The NEW Vanguard! FROSTBITE ISSUE #11 "This Grey and Unpleasant Land"

Admin wrote:Ghost Knight turned to Frostbite. "Give us Nowhere Man... YOU give us Nowhere Man... and you can have your magic access. That's a one time offer. Take it or leave it."

The Lore Knights stood ready to fight!

Frostbite's head hurt, or he was sure it would hurt if he didn't have incredible powers that meant he never really seemed to suffer as a human body ought to given what he'd put his through. He pondered momentarily what to say. He could hand over Nowhere Man if he was his to do so with, but who was to say that he'd agree to that anyway. And who made him suddenly responsible for this avenging angel, this dark-clad destroyer?

"Justin, would you help me out here, because as you'll appreciate we're not from around here. Echelon, have violated your turf, they've trespassed once knowing full well you'd be mighty put out with them for it. But clearly recognising that the need they had was greater they put that all aside. Now whilst we remain in your company, they are going to send their bigger hitters here, to retrieve us, and probably not care about you, this place or anything to get it. They've demonstrated a singular obsession and riding roughshod seems to be a part of the brief in today's plan of action, right? So whilst we remain, you remain at risk. And all the while you want me, me? Of all people to hand you Nowhere Man, the problem is how am I suddenly his keeper? I can hand him over, no problem, but I've no jurisdiction here!"

Frostbite moved about, raising his hand to motion that he hadn't finished, "So I have no way to hand over Nowhere Man, you want to fight us for him, either we win, or we lose, Echelon comes and take us, him and you for that matter, and we all lose. Can you see where I am going with this, or have you to been so blinded by guilt and grief that you are missing how this is all going to come down to some kind of a last stand either us against them or some such. Echelon and Wandafar tipped the scales today and they probably aren't going to sit quietly whilst we stand here nattering or battling? So you ask me to hand over Nowhere Man, and I say you are asking me to hand over us all. So fight me, or come join me, but we are getting out of here back to our own world to do for ours what you could not do for yours. If you want to join us, get in line, if you want to stop us until Echelon step in, and we all end up on Wandafar's table...carry on as you are!"

Frostbite stood his arms crossed his expression impassive and unreadable as he nonetheless readied himself to take on another fight if it came to that. Tough deep down he regretted any such action - especially if it played into the cold mechanical Wandafar of this world's scheme of things. He was just trying to get his people home.

Sj

Ghost Knight took his helmet off and gazed with those steely eyes Frostbite knew so well. "Stand down." he sighed to the Lore Knights.

"What?" growled Ursa. "You drag us away from retirement, from our lives far away from all this madness, then tell us to stand down? These people are in violation of the treaty you signed with Echelon and gave Advent notice of! We should have fought back when Advent bombed us, but no... you signed up to Echelon's way and guess what? They don't care about your treaty, this place, neutrality or anything else! Wandafar is no longer human! Alright, he's an alien but his 'humanity' for want of a better word is gone! He's merged with a machine that doesn't have emotions, only a goal it needs to achieve and it doesn't care how to get it done!"

"He said stand down." said Tor quietly, towering even over Ursa. "This fight is done. Echelon lost. James is too slippery to go with us or along with anything agreed. He's his own man now, not a Lore Knight."

"He betrayed the ideals we all agreed to." hissed Knave. "He should be punished."

A rasping voice rang out. "And I am punished. Every day. Every day I wake up alive and she isn't she died because of me. Because criminals found out I was a Lore Knight and they wanted to send a message that they didn't care if I was a cape." said Nowhere Man as he stepped into view in the ruins.

The Lore Knights bristled but Justin quietly repeated "Stand down. There will be no more fighting here today. Frostbite, go. Your counterpart..." he said with a nod to the unconscious Echelon version "Will be back on his feet soon no doubt. I wish he were more like you. He was so... intertwined... with Wandafar he felt compelled to do anything to help save his friend's life and he handed over the bulk of Frostbot. Yes I know about the living program inside you. No, I don't know where it's from. Once Wandafar was treated by machines containing Frostbot his life was saved but something was lost. Frostbite there felt responsible and still does for his friend. It's in his... your nature. This world is doomed."

"Now hold on..." said Hurler.

"...and we will continue to war on each other until no one is left." said Ghost Knight. "This isn't your place. Go home."

He turned and walked over to the Lore Knights, speaking quietly with them.

Nowhere Man walked over to Frostbite. "You are an honourable man and a great hero. The finest of heroes." he glanced at Battlebug. "Make sure you guide the boy in your image because he will stray. We've seen it here. The Vanguard will have a greater role to play in world events than you could possibly know. I have seen other worlds, other realities and I know things. I came back here..." he glanced about "One last time. Ghost Knight is right. This place will soon be gone. The world will burn in a fiery cataclysm as Echelon use weapons to enact a final victory but in doing so they will destroy their prize. I've seen that on another world too. I will talk to Justin and we'll see about saving as many as we can. Even maybe send some to this place you came from before here."

"Albion." said Melody. "They could use heroes. To rebuild, to lead, to create a world where people don't have to live in fear."

Dr Mystical bowed his head in shame.

Sorceress spoke up "All of this is touching but Echelon are on their way in force no doubt. They will know their people were defeated and will unleash a force like no other on this place..." She glanced at the Lore Knights. "And I suspect those brave souls will die defending this place."

Melody looked aghast. "Surely there's something we can...?"

Another voice called out. Nowhere Man from the Vanguards Earth climbed from the ruins of a stairwell. "I found the cavern. Need some muscle to shift some rocks. It's time to go. Nowhere Man... always a pleasure to meet oneself."

"I'd like to say likewise but you are as irritable, disagreeable and unlikable as I am, so I'll just say 'I hope we never meet again.' Same goes for the rest of you. In a way your coming here has set in motion a chain of events that will doom this planet." he rasped. Shaking his head he walked over to the Lore Knights who bristled and looked ready to punch his lights out!

Thoth sighed. "He's right. Echelon will come here in force. The Lore Knights will fight them. The two sides will weaken each other and I expect Echelon will win out but in the meantime I guess Advent will launch an attack."

"How do you know this?" asked Sorceress.

"It's what I would do if I were Advent." replied the mage. "Time to go." he said to Frostbite.

OOC One more wrap up post from you and it's time to head into the bowels of Caer Alwyn...

Admin wrote:"Albion." said Melody. "They could use heroes. To rebuild, to lead, to create a world where people don't have to live in fear."

Thoth sighed. "He's right. Echelon will come here in force. The Lore Knights will fight them. The two sides will weaken each other and I expect Echelon will win out but in the meantime I guess Advent will launch an attack."

"How do you know this?" asked Sorceress.

"It's what I would do if I were Advent." replied the mage. "Time to go." he said to Frostbite.

OOC One more wrap up post from you and it's time to head into the bowels of Caer Alwyn...

Frostbite turned back to Justin, having nodded his thanks first at Nowhere Man. "Thank you Justin, thank you all. Melody is right, this world might be doomed, but you don't have to be. Let us get you to Albion, there you can start again, perhaps even draw in others, so that Albion can be a new place from which to grow and even redeem this situation. Our world will be where this one is if we don't return, but your story doesn't have to end here. If you don't fight, maybe there is a way yet for you to help Echelon get out of its fix and save things. I'm a great believer in hope."

Frostbite nodded toward his Earth's Nowhere Man, "Vanguard, let's get to sort out a way home and anyone who wants to take us up on the offer is welcome to join us now."

Sj

The Lore Knights looked ready to strangle their former team mate (Nowhere Man formerly Wraith) but listened to Ghost Knights' words.

He turned to Frostbite and walked over to shake his hand. "Thank you for the offer but this is our Earth, our home. We will fight to protect it. Die for it if need be. What has been said here makes sense. Advent will take advantage of any power vacuum and it will mean convincing Echelon not to fight us when they come here looking for you. Make no mistake. We are not allies, or friends. However we are on the same side this day. If we meet again, I cannot guarantee that will be the case. You have upset the balance of power and stirred up the proverbial hornets nest with your presence and Echelon won't stop unless they have to. I would say we could hand you over to Echelon but..."

"Now hold on a minute." rumbled Tor. "There's no way we can..."

"Wendell, hold on a second. That was never going to be an option. I was friends with this man... or at least his counterpart, once. We worked together for years on the Vanguard project and we accomplished more good than Echelon will ever do. That said, times have changed. Frostbite. You and your people have as long as it takes for Echelon to get here and we will delay them for as long as we can. Lore Knights! Prepare yourselves. Get the downed ladies out of the way and keep an eye on the Echelon lot, especially Frostbite and Saladin. He'll be up in minutes."

He glanced at Battlebug. "They won't leave him alone you know. They'll see him as a weapon they can replicate. Once they get their hands on him, you'll never see him again."

Battlebug stared at Ghost Knight then glanced at Frostbite. Melody broke the silence. "We're wasting time. Let's go."

=========

Nowhere Man led the way into the bowels of Caer Alwyn. The place was a bombed out ruin and it seemed odd that the Lore Knights, especially Ghost Knight, would leave it this way.

Nowhere man explained "It must have been left this way..." as he picked over crumbled stone and blackened wood to find a set of worn stone stairs leading into the cellars "because there's no point wasting any more bombs on a ruin. The main prize here though is the magic. The Lore Knights know this and when ready I'm sure this place will be restored. It must rankle Ghost Knight to leave the place like this."

Thoth looked about. "The very stones are soaked in magic. Yes. YES! This shall suit our needs."

At the bottom of a deep stairwell leading into the caverns below the smashed ruins of the manor was a stone door with the arch notched with faded runes.

"No amount of physical strength will break into that cavern. There are magical wards in place that will transport you to an unsavoury place if you try." he said with a whisper and glance at Battlebug. "The place repels me. It knows what I have done, the joining with a dark magical ... evil... power and the dread spirit that calls me its host. I don't regret what I did, but I'm not a Lore Knight any more. I can't open this door."

Thoth looked at the runes. "Only those of a noble and pure heart, will from this door entry impart." He said. "Or... something like that. It is ancient, and loses something in translation. Huh. That rules me out. I've done things I am not proud of."

Sorceress bowed her head and Dr Mystical looked away. Battlebug frowned. "I'm... I'm too angry. I know I shouldn't be, but I need to get revenge on the super group that got my Uncle killed. One day they will pay for what they've done."

Melody shrugged. "I can try..."

Nowhere Man nodded "You may well succeed. try it."

She placed a hand on the door. Suddenly the runes glowed and the stone door... vanished! Inside was a dusty old cavern and - dominating it - a stone carved table with a dozen chairs stood around it. On the table in front of each chair was a sword, though closer inspection revealed a number were missing and only the perfect indentation remained.

Nowhere Man stepped tentatively over the threshold of the door and looked around. "I should not tarry in this place. It will evoke a response from the magic in this place." He sounded almost fearful.

Thoth moved over to the table and looked at a chair with an inscription on it. Taking a deep breath he reached for it.

"Wait!" said Nowhere Man, moving to the table. He looked at the sword, then the chair. Finally he shook his head. "Never mind." He stepped away.

Sorceress narrowed her eyes and translated the inscription. "Wraith. That was his sword. His chair. Or his counterpart anyway."

Thoth took the sword, and there was a blinding flash of light! When it faded he placed it back in the 'slot', and he looked... energised. "It worked. Sorceress... Dr Mystical... take a sword."

Thoth watched Mystical carefully but after the blinding flashes and replacing of the swords he didn't try anything. Finally the trio, re-energised, nodded to each other. Mystical was an expert in dimensional travel. Sorceress could help with the 'load' of the group of people and Thoth could bind the magics together in order to ensure no mishaps happened - or that Mystical didn't misbehave.

The group moved from the main room into a side room where a stone arch dominated the place. After a few minutes of preparation, Thoth announced "It's time to..."

FAWOOOM!!!

Everyone looked up as dust fell from the ceiling.

"Boss! Echelon are here! The Lore Knights! We have to..."

The stone arch/gate started glowing and the air under the arch shimmered, changing to a mirror then to an image of London. Their London, not a dusty ruin or alternate version! Frostbite felt he was looking at 'home'.

"We need to go." said Thoth. "The magic will not last..."

"Boss! We can't just..." said Battlebug.

"It's not our fight!" said Melody...

"But..." the youngster looked to Frostbite.

Frostbite saw the group were ready to go. Thoth explained "The magic links us all! We ALL go, or none of us go! And we must go! NOW! We might not get another shot at this if Echelon want to stop us, or separate us!"

More sounds suggested battle was in full flow in the ruins above them...

Admin wrote:"But..." the youngster looked to Frostbite.

Frostbite saw the group were ready to go. Thoth explained "The magic links us all! We ALL go, or none of us go! And we must go! NOW! We might not get another shot at this if Echelon want to stop us, or separate us!"

More sounds suggested battle was in full flow in the ruins above them...

"Billy it sometimes takes as much courage to walk away from a fight that isn't yours as to join in. Even we have limits, sad as it is to leave them, they chose their path, now we must choose ours. So much more is at stake, our own world lies without defences, that this world has in abundance, lets us remember that we're not leaving this fight, we're just joining in on a different flank. But your heart and motives do you well, Billy." Frostbite smiled placing a friendly hand on the impetus youngsters shoulder before indicating he should lead the way and then allowing the ladies and the sorcerers before he himself with one whistful glance back stepped through.

OOC: Wow that was mental, congratulations on creating another world which is as sad as it is compelling and therefore somewhat difficult to leave. But I am anxious to make sure our own world doesn't fall and to see our own characters resolve their own issues within our own world. This part of the story has had more twists and turns that a set of Christmas tree lights.

Sj

Thoth nodded. "Good call. If we'd gone back up there they would have overwhelmed us! I have enough magic in me to sense what we would have been up against... physical, mental and mystical attacks! The Lore Knights will hold them for a short while but they can't hold that many Echelon agents and supers off..."

Melody looked doubtful but added "And Saladin will be up soon. You heard him."

"So will his counterpart." added Thoth with a nod at Frostbite. "They won't give you a second chance to put them down kid. Remember what happened the first time?"

Battlebug nodded. "I ... it's just that..."

He sighed. "I get it. I just don't want to run from a fight that's all."

Thoth patted him on the shoulder and gave Frostbite a knowing nod. Then he turned to Mystical and Sorceress. "You know what to do. Open the gate..." he said to Sorceress. "Direct it..." he said to Dr Mystical. "And I will bind the spell so that all of us can go through it. We don't have long. DON'T screw it up or we may end up somewhere lost in time and space without any more magic to get us home!"

Battlebug, Melody and Frostbite moved to the door of the room. They concocted a rough plan in case the Echelon supers broke through the Lore Knight line. Or rather WHEN they broke through. The sound of battle rang out above despite the thickness of the earth between the cellar and the surface. Battlebug looked like he itched to get up there. Frostbite held a calming hand on the boys shoulder and Melody stood crouched ready to fire up the stairs and rather frightened.

Time passed. The trio of mages chanted. The sounds of battle grew louder with deep THUMPS and BOOMS but then started to die away to become more sporadic. Then they stopped.

Frostbite held his breath, listening.

"They are coming." said Melody, with her exceptional hearing.

Glancing back at the mages Frostbite saw they had etched a circle - no, a pentagram - on the floor and were chanting louder, hands held in a triangle. The circle started to glow.

"Step OVER the lines!" shouted Thoth, mid chant. "DO NOT BREAK THEM!"

The heroes did as ordered and were followed by the mages who chanted louder...

Just then a blue glow shone down the stairs and Melody called out. "Look!"

Frostbite - the Echelon version - and a dozen or more Echelon supers entered the cavern. They just seemed to keep coming!

"Stop them!" shouted 'Frostbite'.

There was a blur of movement... and a flash of light!

Then everything went dark!

=========

Birdsong. Frostbite groaned then opened his eyes.

Light shone from daybreak. He was depowered and instantly frosted himself up, glancing about!

Thoth, Sorceress, Dr Mystical... Battlebug and Melody... all here.

He looked about.

A group of Chinese tourists stood behind a line and gaped, peering from a distance. Some raised cameras, others had phones. He looked about again. Stonehenge.

Melody groaned then woke and stiffened. "I can hear radio transmissions. The date... time... the news is on. I think... I think we're home! No red dust!"

Thoth grunted and waved a hand. The air shimmered around them and they appeared somewhere else. It looked to be a drawing room, sumptuous and well appointed - if you were a Victorian gentleman.

"What? I have a certain style to maintain after all." said the mage, getting up and dusting himself down.

The door to the room opened and an Oriental lady in her twenties leapt in with what appeared to be a very sharp pair of stilleto knives!

"Whoever you... oh. It's you. You're late for dinner." she said, scowling at Thoth though Frostbite saw her eyes were welling up.

"That's me told. I'm in trouble." said Thoth. "You'd best get back." he said to Frostbite and the Vanguard. "I'll sort these two out with the council of magic. I'll be in touch." he said, offering his hand to shake.

Once farewells had been said they were directed to a side door from the room... and stepped into their kitchen at Vanguard base!

Alarms blared and the trio turned to see Catherine Stowe running in with a glock in hand... which was dropped as soon as she saw them! She rushed over and hugged Frostbite for what seemed to be a very, very long time...

=========

Epilogue...

It was dark. He woke. Blue light shone from his chest. Looking about he felt... heard... wait. Stonehenge? Wasn't that destroyed when Advent...?

Frostbite of another world stood, looking about. Lights shone on the ancient stones. He was otherwise alone. The place was fenced off and protected. No barrier for flying up though. He remembered... flying at the circle, shouting, a blinding flash... And something else.

He looked about, saw scorched grass and earth on the floor for hundreds of yards in a trail away from the ancient monument.

Flying up and along he followed it... to a spot more than a mile away where it looked like a comet or meteor had crashed into a heather covered hillside! There, lying in a pile of mounded earth was a man in tattered white, his helmet shattered.

Saladin.

The megapowerful Asssasin looked up. "Oh, for a moment there I thought I'd arrived at this place alone! I'm just waiting for my broken legs to heal... ahhh..." He clambered up on unsteady legs. "There we go." he said. "Let's go make some noise." he grinned.

=========

OOC End of Issue!

I'll sort out HP in the next day or two. Kind of a short ish issue (believe it or not) so the award won't be massive but probably a useful amount seeing as you had no real way of beating the bad guys in any fight and yet somehow still managed it anyway. Getting out of that place alive was the biggest reward, and you managed that with your usual style and heroics. Bravo!

Admin wrote:Saladin.

The megapowerful Asssasin looked up. "Oh, for a moment there I thought I'd arrived at this place alone! I'm just waiting for my broken legs to heal... ahhh..." He clambered up on unsteady legs. "There we go." he said. "Let's go make some noise." he grinned.

=========

OOC End of Issue!

I'll sort out HP in the next day or two. Kind of a short ish issue (believe it or not) so the award won't be massive but probably a useful amount seeing as you had no real way of beating the bad guys in any fight and yet somehow still managed it anyway. Getting out of that place alive was the biggest reward, and you managed that with your usual style and heroics. Bravo!

OOC: OH my, Saladin and Frostbite of the Echelon future, here on my earth!!!! I can see you with a wicked grin even from here Paul!

You still managed to pull something out a twist a turn, no matter how often we've been at this I find myself wondering where we'll go next and never being surprised that I am once again surprised I'm never disappointed - well done and thank you for all your efforts. It's great that you enjoy this as much as we do. I still well remember the Micro verse and how that got Frostbite among pirates in space among other things wow that was a long way home then ;-)

Sj

Admin wrote:BATTLEBUG HP 57
MELODY HP 115
FROSTBITE HP 214  [/i][/color]

It's helpful to see that break down after the fact, I don't think you've provided such a detailed breakdown as that before. Anyway, the stat on Dex sounds like a plan, and I know it has dividends elsewhere. So let's go with dex increasing by 1.

Sj

Admin wrote:OOC How does this look:

+1 Dex and Flight (to 12)
+1 Energy Blast (to 16)



FROSTBITE 75HP REMAINING

OOC: That is great thank you.

Sj