The Vanguard! Issue #4 - Knifes Edge...

PUTTY

Again, taking the form of bluish-gray ooze, Putty oozes quickly along the walls and the floor. He rather hopes this will trigger any traps so the others will not be caught by them.

The Vanguard - Stormwarden and Lionheart

Breathing a sigh of relief as Lionheart once more clambered out of the vines that had held him, Stormwarden watched the machine pull away. "You ok?"

He half hefted the hammer, as if he was going to throw it after the machine but slowly lowered it. No matter what, he didn't have to knock himself all the way down to their level. Winning was...a sickening feeling. No glory in it, how could anyone revel in it?

Stormwarden looked down and then reached down a hand and lifted the man that had been a 'hero' onto his feet. "You're cold, and starting to shiver. I'm afraid that all I've got to offer you is a bit gory but I suggest that you don't mind that." He walked over to the earlier battle site. The clothing he could realise there was bloody, and rent, but better than being butt naked in a storm. Carefully Stormwarden removed any of the weapons they had had and found a belt.

He held it up as the man struggled into some kind of clothes. "I'm afraid I'll have to tether you up for the moment, mate. Sorry and all that but I don't want to keep having to look around for you. I'll put you next to giantess over there. You can keep an eye open for her too eh?" With that he moved over to where the giantess had landed, wondering if she was actually still alive. It was going to take something to secure that one all right...

]] Lionheart

Breathing a sigh of relief as Lionheart once more clambered out of the vines that had held him, Stormwarden watched the machine pull away. "You ok?"

Pulling the vines clear and stretching his aching frame, Lionheart nodded, before giving a few experimental stretches to make sure everything was ok. Then he too moved to aid Stormwarden in the capture of the de-powered metahumans.

"Wow just as well, Adjutant bugged out, who'd have thought those weapons we'd found would be so useful." Lionheart said, a note of relief in his voice.

Sj

The Vanguard - Frostbite and Putty

The group made its way through the now open door and into a corridor. Unlike the sewer corridors this looked part of the castle proper, with a 10' x 10' format and smooth, even paved floor and walls. Despite looking, Putty moved through the corridor without as much as a twitch from a trap, and soon the group came to a set of stairs that led up to another doorway.

Light shone from underneath the door, and the glow from the man known as Archon faded as he willed it down. "I feel like we should do more, but you two have been a gods sent miracle." said Elesieth. "I suspect that room at the top of the stairs leads into the dungeons. There may be others of our brotherhood still imprisoned. Mordreds guards in this castle number in the hundreds, so it might be best if we freed them and bolstered our own?"

The Clerics stepped up. "Our healing abilities could come in useful." they said, as one.

Archon looked about then said "I simply wish to smite evil with my blades of fire! I beseech thee, godlings, leave some for me!" he grinned, perhaps the first time in this whole business he had done so. Inside, Archon finally felt, with these two beside them, that the Queen might be freed and Mordreds' reign of evil finished!

The Vanguard - Stormwarden and Lionheart

As he moved away from the fat guy, the effect of the hammer on the man vanished, once more transforming him into a crazed homicidal flaming lunatic! A step back had him transform again. "Please!" he begged. "No more! I want to be normal... no! Kill me! I do not deserve to live after ... after the accident..." He sobbed once more. The Giantess changed to a normal size when Stormwarden went close.

Lionheart carried a number of the Lunarium X arrowheads and sling bullets, though their range was nothing like that of the Hammer. They needed to be within inches, not feet of the metahumans before they could cancel their powers.

As the Vanguard pondered on how best to subdue or restrain the Nazis - one of which looked to be out of control when changed into his evil burning form - they knew that when the light of day broke - only a few short hours form now, there would be a Nazi army converging on this place! They needed to reassemble Stonehenge in that time, or all was lost!

PUTTY

"I suspect that room at the top of the stairs leads into the dungeons. There may be others of our brotherhood still imprisoned. Mordreds guards in this castle number in the hundreds, so it might be best if we freed them and bolstered our own?"

The Clerics stepped up. "Our healing abilities could come in useful." they said, as one.

Archon looked about then said "I simply wish to smite evil with my blades of fire! I beseech thee, godlings, leave some for me!" he grinned, perhaps the first time in this whole business he had done so. Inside, Archon finally felt, with these two beside them, that the Queen might be freed and Mordreds' reign of evil finished!

"I am ambivilant about freeing your comrades," Putty says. "The more people we have on our team, the more likely the enemy can find us as we can't move as quietly. However, having them free and running around in teams of their own, attacking wherever and whenever they choose would create more chaos and might help our cause. But it might also lead to more needless death as they might not have the weapons or strength to fight well and be slaughtered."

"But I'm open to what you might feel is right."

Frostbite

Putty:
"I am ambivilant about freeing your comrades...But I'm open to what you might feel is right."

Frostbite nodded, "I agree in freeing the prisoners we subject them to further risk without weapons to at least defend themselves. But if we can arm them I think it would add to the chaos and even our chances. But this is a war, people die, their fate is decided already if we can't win, so let them die trying as long as we we can arm them as well as free them. What say you?"

Sj

Lionheart

Lionheart took the chance whilst Stormwarden was distracting the man, to slip a arrowhead into his back pocket hoping his deft hands would not be noticed as the man was distressed. He nodded at Stormwarden so that he might try the same thing with the now shrunken giantess.

OOC: ok try a slip a small arrowhead on the women to keep her subdued for now.

Sj

Steeple_jackuk wrote:Lionheart

OOC: ok try a slip a small arrowhead on the women to keep her subdued for now.

Sj

Oww. Beat me to it. But I was going to have Stormwarden wrap one up as a talisman for the man.

The Vanguard - Frostbite and Putty

Elesieth turned to the bedraggled members of the brotherhood. Over 100 strong at one point, the most powerful, resourceful and charismatic adventurers and leaders had banded together to free their world from the tightening grip of Mordred. Now only a few remained.

"If any of our friends are in their jails, I say free them, though they may not be in a fit state to help." she said.

"We can heal their bodies." said the Clerics

"If their minds are broken, they will not be as we remember them." said Archon sadly. "Come." he said, raising two flaming swords that cast flickering shadows across the walls. "I would bite my sword hard into the flesh of Mordreds' minions, and hopefully, into the foul devil himself!"

OOC If there's no other decisions to be made, Archon will step up to the door and try to open it...

The Vanguard - Lionheart and Stormwarden

"What... what are you doing?" asked the man who'd been Pyro Skull. "Is this what keeps me human? Not that... that thing?" he said, referring to the arrowhead Lionheart was trying to slip into his newly worn trousers, courtesy of a downed Nazi trooper. He was so wound up, it'd been near impossible for Lionheart to approach. "Give it to me! Please! At least then I... I can visit my families' graves without... " He collapsed into tears again, clutching the arrowhead so hard it made his hands bleed. He was a wreck, far removed from the inhuman monster he'd been.

Stormwarden fashioned a pouch to hang around the womans' neck, in it placing a sling bullet. She remained normal sized, and her clothes had shrunk with her. She would be out for a while though, judging by the way she lay, and the flowering bruise on her face.

When that was done, the Vanguard turned back to the task of reassembling the stones. There simply wasn't enough time to complete the restoration of Stonehenge. This place would be crawling with more superhumans in a couple of hours.

The quest, as it was, was finished. Doomed to failure.

Stormwarden sagged, looking at the task in hand. It was like the worlds biggest jigsaw, but with too many pieces that were far too big for even him and Lionheart combined to lift.

"Something you said rung inside me. Even I don't know the extent of my powers, but I know you were speaking the truth. This..." said Adjutant "Feels wrong." he said, gesturing about him, not just at the storm and the surrounding area, but referring to the state of the world. He'd returned, so fast, and stealthy as not to be seen. He also stood close enough that the Lunarium X hammer might affect him.

If this was a trick, perhaps this was Stormwardens chance to strike!

PUTTY

"If their minds are broken, they will not be as we remember them." said Archon sadly. "Come." he said, raising two flaming swords that cast flickering shadows across the walls. "I would bite my sword hard into the flesh of Mordreds' minions, and hopefully, into the foul devil himself!"

Putty steps forward. "Let me do this," he says to the archon. "My body is more resistant to damage than yours. Let me lead and take the brunt of each attack. The rest of you follow."

ooc: Unless there is disagreement, Putty will take on the form of a large boulder with tentacles and use the tentacles to open the door. Think the boulder from Indiana Jones except able to shift to go through doors and hallways.

Frostbite

Putty steps forward. "Let me do this," he says to the archon. "My body is more resistant to damage than yours. Let me lead and take the brunt of each attack. The rest of you follow."

Frostbite nodded in agreement with his friend, before returning to his intangible state once again and floating above the floor just to be sure.

Sj

Lionheart

As they looked on the size of the task at hand, Lionheart's shoulders sagged. And then before he'd even realised he was present, Adjutant was right there speaking.

"Something you said rung inside me. Even I don't know the extent of my powers, but I know you were speaking the truth. This..." said Adjutant "Feels wrong." he said, gesturing about him, not just at the storm and the surrounding area, but referring to the state of the world. He'd returned, so fast, and stealthy as not to be seen. He also stood close enough that the Lunarium X hammer might affect him.

Lionheart didn't know what to make of this, or indeed what he should do next. He looked from Adjutant to Stormwarden ready to strike, but unsure if he should make the first move. He was pretty sure if this was Adjutant and his powers weren't derived from Lunarium, then their L X weapons would be useless anyway.

Betrayed by doubt and hesitant should his actions be the wrong ones, Lionheart readied himself but waited till Stormwarden gave the word. It had been his call, thus far and his call still now.

Sj

Stormwarden

As they looked on the size of the task at hand, Lionheart's shoulders sagged. And then before he'd even realised he was present, Adjutant was right there speaking.

"Something you said rung inside me. Even I don't know the extent of my powers, but I know you were speaking the truth. This..." said Adjutant "Feels wrong." he said, gesturing about him, not just at the storm and the surrounding area, but referring to the state of the world. He'd returned, so fast, and stealthy as not to be seen. He also stood close enough that the Lunarium X hammer might affect him.

"It is wrong." Stormwarden was definite in his wording. "Please understand. No world can be perfect, not even the one I come from, but it is infinitely better than this. People don't starve. Not here in the UK. Anyone can have a say, can vote. We have all kind of people, white, black, chinese, japanese, russians, slovakians, Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshi, Nigerian, Cameroon, you name it. And the same rules apply to all. No distinction in the law. Not like here. Here's it the very opposite." He glanced at Adjutant and suddenly realised 'slovakians, Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshi, Nigerian, Cameroon' - none of these would exist for Adjutant. "I'm sorry. None of those places exist in the here and now. It's so much history that is, because all of this was different. Because one little island held out and beggered themselves to win that war. Thirty million dead in my world during the second world war - but millions, billions, live a better world for it. How many dead in this world? And do their descendents live a better life for it?"

He turned and looked Adjutant in the eye. "I don't fight if I don't have to. This place is a portal to the past wherin what once happened will, I hope, be made good again. But I can't do this if I have to fight everytime another goon squad gets it into its head to attack us here. I'll end up killing, just like now. More dead, when it doesn't even have to be like this." He squared his shoulders. "If it came down to the crunch, I'd do it. Give up me, to save them, but the toll would be...." he shook his head slowly. "I don't want to do it. If you can help, I would ask it. Not to fight. Just to right this one, tiny little puzzle and put the stones that lay here, back to their rightful place."

Lionheart

Lionheart continued to look on impressed by his big friend's words and the heart that spoke within them. Adjutant, with all his powers, should be able to perceive the truth of Stormwarden's words. But would that be enough? Lionheart remained poised, for all the good it would do, unaware that he'd stopped breathing in anticipation for Adjutant's next move.

Sj

The Vanguard - Frostbite and Putty

Archon reluctantly stepped aside. He, like his fellows, had been feeling rather redundant since these ultra powerful beings had come into their midst. He smiled ruefully. At least they were on the Brotherhoods side - he'd hate to be fighting them!

Putty formed himself into a ball, then coiled out tentacles to adhere to the door. With a WRENCH!!! he exploded inwards, scattering inch thick wood into the room beyond where, around a table, green skinned creatures with large overbites, pig like noses and tusks were dicing. All fell from their chairs, but Frostbite saw enough to count half a dozen. Once the initial shock had worn off, they started to get to their feet....

Beyond the creatures (who were otherwise like humans, dressed in a rag tag mix of chain and leather armour, and wearing notched, evil looking curved swords) the room stretched some way beyond the table, with a row of cell doors to the left and right, and about 30m down the cell lined corridor, another thick bound oak/iron door.

OOC Surprise gives: Frostbite and Putty go first, 2 frames, then the Brotherhood, 2 frames, then initiative. I suspect the orcs will be laid out by the time we get to that stage mind...

The Vanguard - Stormwarden and Lionheart

Adjutant considered the words. "I believe you. I trust you are not telling me lies. Understand though, you are asking me to go against everything I have been taught and told to believe in. To betray my country and my people. I will help you, but I will not fight against the Nazis for you, even though I know in my heart it is the right thing to do. We can do something about this place though." he said, looking around at Stonehenge. He turned back to Stormwarden. "First a question. When I look at you, I see a shadow standing behind you. As big as you are, this thing is twice your size, heavily muscled and nasty looking. I can only see it when I shift my vision through several spectra, and I don't have a name for the type of vision I'm using. Even then... I believe it is only allowing me to see it because it wants to be seen. I can tell you have power. Possibly power that equals or exceeds even my own, and near rivals the two Americans who ensure peace of a kind between nuclear equipped nations. So why not use it? I don't mean now. I mean generally. Then perhaps, you will understand the dilemma I face. To help you goes against much of what I have done my whole life. I gave up so much for my country and my people. With my power, I could live as a god over them. It took all of my effort of will not to do that, even when they pushed me. Knowing that you could do the same, have you ever wondered what it would be like, to end poverty, strife, murder, war? Harsh questions."

"Ones I ask myself, and resist answering, every day." he said, walking over to the pile of stones. "Majestic was an idiot. These rocks existed in this state thousands of years before we were born, and he tosses them aside like pebbles. This may take me a little while but..." he closes his eyes, thrusts out a hand. It's hard to see at first, but dust, shards, pebbles, fragments and partially buried broken pieces start to float together. In a minute or so they have half formed a standing stone that would've been a missing piece of Stonehenges' puzzle had Adjutant not reformed it. Another minute later, and the stone is reformed, whole, fused and floats towards its old resting place, a hole in the soil some fifty feet away. Turning, Adjutant says "I'll reassemble the stones, then I'm gone. I suggest you do likewise. The news channels and every communication line is buzzing. By morning this place will be overrun with metahumans and conventional forces."

PUTTY

Beyond the creatures (who were otherwise like humans, dressed in a rag tag mix of chain and leather armour, and wearing notched, evil looking curved swords) the room stretched some way beyond the table, with a row of cell doors to the left and right, and about 30m down the cell lined corridor, another thick bound oak/iron door.

Putty rolls past the guards, leaving them to the others to handle. Instead, he moves to the door at the end of corridor, making sure no reinforcements can arrive or the guards can escape.

ooc: I think two frames will get me to the doors or at least a lot closer to them.

Frostbite

Frostbite didn't even slow down dropping his intangibility so that he could freeze the guards right where they stood. And the room suddenly dropped frighteningly cold (ooc: Chill Blaine for 2 points 5mx 5m square but I'm wanting to try and contain it to this room only and these goons especially. So my allies aren't effected being outside the door before they get to attack).


"Stand down, if you know what is good for you and drop your weapons." Frostbite said still a foot of the floor, effortlessly floating in the room surrounded by ice cold air.

Sj

The Vanguard - Frostbite and Putty

Whilst Putty stretches to the door (OOC he can't move that fast but can stretch his limbs over there, so more or less does the same thing - jams the door) and ensures his strength and glue like form holds the door closed, the temperature in the room plummets! Frost forms on goblets, ice therein, and the greenskins turn a visibly paler shade of lime. Frostbite is able to affect all of them (OOC affect is -3 strike due to cold).

The creatures seem unafraid though - clearly whatever happens to them from Frostbite and his friends doesn't compare to the wrath of Lord Mordred!

"Am Naarra Shad vor Sud Kar Veptas!" shouts Elethiran, beside Frostbite.

All of sudden the guards slump, their heads thudding to the floor. One seems drowsy and struggles to his feet, but Archon walks over and clobbers him with a fiery sword, cleaving the guard near in half! It seems mercy is not high on his list of traits.

"The spell should keep them out for hours." explained Elethiran.

"Why not strike them down now?" asked Archon.

The Clerics moved past, towards the cell doors. "There are prisoners in here! Find the keys!" they say in unison.

PUTTY

The Clerics moved past, towards the cell doors. "There are prisoners in here! Find the keys!" they say in unison.

Putty considers just ripping the doors off but instead, decides to be a bit tricky instead. He forms his fingers into key shapes and starts inserting them into the keyholes, reshaping the key fingers into the proper shape to open the doors, stretching out to open as many doors as possible in as short as time as possible.

Frostbite

Frostbite, having made sure the remaining guards were covered, said to Archon, "Make sure you take their weapons. And someone ought to watch the passage to make sure we're not disturbed."

Then moving over to the cell he covered Putty as he sought to open the door, keeping a weary eye on the guards should any of them try to jump them. He noted Archon's fury, but thought it best they strip the guards and then leave them in the cell, once the prisoners were free.

Sj

The Vanguard - Putty and Frostbite

It takes a little finesse for Putty to work on the locks. In the end it proves far easier to form his hand into the lock and pull, hard, rather than delicately open the doors without destroying them. It's easy enough to pick the keys from the head guards sleeping body in order to lock the guards up. (OOC no lockpicking skill... Might be something to develop...)

The prisoners are a mess. Not all are human - some are Elves, there's the odd Dwarf, and many are fantastic creatures of legend and otherwise.

Many have died, sadly, and most aren't in much of a state to fight, but the Clerics get to work. "We will need time to get these people in a fit state to move. We will catch up when we can." the Clerics said in unison.

Archon turned, his righteous fury contained behind smouldering eyes. "Why show them mercy?" he spits "Did they show my mate and our young mercy?" He storms past Elesieth and down the corridor to the door, calling back "Come on. We have a tyrants head to sever!"

Elesieth turns to the Clerics, sees they are both hard at work healing horrible injuries and saying last rites for those beyond help, and looks to Frostbite. "They probably already know we're in the castle. We should direct their attention away from the room."

The female cleric of the pair, Kerla (OOC I don't recall ever naming them, unless someone wants to point it out...) looks up from her work and speaks. Even though his head is bowed, and he's hard at work treating wounds, the male cleric Vorn, speaks the same words at the same time. "We will be as quick as we can. Our divine path spell will allow us to follow where you have passed."

Archon called again "We should go. Now!"

PUTTY

(OOC no lockpicking skill... Might be something to develop...)

OOC: Yeah, that and that power set you thought up for Putty when we first started working on him plus some other skills he will need - minor and major.

Archon called again "We should go. Now!"

Putty oozes out of the room, trying not to see the wasted creatures in it. He forces his way out past the Archon. No sense in letting something stupid happen because the Archon is too angry to think clearly. He sets the pace, not allowing the Archon past his amorphous blob of a body.