World War II - The Vanguard Issue #10 The day after doomsday...

Anyman
110 htc (+432)
88 htk (+432)
60 Hero Points, 10 Fate points
Dark Power XP 11/20 (level 3)
Dark Power Growth 2
Dark power points 0
Armour (Tough Skin) +6 Gr (6fr)
(Dividers 10/10)
Vigour +6Gr (6fr)
Life Sense 3Gr (6fr)
Teleport 4 Gr (6fr)

OOC Calling on the Dark Power, 5 points. Ego 12 + Roll 5,7=24. Dark power 5 + Growth 2 + Roll 10,4=21. Test passed. 5D10 dark power points give 9,5,4,4,8 (30 * 3=90 points). That is an extra 6 grades (+72) Strength on top of Anymans 40 points. He has strength 112 for 12 frames. Dark power growth is at 3 points now.

Anyman summoned up superhuman strength, then glanced to either side as his former nazi team mates swooped in! Major Hope went in 'all guns blazing' his eye beams flashing out searing a burning path towards the Alien!

Imperator didn't move. There was no indication the heat vision beams had done anything more than gently heat his skin! Major Hope growled in his native tongue, then swooped down to deliver a shocking punch to his foe!

WHAM!!!!

The former Nazi opened his mouth but no sound came out. He raised his mangled hand, the bones smashed and twisted into a painful looking shape, blood oozing through the glove...

The bouncing Nazi known as 'Bouncing Bomb' pinged from Imperator to bounce hundreds of feet in the air! Though the ground cracked all about the Aliens feet, he stayed immobile and unmoved, staring at Anyman all the while. Mind Queen was up next, delivering a volley of psychic force! This at least got the Aliens attention, and he turned to face her. The glance seemed to last an hour, but was over in a heartbeat as Mind Queen screamed, clutching her head as blood poured from her nose and ears! She fell back, twitching and wide eyed, foaming at the mouth.

"Is this all your planet can muster, killer?" growled Imperator.

Lightning Strike shouted and hurled a bright lightning bolt from his hiding place behind the crater mound. Imperator lit up, but aside from the smell of burning silicates in the soil around his feet, he appeared to be immune to the attack.

"It is not possible..." breathed Lightning Strike, and he turned to look at Anyman. Having summoned up vast superhuman strength, Anyman didn't disappoint. His terrific swing connected with Imperators chin with an ear splitting crack!

OOC Roll 16 + WC3 + DC6=25-17, 8 accuracy. +97 damage, reduced by dividers.

Imperator tumbled backwards around a dozen metres, end over end, before rolling and ending upright on his feet, rubbing his chin. "Are you finished?" he asked Anyman. Soil rained down, a result of the shock wave!

He turned to Major Hope, then his eyes glowed...

OOC Imperator uses 3 hero points. Roll 7,5,10,8,8. Double (16) plus 5,6 total 27 rolled, plus DC6 + WC5=38-17. 21 Accuracy. Multiplied by 10, damage dividers reduced.

Imperator stared at Major Hope.

Who screamed!

His arm was severed neatly at the shoulder, followed by his left leg at the knee. The wounds were instantly cauterised, and the former Nazi lie there in shock.

He turned to Anyman. "Your power is not in doubt, killer. I have no intention in trading blows, testing my strength against yours. I have only one objective."

With that he shot upwards into the sky, a distant dot as a CRACK! rang out, causing all those present to cry out and cover their ears. Anyman couldn't see Imperator but could see the new hole he'd punched through the Robo Carrier, seeing daylight through the near mile deep vessel!

Lightning Strike, in shock, shouted "Is that it? Has he gone? Did we win?"

Anyman looked at Major Hope, deep in shock having had two limbs amputated. He looked over at Mind Queen, a victim of a powerful psychic backlash. He saw Bouncing Bomb thud to the floor in an uncontrolled fall several hundred metres away, then looked back up at the sky.

Perhaps Imperator was gone.

Perhaps...

OOC Or perhaps not. He's flown off at the speed of light with the remainder of his frames...

will attempt to use Life Sense and teleport him back to me, if he is in range but at light speed, he could be beyond the moon in one round.

Anyman concentrated... and discovered his prey had vanished! Had the fight left Imperator so quickly? He turned and saw the wreckage of the team he'd been hoping to build, not least of which Major Hope himself, still conscious but with grevious wounds and in deep shock!

Number one soared down on a skimmer. "Last scan showed an intense energy source leaving the boundaries of the Earth and heading towards the sun. Theory: if such a being were able to 'sling shot' the Sun, using its gravitic force to increase its speed exponentially, what then would be the effect of such an energy source were it to strike Earth at hundreds of times the speed of light?"

Anyman turned to Number One, who gave a human like 'shrug'. "Simply trying to give some reason as to your foes leaving the scene of a battle that, whilst not winning because of your own superior abilities, could hardly be called a 'lost cause'. Do you wish medical aid to be administered to your colleagues or for them to be humanely executed?"

Number one soared down on a skimmer. "Last scan showed an intense energy source leaving the boundaries of the Earth and heading towards the sun. Theory: if such a being were able to 'sling shot' the Sun, using its gravitic force to increase its speed exponentially, what then would be the effect of such an energy source were it to strike Earth at hundreds of times the speed of light?"

Anyman turned to Number One, who gave a human like 'shrug'. "Simply trying to give some reason as to your foes leaving the scene of a battle that, whilst not winning because of your own superior abilities, could hardly be called a 'lost cause'. Do you wish medical aid to be administered to your colleagues or for them to be humanely executed?".

"Give them medical attention," Anyman says quickly. "If he is not diving into the sun to make it go nova, then smashing into the Earth at that great a speed will do pretty much the same thing. Eye for an Eye seems to be a universal truth."

"Plot me an intercept course. I will try to stop him on his way back as far from Earth as possible."

ooc: Okay, once I have a course, I'm going to have to go major Dark Power here to try to stop him. Going to need to be able to survive in space - cold, heat, radiation, vaccuum, etc, travel at high light speed, extend my life sense so I can find him in that vastness. Not sure how many powers I need to survive outer space but I think I'm going to need to roll 10-15 pts worth of powers on top of what I already have. Need to spend more points, if needed, not to blow the roll.

OOC Going by standard Golden Heroes rules, you'll need grade 3854 Flight to get to light speed. Or we can just say grade 10 will get you to the point where it takes around 1 minute to fly to the Sun, which is 8x the Speed of light. That's a 'top of my head' figure, and don't cast it in stone. As for Health (survival in vacuum and immunity to radiation) grade 2 will do. Immunity to heat energy will take a single grade, cold you'll not have to worry about (covered by Health grade 2). Life Sense let's say Grade 8 covers the solar system (of top of my head, don't cast in stone) and a single request (1 action) could detect a specific life force if you've encountered them before so you need +5 grades for that. That's a lot of points, so your estimation of 10-15 isn't short of the mark. Let's say you use... 6 hero points to help you along, and use more if you fail (at a cost of 3x per point). An alternate method might be to use just a single Fate point to guarantee your double. Ok, Dark power growth 3 plus 15 Dark Power + Roll 8,4 (12)=30. Your Ego 12 + Roll 8,6,10,3,6,2,8,7. Double 8 (16) plus roll 2,10 equals 40. Test passed. 15D10 gives 10,3,9,1,6,4,10,5,9,8 plus 1 from extra roll. 66 x 3 = 198 points. Flight on its own costs 155 for Grade 10. Health grade 2 is 35, leaving 6 points. If you want the extra Life Sense and energy immunity it'd be another Dark power roll, your call.

Anyman
110 htc (+432)
88 htk (+432)
54 Hero Points, 10 Fate points
Dark Power XP 13/20 (level 3)
Dark Power Growth 4
Dark power points 6
Armour (Tough Skin) +6 Gr (4fr)
(Dividers 10/10)
Vigour +6Gr (4fr)
Life Sense 3Gr (4fr)
Teleport 4 Gr (4fr)
Flight (10 Gr 8x Lightspeed 12fr)
Health (vacuum, radiation) 2Gr (12fr)

Anyman didn't wait for protests from what remained of his team. He called on the Dark Power, flattening it and drawing it into him on his terms, adamant that no mistakes would happen this time. The reason for Imperator attacking could be argued all day long - Anyman had attacked in retaliation to their attack - but his power had been like a bazooka compared to their pea shooter. The thought crossed his mind that some day he might have to answer for the devastation he'd unintentionally caused with his superhuman powers, but he had no idea what manner of being might possess the might to call the Dark Power to order.

Soaring upwards, he waited a couple of seconds before accelerating to hyper sonic speed, cracking the air behind him and soaring high into the blue yonder of near space in seconds. Flashing past the blockading Robo Carriers, he increased his speed and felt the pull of Earths gravity leave him. Then he set off for the sun, knowing full well that his opponent had stolen a march on him, and was most likely faster unless he called on even more Dark Power. The fact that Imperator could fly across the universe, unaided, only minutes after Anyman had destroyed the solar system of his people, suggested he knew some 'back door' across the universe, some way to fold time and space in order to shorten a journey that would take light hundreds, even thousands of years!

OOC Finding Imperator in the blackness of space, and getting the speed to overtake him will need more Dark Power effort. Again, your call, but beware... there be things out here that might give even Anyman pause...

OOC Finding Imperator in the blackness of space, and getting the speed to overtake him will need more Dark Power effort. Again, your call, but beware... there be things out here that might give even Anyman pause...

ooc: Not looking to catch up to him, looking to intercept him on his way back, assuming he isn't planning on diving into the sun - in which case, the campaign is over as the solor system is destroyed. So I don't need Life Sense for the whole solar system, just about a third of it - Earth to Sun. So I think only another grade of Life sense needed for that?

Need the energy immunity as well.

Don't have the rules with me, at work and my computer is down at home due to power failure from a storm last night. But Isn't there some kind of energy or mind blast in the magic powerset? Something about ignoring normal defenses? If so, then I want to give myself that power, something Anyman has tended to avoid, going for brute strength attacks most of the time. If not, let's go with a regular Mind Blast power.

Again, 10 Dark Points and use as many hero points as needed not to fail. So the needed energy immunity to survive in space, Life Sense large enough to cover from the Earth to the Sun and either a Magic Blast of some kind or a Mind Blast power with the remaining points.

Fate Points are nice to get an automatic double but if I need more than one double ... Hero Points are the only way to do that, right?

And didn't I add points to my Ego in order to use my teleportation against him?

OOC Boosting Anymans ego score is a 1 shot deal, so the points are spent and gone in that action/frame. Magic or Mind blast is a decent idea. When you're dealing with Superman level threats the physical approach rarely makes a dent, and the character heals almost as fast as they've been hurt. Right, going for the Dark Power again, 10 points... Anyman uses Hero Points if he fails, Ego 12 + Roll [10,3] = (13)=25. Dark Power 10 plus growth 4 plus roll [4,2] = (6)=20, test passed. 10D10 gives [4,4,10,7,6,3,9,6,1,6] = (56)*3=168 Points. An extra grade of life sense is 15, Energy immunity is 20, then you have 133 points. Mind and Magic powers cost double for the first grade if you don't have them (will check this, it's been a while since you guys called on mind powers, but pretty sure 40 points for grade 1 is familiar), then you can increase the grade from 1 with the remaining 93 points, or spend on something else as you see fit.

Anyman
110 htc (+432)
88 htk (+432)
54 Hero Points, 10 Fate points
Dark Power XP 14/20 (level 3)
Dark Power Growth 5
Dark power points 99
Armour (Tough Skin) +6 Gr (2fr)
(Dividers 10/10)
Vigour +6Gr (2fr)
Life Sense 4Gr (12fr)
Teleport 4 Gr (2fr)
Flight (10 Gr 8x Lightspeed 10fr)
Health (vacuum, radiation) 2Gr (10fr)
Magic or Mental powers (Grade 1 or more, let me know which you're after. If it's purely to attack ego vs ego, they do the same thing so we'll go with Mental. If you want higher grades - more PSI points to spend and possibly greater effect/damage, let me know)

The other thing you should be aware of is your other powers running out. 15 points spent on each will recharge them back to 12 frames.

Anyman summoned the dark power again... and felt... something...

He looked about in the darkness of space. He was... miles... millions of miles, from the Earth, but there was something else out here. It wasn't Imperator - the alien was as fast, maybe faster, than Anyman was, and Lance Allard had to offer grudging respect towards what would be the most powerful humanoid in the known universe were it not for the Vanguard.

No, this was something else.

Something dark. Evil.

'The Shadows darken. A blackness so intense it threatens to devour all!' rasped the voice inside. Was that... fear?

Then he sensed... something. Approaching at beyond light speed, heading straight for him. He couldn't tell what it was, how big, or what manner of creature or object it was, he just knew...

The Devourer was here!

ooc: Do I feel I have time to deal with the Imperator before the Devourer gets to me?

OOC You can't see the Devourer, rather you can feel ... something. Something your human brain cannot easily comprehend... But then...

Anyman looked about into the inky blackness of space, then realised something.

In one direction, in the far, far distance of space, there were no stars, and the darkness was growing.

He glanced back, towards the distant blinding glare of the sun. He had a choice to make. There was no way to tell whether he would be able to deal with the threat of Imperator before the Devourer got to his location, and presumably from there to the Earth.

Another thing sprung to mind. If this thing was big enough to block the stars from what he assumed were millions of miles away, just how big was it?

OOC it's your call. Stick to the plan - Imperator - or turn to face the impending doom of Galaxies known as the Devourer?

ooc: Going to try Plan C.

Calling on the the dark powers one last time, Anyman gives himself telepathy.

"Imperator, you might as well stop what you are trying to do," he sends to the alien, "and look over THERE!" {he mentally points towards the Devourer} "The Devourer is here! I suggest you either flee or move far away and watch what happens to Earth. I do not think the Devourer would appreciate you trying to destroy it before he has a chance to do what he wants to do."

actions: um ... 6 Dark Power points? Would that be enough to give me telepathy to contact the Imperator at range and him as my only target? Less? Use a Fate Point this time to try not to explode.


activating the mental link to all the Vanguards.

"Gentlemen, if the Earth can survive the next thirty minutes without you having to stop someone, I suggest we all gather together as quickly as possible. The Devourer is now here." {Again the mental pointing of where he is} "I'm heading for the closest ship of ours. I'm in space, I've just stopped my pursuit of the Imperator, who plans to destroy the Earth, as I think he is now the minor menace here."

OOC you have 99 unspent points, so grade 1 Mental power is 40, then you can buy another 3 grades. To do the whole millions of miles range thing, yeah, you'd need another 3 grades or so on top. 6 Dark power points + growth 5 + Roll 10,8 (18) = 29. Your ego 12 + Roll (using fate point) 9,7 (drop 7 take double 9) plus roll 8,4 = 42. Easy. 6D10 gives 3,3,10,8,4,3 plus 5. 38*3=114. You have Grade 7 Mental powers and 83 Dark power points remaining.

Anyman
110 htc
88 htk
54 Hero Points, 9 Fate points
Dark Power XP 15/20 (level 3)
Dark Power Growth 6
Dark power points 83
Life Sense 4Gr (10fr)
Flight (10 Gr 8x Lightspeed 8fr)
Health (vacuum, radiation) 2Gr (9fr)
Mental Powers Grade 7 (12fr)

OOC Note your powers have worn off leaving you with the above (no armour or vigour upgrade)

Sending his message into the darkness of space, Anyman knows he made contact with Imperator. The question was, what would the alien do about it?

He found out, about five heartbeats later...

Appearing from nowhere, Imperator slowed, then hovered a few miles away from Anyman. Then he soared up, stopping a few dozen metres away. He looked in the direction of the area of space Anyman had indicated, and a sarcastic comment died on his lips. He turned, then spoke, though Anyman felt the words in his head rather than heard them with his ears.

"Know this. You have brought doom on your people and your world. If the Devourer had not come, I would not have rested until your world was rubble! No creature should have power as you do, without the mental strength to reign it in!" the Alien said its piece then shook his head. "There will be innocent beings who die in agony, their lives snuffed out, yet the process will continue on into eternity! This is what the devourer does! You... are doomed!"

With that, Imperator flew off, disappearing into space - as fast, and in as opposite a direction as was possible!

Anyman turned, looked back to the gleaming dot that was Earth, and soared through space to close in on a Robo Carrier.

It scanned him - he felt it - and a section of deck opened up to admit him. Soaring through the aperture, he sent his message out to the Vanguard, their thoughts joined by the Dark Power.

A robot rolled up as he strode out into a corridor from the airlock, straightening his hat. "Your orders sir?" it enquired.

Anyman looked at the robot, then at the ship around him. He had a feeling that whatever the Robo Carriers could do would be brushed aside in an instant, but if they could buy time, somehow...?

Wait to see if the guys on the Moon reply because I just came up with a brilliant plan to totally defeat the Devourer!

"Frostbite to Anyman, we're a bit tied up old mate. We've finally cornered Hitler but he's undergone quiet some changes. Dabbling where he ought not to be. Anyhow we'll be with you as soon as we can be. Hold on but keep us informed."

"Well, that's a bother," Anyman mutters to himself. "Just send a quick "hello" to the Devourer and ask him to "wait a mo" while my teammates handle a minor problem before kicking his butt. He should be reasonable about that!"
ooc: Do I have enough unused DP points to Teleport those of the Vanguard still on Earth up to the ship I'm on or do I need to get a few more points>

OOC you have 83 Dark power points remaining, but new problems will surface when the powers you are using start wearing off. Grade 5 Teleport (which your points can buy) won't be quite enough to teleport your friends to your location. You'd also need Life Sense of grade 4 to be able to pinpoint them otherwise you are firing blind.

Another robot whirred up "Long range scan indicates a spacial anomaly of indeterminate size and consistency. It is approaching at faster than light speed towards this location, that is, Planet Earth. The Robo fleet has been alerted, and is making ready all available munitions, including nuclear solutions. Should we treat the phenomenon as hostile and fire when it is in..."

"A small projectile has broken off from the main body of the cosmic entity, approximately man sized and is approaching much faster than the main body. It will be here in moments. Do you wish to plot an intercept course or observe it when it encounters the Earth from a safe distance?"

"I feel like the American 7th Cavalry," Anyman mutters. "They died to the last man too!"

"Plot intercept course. The rest of the ships, head for the moon and help out there, if you can," he orders the fleet. "You do not have the power to affect this thing anyway. No sense in blowing yourselves up. We will probably need you for later."

"Going to bring up help, if I can," he finishes.actions: Dark Power Points, try five again. Use Hero Points to get a double. Life Sense and Teleport. Find and bring Earth-side Vanguard to me. The others on the moon will have to join us later ... if there is a later.

OOC Will see what I can get done. Currently sat in a railway siding and have around 30 minutes before I'm due to leave. Dark Power growth 6 + 5 Dark Power points + Roll 8,5 (13) = 24. Anyman Ego 12 + Roll 1,3, 7,3 (2 hero points used). Double 3 (6) plus 3,7 (10) = 28. Test passed. Good call on the hero points. 5d10 dark power roll 1,4,8,5,4 (22*3=66 points). Added to your 83 points means that you can buy grade 6 Teleport and get the job done easily with 54 Dark Power points remaining.

Anyman
110 htc
88 htk
52 Hero Points, 9 Fate points
Dark Power XP 16/20 (level 3)
Dark Power Growth 7
Dark power points 54
Life Sense 4Gr (6fr)
Flight (10 Gr 8x Lightspeed 4fr)
Health (vacuum, radiation) 2Gr (5fr)
Mental Powers Grade 7 (8fr)
Teleport Grade 6 (8fr) Planetary/Near space range


Having given his orders Anyman moves to the bridge instantly by teleporting, then summons General Wynn and Nowhere Boy. There is a bright flash, then the old man, dressed in uniform as usual but looking far sprightlier than he has done of late, and the youngster, clad in black from head to foot with a swirling black cape trailing from his diminutive form, appear. Nowhere Boy doesn't look surprised, but Wynn 'harrumphs' and looks about. "Don't get out much. Must admit I'd like a bit more warning the next time you try that, Commander Allard! Report!"

Lance explained about the incoming 'cloud' that was blocking out the stars with its impenetrable darkness, and all the while Nowhere Boy moved steadily closer to the screen, staring at the enhanced image that showed, well, nothing. He turned to Anyman.

"We're in big trouble." he stated. "As you know, I 'travelled' from place to place, different times and dimensions, before I ended up here. I have a theory. You won't like it."

The Peelers on the bridge turned to listen, and a hush came over the bridge.

"What if that..." he said, pointing at the screen "Was us. The gathered alternate selves who bonded with the Dark Power and didn't use it for good. Drawn to each other, strength in numbers, to become the most powerful force for evil the universe will ever know? They are here for us, you can count on that."

Wynn lit up a cigar, taking a puff. "So what then? We fight? What do we fight? A cloud of darkness? Speak sense boy!" he barked.

Nowhere Boy looked up, then stiffened. "No need. Get ready." he said, and quietly shifted his form to insubstantial.

An alarm rang out across the ship, and a Peeler called out "Shields breached! Intruder al...oh"

A shimmering dark field of energy formed on the Bridge, then coalesced into a humanoid shape.



It looked about, eyes resting on Nowhere Boy, General Wynn and Anyman in turn. Everyone else it ignored. Half a dozen robots rolled onto the bridge from doorways, weapons primed! Peelers pulled guns and levelled them at the newcomer!

It seemed to contemplate its surroundings, then looked at its hand, at the forms of the humans around, and the ship. It then turned to Anyman "It has been... an age since I wore a human shape. I had forgotten the weakness, the limitations. We are... the Devourer. We have come to absorb you into our collective, feed on the terror of the mortals on the world below, and move on. Resistance is futile."

A Peeler fired his gun, again and again, the shot ringing out. The Emissary ignored the shots, simply glancing at the young Peeler, whose skin melted like wax, his scream stifled into a wet gurgle as he collapsed into a pile of bones and fluids onto the bridge! The Emissary turned to Anyman "Greetings Brother. We are your future. Join us... and become one, away from the trappings of mortal - or immortal life! The Shadow Demons, from which we were partly sprung, are as ... cavemen to our current state! You will soon realise, and revel in, the power and knowledge that comes from belonging to the one!" and opened its arms in greeting...

Nowhere Boy turned to Allard. "Yup, we're in trouble."

A Peeler fired his gun, again and again, the shot ringing out. The Emissary ignored the shots, simply glancing at the young Peeler, whose skin melted like wax, his scream stifled into a wet gurgle as he collapsed into a pile of bones and fluids onto the bridge! The Emissary turned to Anyman "Greetings Brother. We are your future. Join us... and become one, away from the trappings of mortal - or immortal life! The Shadow Demons, from which we were partly sprung, are as ... cavemen to our current state! You will soon realise, and revel in, the power and knowledge that comes from belonging to the one!" and opened its arms in greeting...

Nowhere Boy turned to Allard. "Yup, we're in trouble.".

"Totally blows my Plan A," Anyman agreed. "Clear the Bridge! You can't do anything here except die, so get out."

Pathing to the other Vanguards.

"Gentlemen! I need you here NOW! We have met the enemy and he is US! Ignore Hitler and stand by to be teleported!"

ooc: A bit high handed but I'm flat out of ideas at the moment. Anyman will give the others a few seconds [round or two of action] and then teleport them to the Bridge. Staying away from our new friend. Relative? Myself?

Nowhere Boy seems to concentrate for a moment, and Anyman knows the youngster has summoned the Dark Power!

The emissary takes notice immediately, but watches with interest rather than reacting.

Wynn turns to the people on the bridge "All air breathers, off the ship, now! Go! That is an order!"

The Emissary looks at Nowhere Boy curiously. "Despite your seeming youth you are an older man. You are many men. All of them are haunted by failure. It is your failure that led this continuum and others to be noticed by the Shadow Demons, but there are places you cannot imagine, that your human mind cannot begin to fathom. You can see them all, and ... Sarah will no doubt be there..."

Nowhere Boy twitched, then turned to Anyman and General Wynn. "Go help the others. I will deal with this creature."

The Emissary chuckled. "You still do not full grasp your predicament. I am not a creature, I am simply part of a much greater whole! Kill this form I wear - which you will find nigh impossible, and there will be a billion, a trillion, countless more to destroy!"

OOC this is just about to get very, very messy... Initiative Heroes 3, Emissary 2. You are all within 3m of the Devourite (as good a term as any for one of these things) so within punching range for Anyman, but a frame for anyone else. 1 frame to you, then 9 (three per hero) for the Devourite...

The Emissary chuckled. "You still do not full grasp your predicament. I am not a creature, I am simply part of a much greater whole! Kill this form I wear - which you will find nigh impossible, and there will be a billion, a trillion, countless more to destroy!"

OOC this is just about to get very, very messy... Initiative Heroes 3, Emissary 2. You are all within 3m of the Devourite (as good a term as any for one of these things) so within punching range for Anyman, but a frame for anyone else. 1 frame to you, then 9 (three per hero) for the Devourite...

"You heard him, Nowhere Boy! He is US! He is a small part of the Devourer who is copies of US from other Earths. The US who went evil, who became one with the Dark Powers and then took control of them. We can't fight him one on one! We need everyone for this! Don't attack! Defend yourself!"
actions: Going full defensive this round - Dodge, Parry, Duck, Run, Jump, Ooze, whatever I can do to avoid being hit by this guy. Spends point if I have to to avoid being hit by him. Yah, I'm crapping in my pants here! I will go fight Hitlerchathulu with one hand tied behind my back before going up against this guy alone!

Next round, after you resolve the attack on Hitler, I'm bringing the whole team over here!

General Wynn 'harrumphed' and barked "Nonsense, Anyman! If we can be beaten, so can this thing! Time to send the bounder packing, what?"

That said, he gathered himself to call on the Dark Power rather than attacking with the (albeit slightly enhanced to peak human) strength of a man in his early 60s!

Nowhere Boy, intangible, considered his actions and used his Dark Power to enhance his speed (OOC Buying 3 extra frames this round) but knew the first blood would be drawn by the Dark Creature facing off against them!

The Emissary turned to General Wynn "The form you wear is old, worn out, frail. You are no challenge."

OOC Attack with a Dark power blast against Wynn taking 1 action. The blast is WC7, DD-6, Damage x7. In truth the creature is arrogant, overconfident, and simply teasing/testing his opponents. Wynn is DC8. Roll is 9,9 (18) plus 10,4 (14). Total 47-17=30 accuracy. 105htc/105htk. That would ordinarily obliterate General Wynn, except...

The Dark Power blast hammered directly into General Wynn, who lit up in negative as his body was engulfed by darkness!

Anyman feared the worst - the blast was amongst the most powerful he'd ever seen delivered against one of the team, and there were plenty of casualties in the Justiciars to ...

Wynn straightened, and Anyman saw the look on his face that spoke volumes...

The Dark Power blast had done enough to 'awaken' the beast within General Wynn! The Dark Power was now in control of General Wynn!

Quite suddenly the air whipped around with a hundred mile an hour force, and Wynn rose a foot off the floor, arms spread, eyes red and a grin fixed across his face!

The Emissary too a step back due to the wind, then laughed out loud. "There is the difference between us - thousands of years of evolution! He is a beast... and will bring doom on his friends long before his feeble efforts account for nothing against the greatness of the devourer!"

The Emissary levelled another arm, this time at the ceiling of the ship!

A powerful blast of pure force shot upwards, punching through level after level of the huge robo carrier! For anyone watching from a distance they would have seen a solid bright beam of energy punch its way through the thickness of the Robo Carrier and into the depths of space!

"Now, your mortal forms will perish as..." said the Emissary, then his voice trailed off. "Your primitive vessel is perhaps more accomplished than I gave credit for."

Anyman knew that the compartmentalised ship even now would have force fields dropping down into place to seal the ship up, but a glance at the growing Dark Power within his friend told him that in moments, the ship wouldn't even be here!

The Emissary turned to Nowhere Boy, then narrowed his eyes. "You are the Crown Prince. A meaningless title to signify leadership of a people that have usurped you. Die."

Nowhere Boy gasped, and his scream was cut off - as he vanished!

"The youngster has been transported to the heart of the Devourer. He will join our collective." the Emissary stated.

Anyman gaped. General Wynn had lost control, and the Dark power was ascending.

Nowhere Boy was gone. Alive, dead, he didn't know!

Now, he knew his time was measured in seconds!

The Emissary turned, then spoke plainly, clearly. "You are a man who did not ask for the burden of power. Therefore, I relieve you of it."

OOC This is a very special attack. The Dark Emissary has 30 ego plus roll 5,3,8,10,2,1 (8,10 gives 18). You have to beat his total of 48 (so, 49 or more) to avoid the powerful effect he is about to exert on your body! Note - this isn't a 'no win' scenario. Rather, you face the most powerful opponent that the game has thrown up, and he got the hop on you with initiative. Over to you - how many hero points, or are you using a Fate Point to guarantee a double? The Dark Emissary used 2 frames on Wynn, then a quick blast to punch through the ship and expose it to vacuum, which failed. He then used a double frame attack on Nowhere Boy to transport him into the heart of the Devourer and a double frame attack on Anyman, leaving him with 2 frames which he will save.

Not sure what the difference between using Hero Points and Fate Points are at this point. Hero points gives me so many chances to get a double, depending on how many I spend and Fate Point guarantee a double but doesn't guarantee what that double might be - 1s or 10s or inbetween. If I understand that right. If I got it wrong, I will ask to redo what I'm about to write.

So trying for a lot of doubles and using the best one seem like the best idea. So I will use 8 Hero Points and hope for the best. What happens if I get a triple?

spend the unused Dark Powers points

With a colossal effort of will (OOC blowing all remaining Dark Power points, so DPP=0) Anyman felt the Shadow Demon part of himself rush to the fore, and flood his mind with strength, unyielding and resolute!

The Emissary pulled his head back, the triumphant gleam from his eyes gone as his attempt to separate Anyman into three distinct beings (OOC Putty, Shadow Demon and Lance Allard) failed!

It occurred to Anyman in that moment that the being in front of him was, perhaps, not as powerful as Anyman or the others, in terms of what it could call on, but was more versed in its use. More efficient, smarter in the way it could convert and channel raw emotions into pure dark power.

Another thought occurred - where was the Devourer getting its dark power from? Was it powerful enough to draw it from across the known universe, or perhaps from alternate universes? What was its purpose?

'I can answer that, Allard' said the Shadow Demon inside Anyman. 'It wants power. For the likes of it and us that means feeding on misery and suffering. This planet that you live on its a rich food source. It also wants me, or more importantly, my life essence, to add to its own. I can sense millions of gathered Shadow Demons within its mass, even from here. Some of them are very familiar, as if they are all part of the same being divided into limitless pieces, and being gathered together to form a single all powerful whole. Imagine the Devourer as a gatherer, and it draws as many pieces of the puzzle into itself as it can. Eventually it becomes so powerful no single piece of the puzzle - like us - can resist it! Across time and space there will be limitless alternate beings such as us. In some, they are Lance Allard, the Alien Putty, or Trey Watson, Veronica Marshall, the Alien Klettuu, or the despot known as Allman. The last is one I came across in a dream. A glimpse, if you will, of the man you might become should you choose to subjugate the world.'

The Emissary sneered. "You are weak. Your limited knowledge of the vast power at your disposal will be your undoing! We are united, and gather the life experiences of all those like you we have gathered over eons of searching and devouring across time and space! Your planet, Earth, shall fall, and you with it. The resources required to subjugate you might be better spent subjugating them! Where then would you draw your sustenance from?"

The creature seemed to grow in size, towering over Lance Allard and pointing at him. "There will be a reckoning, and that right soon. We have looked into your heart, mortal, and see only fear, despair and terror! Why, you are a food source, for me!" he laughed!

With that, the Emissary vanished, and the lights came back on in the room, the wind dropped, and Anyman turned...

General Wynn sagged, exhausted. "My ...Shadow.. Demon.. could sense... even through its sheer greed and ... desire for power... that a loss of control would... benefit only our enemy... Now, more than ever before... we are closer and more allied to our darker selves..." The old man sagged against a console, looking wasted and worse - he looked his age.

Anyman looked around. They were still missing one. He wondered what had happened to Nowhere Boy...

Teleporting my teammates and Hitler over to me - as per telepathic conversation. And if I can sense Nowhere Boy, bringing him back too.