

“Third Fist though,” said Builder. “We don’t want any part of that.”

“It probably wouldn’t come to anything like that,” I answered. “They are only rarely in the city, and it is really weird to imagine them taking an interest in someone of Healer’s quality. I feel like this is probably mostly in her head.”

“Like, she just thinks they kicked her out?” said Owner, dubiously.

“It is easy to get overawed by a Fist,” I pointed out. “Like they say something casually and you think it is some kind of commandment. That might be what’s going on here.”

“I’ll think about it,” I said. “In the meantime, how did things go with you guys?”

Owner went first, with a look on her face that told me before she spoke a word that I wouldn’t like what she had to say.

“I made a little progress,” she said. “I got those alarms you talked about scheduled to be put in. I’m trying to get stuff set up so it is less dependent on electricity that we don’t have. I also tried to start lending out the homes there on the other side.”

“That all sounds good,” I responded. “And?”

“Well, none of it has happened yet,” she said. “I guess maybe it takes some time in this old world simulation to find guys to live in the house or get lock guys up or something. It’s all started, but no progress on the ground.”

“Well,” I said, “I guess that’s that.”

I looked over to Builder.

“Your thing?”

She grinned at me, taking a nonchalant draught of her beer.

“No trouble at all,” she said. “I got the patterns, made a truck, drove it to Owner’s place to stock us up.”

There was no need to ask, ‘on what’, the house had more alcohol than some breweries.

“I’m glad that worked,” I said.

“Better than worked,” she said, “I also made this.”

She opened her other hand, held up a pile of what seemed like junk.

“Is that…” I asked.

“Yup,” she clarified. “A tiny sample of everything I need to make a truck. I could turn this into a brand new truck in a few hours, and if you have drops of the liquids we could drive it away.”

Spectacular.

“Alright,” I said. “We can probably get some little bottles-“

“Someone say bottles?” asked a voice from behind me.

Right behind me.

I’d never moved faster, throwing myself to the ground and rolling away from the voice.

Smasher, on her own to feet, standing casually just about where I’d been, with a Smasher sized hole in the door.

“I..” I started, then trailed off. What the hell?

“New room, who dis?” she asked, eyes wandering across us.

How the hell hadn’t I heard the door being destroyed, why hadn’t either of the other two…

“I’m Blender, the Warlord,” I said. “I brought you here after you were attacked.”

Her gaze stopped on the beer in Builder’s hand, and she was in motion instantly, striding across the room.

“You were, your…” I continued to sputter, to stutter.

There was no trace of a wound on Builder, not either of the big gashes that there had been before. Not even any blood on her shirt.

“My sis here?” she asked, plucking the beer out of Builder’s hand.

It was a smooth movement, a casual reach and pull motion, but I had no doubt that that nothing could have stopped it.

“She died,” I said.

She started walking towards me with that same smooth motion.

“She-was-killed-by-our-enemies,” said Owner, words slurring together in her eagerness to make sure she was heard.

“Oh yeah?” said Smasher, coming to a stop.

“My beer!” protested Builder.

“Yes,” I said. “The Ar Harbor Ultras sent assassins to kill you while you were, um, incapacitated.”

“Drunk,” she corrected.

“Yes,” I said. “Well your sister must have-“

“And high,” she said. “Or low, whatever the stuff did.”

“Have fought to defend you,” I finished. “I’m sure she died bravely.”

“What happened to your wounds?” asked Builder.

“Hm?” said Smasher, “Oh, smashed em.”

Smasher drained the beer in a single long pull.

“Are we fighting them?” she asked. “Those people who attacked me?”

“Yes,” I said. “We are.”

*************************************************************************************

Day 19:

Days remaining: 12

AP available: (3 at end of day + 1 for 6 hours sleep) = 4/10

Prestige: 3

Timeslots available: 2, morning and afternoon

Builder Timeslot Available: afternoon

Owner Timeslot Available: afternoon

Smasher : Timeslot Available: morning

Posse: 3 or 3 out of 3 slots filled

Force size: 17

Condition: Healthy

(Ultra format: Role, Ultra Strength/Speed/Toughness, other gift description)

Posse:

Builder — 0/0/0, a woman who can alter objects for miles around into other things, blessed with a ‘Bulletproof’ blend

Owner – housemate, 0/0/1 operates an imaginary firm, with real effects on the world,

Smasher — 3/0/1, a woman who is billed as the strongest Ultra fighter of all time

Ultra Allies:

Maker- Friend, and protégé of Snitcher, 0/0/1, can summon the spirit of things

Clawer – Ultra fighter 2/0/1, melee combatant, deadly hooks for hands

Stopper – partner of Clawer, 0/0/0, steals form’s velocity by looking at them

Sticker – Did dentistry for her brother, 0/0/2, Creates slime, can choose its stickiness

Grower – 0/*0/1, an outside Ultra I sponsored into the Lair, has a bullet blend from me, can rapidly increase the size and mass of objects

Joker — 0/2/0, a woman who can change what other people/herself look like

Replayer — 1/2/0, she can ‘step back in time’ to undo damage that she takes

Ultra Enemies:

Masher- Enemy, and fellow protégé of Subtracter, 3*/0/3*, trades off strength and durability as she moves or stays still

~~Picker – First Fist protégé, 0/1/0, ‘selects the outcome of things’~~