Saiba Aisu Posted May 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 [center][img]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/Heroes%20of%20the%20North/teen_titans_communicator_logo_by_phaeton99-d389ryu-1.jpg[/img] [b]GM Post: "Cruel Joke"[/b] [spoiler=GM Post: Weapons Factory, City Outskirts]Now that they were all assembled, the Teen Titans turned as one towards the interface screen, which was flashing urgently with many different colors and live updates from both police and news channels. "It's a robbery," Luxa said flatly, breaking her teammates' silence with her assessment as her gaze traveled across the screen. Her cold tones revealed her annoyance and lack of enthusiasm; nevertheless, she continued, "We just received a secure police transmission. The Joker Gang is in the process of stealing from a remote weapons factory outside of town. And of course, most of the available police units are tied up protecting important politicians for a downtown conference." The blonde girl paused for a moment, struck by the bizarreness of the situation—the Joker Gang was world-famous, a sprawling, violent movement of delinquent youths dedicated to emulating the Clown Prince of Crime, the original Joker, who had originated from Gotham City. There were few places on the globe where occasional crimes connected to the gang did not occur; indeed, there was a large, active division concentrated in her hometown of Paris. Nevertheless, robbing a weapons factory was completely out of character for the group. Generally, the Joker Gang preferred hit-and-run tactics that provided immediate revenue, striking banks or wealthy individuals in a random pattern. An attack upon a weapons factory was unusual, not only because it suggested planning and foresight, but also an ulterior motive, rather than mere cash. "Let's get moving," Luxa said shortly, taking command with an impatient, dismissive toss of her hair. "We can discuss the situation on the way to the compound—we're going to have to hurry if we want to intercept them in time." The French girl turned and headed for the elevators past the sliding doors, her pigtails trailing after her like a fishing lure, her teammates hurrying after her. === The weapons factory was located to the west of Aurora City, just past its outskirts. Although the area had served as a bustling industrial district in the past, it was of little concern to the government now, as most of the metropolis' elite had long vacated the area, leaving behind clusters of warehouses and crumbling infrastructure. Amidst the decay and ruin, the weapons factory was one of the few functioning enterprises that remained, churning out several of the tools and armaments purchased by local police forces. Despite its importance, however, its pitiful surveillance systems and security forces had posed almost no difficulty to the Joker Gang, who had quickly stormed the building. An unsettling silence lay over the area, absolute except for the steady, soft hum that emanated from the machinery of the squat, box-shaped factory. There was a sudden roar as the front doors of the factory were blasted apart by unseen, powerful explosives, hurtling through the air briefly before striking the barren concrete that surrounded the building. Several masked figures began to move out of the resulting cloud of dust and smoke, clad in colorful outfits designed to resemble those of clowns and harlequins. Despite the whimsical nature of their clothing, however, ten of the twelve individuals—from the most willowy female to the most muscular male—were armed, wielding energy blasters capable of delivering powerful paralyzing shocks. The other two were burdened with two bulging sacks, presumably stuffed with the stolen weaponry. "That was almost too easy," the leader of the raid laughed, his dark eyes bright behind his harlequin mask. He laughed again and turned a somersault down the stairs, while his companions began to load the bags into the getaway vehicle and mount their motorcycles. "You think the police would have reacted to the robbery of one of their factories, but it looks like—" The man's triumphant speech was cut off suddenly as he halted, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the Teen Titans emerging from the shadows, arranged in a five-person diamond, attempting to bar the road that led away from the factory. He smirked nastily at the sight of their eccentric clothing, not aware that his own was hardly any better. "Get a look at those freaks!" he chuckled, swinging himself off his motorcycle and hefting his weapon in their direction. His companions roared with scathing laughter and turned towards the newcomers, clearly expecting them to interfere in some way. "Sorry kids," the man continued cuttingly, seven of his peers flanking him on either side, while the remaining four Jokers throttled the engines of their vehicles, clearly in a hurry to be on their way. "But this is a crime scene, and I can't be having any loose ends like you hanging around." The Jokers strode towards the Teen Titans as a group, raising their energy blasters in their direction. "Open fire!!" the man commanded, squeezing the trigger of his blaster. At his words, a burst of red projectiles buzzed towards the group like sonic hornets.[/spoiler][/center] [center][spoiler=OoC. Please read!]Alright everyone, this is our first battle situation. Thanks for waiting so patiently. I'm aware that there may be a few corners cut/inconsistencies with the manner in which I introduced this scenario (such as not depicting the form of transportation used by the Teen Titans to arrive at the crime scene), but I felt that the most important thing was to get things rolling. Moreover, I drew inspiration from the actual Teen Titans show, in which the heroes appear immediately on the crime scene, rather than wasting time dealing with the process of getting there. Anyways, your enemy for this scenario is the Joker Gang, a collection of delinquent youths who have gained notoriety for their violence and petty robberies. Although an attack upon a weapons factory is completely out of character for them, that doesn't mean you shouldn't take them seriously. For this RP, a turn-by-turn combat system will be employed. This basically means that you are free to narrate your character's actions and attacks, so long as you fall short of actually describing their effects upon the foe. Keep in mind that as superheroes, you should try to avoid using lethal force, if possible. Best of luck to all of you, and please don't hesitate to ask questions if you need to. I will look forward to your comments in the OoC Thread.[/spoiler][/center] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yang Xiao-Long Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 As the red-colored energy projectiles flew towards the group, Hikaru used his positioning in the front right of the diamond to his advantage. In a swift, practiced movement, the cello formerly on his back was now in the firm grip of his left hand, and, rotating it so that the strings faced him, hefted it parallel to the ground with the endpin pointing towards the left. With this positioning, the Nth Metal-reinforced cello would block most, if not all, of the incoming projectiles with little to no detrimental effect on the Titans' field of view; whether the projectiles would be reflected by the cello or simply absorbed by the extraterrestrial metal of his instrument, he didn't know. The barrage ended, he hefted his instrument back to his self, and unstrapped the bow from the cello's body. With his instrument floating in front of him, he lightly tapped the string with his bow, and then focused on the criminals in front of him and his teammates. "You call that an introduction?" he calmly inquired of the gang members. "Then let the Titans show you some real music then!" Upon saying that, he moved his bow across the strings of his cello, causing sound to emanate from the instrument. With his unconscious musical processes in effect, he now consciously willed these processes to be made manifest. All he needed was for his intended criminal gang targets to hear these very sounds, so that he could elicit some sort of emotional response that would result in an effect; one that could hopefully prove detrimental to his enemies, and therefore beneficial to his Titans North allies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ren✧ Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 Kowen nearly left when he saw the members of the infamous Joker Gang. Their outrageous clothing choice and eccentricities seemed to be a bit out of place in the gloomy grey of the warehouse. The leader of the gang gave some speech that Kowen was sure involved killing them and then launched a swarm of red projectiles that buzzed with a dangerous malice. Crouching to spring out of the way, Kowen prepared to dodge the attack. But before he could act, Hikaru hefted his interesting cello with amazing speed. Holding it so that it would block the Teen Titans from the projectiles, Hikaru then began to play his cello. "Let's get this party started!" Kowen shouted. Reaching within himself, Kowen quickly tapped into the power he had only discovered a few months ago. Feeling its familiarity, Kowen dove right into. Kowen's right arm began to change color into a pale purple and began to elongate. Within a matter of seconds his arm had transformed into a twitching tentacle belonging to a deep sea octopus. Kowen lashed out, hoping to snare the dangerous weapon that the lead Joker wielded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotaru987 Posted June 2, 2012 Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 Milani was pretty pumped for the assignment. Though she was taking the mission seriously, she was also looking forward to a good fight. She just hoped that there were some people worth fighting on this assignment. She bounded behind Luxa, smiling the entire way, until they ended up in a diamond formation in front of the current villans; The Joker Gang. They were currently robbing the weapons factory. The leader of the gang, which looked pretty strange from Milani's point of view, talked for a bit but it wasn't interesting to her in the slightest. She just wanted to get this fight on the road. Though the gang aimed their guns at them firing red bullets at them. Hikaru was the first to act, using his cello to protect them all, blocking all the projectiles. [i]'Woah, that's pretty cool.' [/i]He than began playing the cello, which sounded very nice. Kowen moved next, morphing his arm into the long arm of an octopus, [i]'Awesome! These people hadn't even done much and their powers already seem cool.' [/i]Kowen went for the lead Joker, so Milani figured that she should join the fight as well. Taking aim at the joker lackies, she grabbed the throwing disks she kept on her person, three in one hand and four in the other, launching the disks at each of the energy blasters hoping to take some of them - if not all of them - out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydra of Ages Posted June 3, 2012 Report Share Posted June 3, 2012 Kresnik's rose eyes flicked from one member of the anarchist gang to the next, taking in as many details of their garish operation as she could, at a glance. Crude methods, obviously prioritising destruction over stealth. Showmanship over efficiency; the hallmark of a terrorist organization, and well within the Joker's Group's Modus Operandi. The remoteness of the target, on the other hand, painted a different picture- as flashy and attention-seeking as the jokers were, they were preforming in a spot outside of all regular surveillance. That was rather unlike them- and potentially disturbing, given its implication. Weaponry wasn't acquired on a whim like this. It was being stockpiled. When an anarchistic terrorist organization stockpiled weaponry, it was never a good sign. She leaped back when Hikaru provided shelter from the storm of bullets and fled into the darkness, circling around the approaching Jokers as they came near. She had to resist a smirk slightly. Other titans had been sour when they had a night mission. She was elated. The night was her element, really, as much as she might deny it. Darkness hid criminals, thieves, murderers, vagabonds, drunkards- all manner of people of ill-repute- but it was also a haven from her. Safe from the heat, the violence of light- night was a softer, kinder time to her. In the darkness, she could relax- she could focus. Kresnik considered herself [i]very efficient [/i]when focused. The side of one of the motorcycle-riding Jokers came to mind. Her actions flashed before her eyes- leap and throw the adolescent from his bicycle, using the opportunity to drain blood from his neck. After tagging him, proceed to strike at the fellow members that assault her in turn, and use the ensuing chaos to target the main target. Allow the primary target to escape, thus providing her with the location of the Joker's current hideout. She smiled. Then, sprung. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saiba Aisu Posted June 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2012 [center][img]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/Heroes%20of%20the%20North/teen_titans_communicator_logo_by_phaeton99-d389ryu-1.jpg[/img][/center] [center][b]GM Post: "Cruel Joke"[/b][/center] [spoiler=GM Post: Weapons Factory, City Outskirts]Not surprisingly, Hikaru's attack was the first to reach the Jokers—like flashing swords shining in the sun, the invisible waves of sound fell upon the group like a curtain. Most of the criminals seemed temporarily cowed or disoriented by the bold, warlike melody; within moments, the furious pace of their projectile attacks had dropped significantly. Indeed, one or two of the Jokers were so affected that they stopped firing completely, cowering in fear as they gave themselves over completely to the intimidating command of the music. Only moments later, Kowen's right arm swung forwards across the gap between the two groups, attempting to dislodge the weapon from the leader's grip. Although the man managed to dance aside at the last moment with a curse, the strike still connected with the disoriented female at his side, buffeting her forcefully with a wet, squishing noise. The woman instantly dropped her weapon and began to scream while attempting to remove the suckers adhered to her face. Before the other Jokers could recover from Hikaru and Kowen's combination, Milani burst into action, hurling throwing discs into the fray. Despite her partial blindness, the young girl's aim was true—there was a brief whistling noise, and then three of the Jokers looked at their empty hands in pain and confusion, wondering where their weapons had gone. There was another scream from behind the gang as one of the criminals grappled with Kresnik, who seemed to have appeared from out of the shadows. Partially disarmed and disoriented, the Joker Gang surged forward in an all-out melee, breaking the Teen Titans' formation and forcing them to fight apart. In comparison to her teammates, Luxa was fighting strangely, with absolutely no display of supernatural power or skill. Her attack style could not compare to Kowen's animalistic transformations or Hikaru's bizarre mind-altering music. Moreover, while she was light on her feet and clearly capable of self-defense, her movements lagged behind those of Kresnik and Milani, whose superior martial arts skills were taking their toll upon the foe, cutting a wide swathe through the Jokers. The blonde girl sprang aside quickly as the leader of the gang aimed a quick shot in her direction, the red energy projectile just barely grazing the side of her face. She dodged again and swung her leg in a blistering back-hook kick, her heeled boot catching him across the bridge of his nose. The man roared in pain and backhanded her viciously across the face with the blaster. Luxa fell backwards against the concrete with an outraged scream, blood trailing from her lip. A murderous expression shone in her silver-blue eyes, yet she remained motionless, gazing at her opponent with cold hatred. Sensing her weakness, two of the Jokers beaten back by Milani and Kresnik scrambled over to join the fray, flanking their leader. The three criminals brandished their blasters in Luxa's direction, their red light gradually increasing with a mechanized hum. There was an explosion of pulsing scarlet as the villainous trio opened fire—at the last second, Kowen seemed to appear out of nowhere, hurling himself in front of Luxa with a piercing yell. Luxa's eyes widened with disbelief as her teammate collapsed in front of her, knocked unconscious or perhaps even killed by the vicious barrage. Before they could react, the blonde girl raised one arm towards the Jokers; there was a burst of dazzling purple light, and when it had cleared, the lead Joker was gazing perplexedly at his right arm, which had transformed into a savaged, bleeding stump that ended at the elbow. "My arm," he said softly to himself in surprise, watching blood drip steadily from the wound onto the concrete, forming a small puddle. "What have you done with my arm? Give it back!" A deathly quiet fell over the battlefield as the Jokers and Titans turned as one towards Luxa, who was getting to her feet calmly. The silence was absolute, except for a sickening, gnawing sound as the demonic plant which had sprouted from her arm devoured the other man's arm with relish. "L-let's get out of here!!" one of the Jokers screamed, his voice turned raw and ugly by horror. There was a sudden burst of colored smoke and sound as several of the criminals hurled smoke grenades, creating a billowing curtain that obscured their movements. From within the cloud, a furious thrumming sound could be heard as the gang revved motorcycles and cars; when the smoke dissipated, they had disappeared completely.[/spoiler] [spoiler=OoC. Please read!]Alright, everyone. It took a while for all of you to post, but we have successfully completed our first combat scenario. It was pretty simple as far as these things go, but I'm very satisfied with your performance and the quality of your writing. Keep up the good work! Now, as ~Renegade~ will not be able to post for a bit, he has entrusted control of Kowen to me. Naturally, there is plenty of space for interaction and characterization, as one of your teammates has just been seriously wounded and another has finally demonstrated her powers. Good luck, I'm curious to see how Milani, Kresnik and Hikaru will react to these developments![/spoiler] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotaru987 Posted June 5, 2012 Report Share Posted June 5, 2012 Milani grinned seeing her weapons make contact. Wiping her arm around her back, she latched onto the metal bo-staff she had equipped, twirling it with a single hand for added effect. With an excited yell she launched herself into the Joker Gang instantly engaging herself in a 3 vs 1 battle; just the way she liked it. She made sure to keep them all in her sights, effortlessly ducking under a sloppy punch from the first attacker. Deciding to show him how it's done, she socked him in the face so fast he was left confused for the next few seconds. The other two came in together, the first dropping to the ground for a leg sweep. Milani saw the second guy and noticed the slight shift he made of his center. He was preparing for a downward punch, most likely into her gut. She smirked, [i]'Who do they take me for? Some kind of amateur?' [/i] She too dropped to the ground, smirking at the guy's shocked face, and countered with her own sweep, their legs clashing in the middle. She then changed her position onto her hands performing a windmill kicking the guy twice in the face. Not forgetting the other guy, she exited the windmill by way of a 180 handstand spin, out stretching her leg which connected with his gut before finally pushing herself onto her feet. Her eyes became a light with excitement when the three of them were getting back onto their feet, though they were groaning and moaning in the process. "Oh so you guys wanna go at it some more? That's whats up!" Twirling her staff again she got ready for their next attack. They were more hesitant this time, fidgeting anxiously. One of them decided to use her disadvantage to their advantage and slipped completely from sight. Milani's entire right side shot on fire the moment one of her opponents stepped out of sight. She could feel him moving in closer, and her eye dilated into a slit as a sudden fierceness overcame her features. Her body reacted before she could even think, and her leg executed a perfect side kick, her foot slipping flawlessly into the attacker's neck area. The speed and power of her kick were so monumentus that a gust of wind passed by and a rippling energy shot threw the man's body and into the ground expanding a 3 feet circumference. Even so, she managed to hold back just enough from completely crushing the man's tracea, but he was instantly knocked out. "Damn it...I hate it when people try to take advantage of my blind side. I always loose it, good thing I managed to catch myself before killing him." Brushing it off she turned to the final two. "Well then boys, let's dance." It was then one of the guys glanced toward Luxa, then took off leaving her with one more. "Coward!" Milani yelled. She noticed one of Kerensik's opponents also went after Luxa, who was also fighting the leader of the Joker Gang. This time Milani took the inititive, wanting to go help Luxa with her fight, and made quick work of her last opponent slamming the end of her staff into the man's gut. A yell from a familiar made her head whirl so fast at Luxa's direction, that one might think it would fall off. There in front of her, Kowen had just jumped in front of an attack to protect Luxa, who looked in shock like the rest of them. Though it didn't last long, for a murderous intent shown in her lovely eyes as they stared down the gang's leader. Milani wanted to step in, but didn't respecting that it was her fight now. Luxa raised her arm, and there was a flash of purple light and when it was gone the gang leader's arm was missing. Milani's single eye widened, [i]'Woah! What a sick power! And by that I mean wickedly awesome! I wish I could have saw the whole thing, but that light was pretty blinding.' [/i]She thought, watching as the Joker Gang quick fled realizing the loosing battle. Milani frowned, "I wish they were more of a challenge, but what can you expect from lowly thieves like them?" She mumbled, "Oh, Kowen!" She jogged over to his body, looking over him worriedly. She wasn't a doctor, and didn't know much of anything when it came to this kind of stuff, but Kown defiantly needed help. "H-hey, we need to hurry and get him to a hospital or something!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saiba Aisu Posted June 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2012 Luxa remained tense for a moment, even though it was clear that the Joker Gang had disappeared into the night. As Milani approached, however, she closed her eyes quickly and focused; a few seconds later, the demonic plant began to shrink and coil backwards, until it had been completely reabsorbed into her body. She could vaguely register that Milani was speaking urgently, yet her words were somehow muted and distant despite her proximity. The French girl seemed utterly detached from the situation at hand, frozen in place like a delicate stone sculpture. [i]Why[/i]? she asked herself, her gaze traveling over Kowen's unconscious form with a bizarre kind of curiosity. [i]Why would you sacrifice yourself to protect me.. Why[/i]? Luxa's features remained arranged in a perfect cold mask, yet underneath, she was fighting desperately against anguish and guilt. It seemed like no matter what she did or how hard she tried, she always ended up causing pain to those around her. Not for the first time, she wished there were something she could do, some course of action that would offer a solution to her problems and end her suffering. She had discarded the idea of suicide more than a year ago; that was a coward's way out, and it solved nothing. While she might manage to obtain some temporary relief, she would only be exchanging one kind of hell for another, according to the curse, and she would become responsible for passing it on to the next female relative. No, the only way to put an end to her pain was to break the enchantment, once and for all. [i]Until then[/i], she thought, [i]I have no choice but to live with myself[/i]. "That's fine," she replied automatically to Milani, dusting herself off with her usual coolness. "Whatever you think we should do, it's fine. But as soon as that's done, I'm going after those Jokers. I have a score to settle." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydra of Ages Posted June 5, 2012 Report Share Posted June 5, 2012 Like most plans, Kresnik's didn't survive past the initial contact from the enemy. When the garishly dressed man was knocked from his motorcycle, the entire formation exploded into a chaotic mosaic of combat. Clown shoes and octopus tentacles were thrown about, and Kresnik was half-distracted by the sight of a gun levelled at her as she tumbled to the ground; her fangs barely brushed the man's powdered neck, not nearly enough for the puncture she required. Forced to abandon her initial idea, she pushed the man away from her and simultaneously stood up with a quick backflip, also dodging a bullet that hit the asphalt beneath her. She leaped again, this time pulling the offending clown's gun away and decking him in the face with a roundhouse in a single broad, polished move. She broke the gun's ammunition chamber, tossed it to the ground, and launched herself at another gang member. She caught sight of the others fighting from the corner of her eye, but didn't pay them much individual attention- up close, the gang's guns were rather useless, but they still presented a problem. Though her bulletproof equipment and natural healing ability could take much of the sting out of one of their shots, a single hit to the head would be as fatal to her as anyone else. Strike strike disarm. Subduing them wasn't the question- that was easy. The more difficult and important part was to remove their weaponry- then they could be safely contained. Once or twice she tried for another bite to the neck, but the tides of battle didn't favor her- for those who didn't wear heavy masks or some other form of neck protection, they never seemed to give her the opening she quite needed. Kresnik grew somewhat aggravated at that, and put maybe a little more power into her punches and kicks than might have been absolutely necessary. She almost didn't notice when the fighting ceased so all the gang members could stare at their dismembered leader Kresnik couldn't help but smile a little. They sounded the call for retreat, and Kresnik didn't bother trying to stop them. She frowned a little bit when she saw Kowen- bullet wounds on an ally that possibly wasn't bulletproof. Unfortunate. She would have to work quickly then, presuming he wasn't dead. Kresnik walked over to Kowen's fallen form and with practised efficiency, removed his shirt. She examined the energy wounds across his chest with a practised eye, then reached into her satchel to pull out a number of small objects. "It's fortunate they were using laser-based weaponry," she muttered in a professional manner. "Bullets are more difficult to treat, given they need to be removed first. Lasers offer a certain amount of self-cauterization that can complicate long-term healing, but is far preferable to possibly bleeding out". She squirted disinfectant across the man's stomach, followed by a rubbing a gauze across his upper body quickly before bandaging the wounded areas. Finally, she pulled out a scalpel and made a neat incision horizontal across her left; she gripped her wrist tightly, causing the crimson blood to slowly ooze from the wound. Then she took a similar vial of red liquid from her satchel, and allowed a couple drops of her life's blood to mingle within. Sparing only half a second to bandage her hand, she brought the entire vial to Kowen's unconscious face and forced him to swallow all of the contents. The entire process was completed in less than two minutes. She nodded at the result, then turned back to the asphalt, where the red stains of the Joker leader's injury still ran slick. "There's no need to chase after them quite yet," she muttered, pulling out another small contraption from her satchel. This one seemed to be a handheld vacuum, though another tube was connected to the end- a tube that, as Kresnik knelt down to press against the pool of red, started to fill with their enemy's blood. As soon as a finger of the liquid entered the tube, Kresnik removed the tube and quickly drunk it down. It was still warm- fresh. Not exactly pleasent, given it tasted of gasoline and asphalt, but that was not the purpose of it. She felt the fragment of soul enter her system, flashing before her eyes- a fragment of a sentence gone from the other's memory and into her own. It took a second, but she felt the familiar fuzzy connection- and of course, she just [i]knew [/i]where the man on the other end of that connection was staying. "I've got their location. We can pursue after we're certain Kowen is stable," she said briskly, though she knew the regeneration she loaned to the man would shake off his wounds easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yang Xiao-Long Posted June 6, 2012 Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 "Well, our little ensemble lasted longer than I expected," Hikaru said to himself as the Titans team was forced to address individuals, well, individually. As a Joker gang member charged straight at him, he tried his best to get his music to exert the desired effect on this particular individual; alas, the charge was faster than expected. He could only react by ducking behind his cello to avoid the incoming shots, and when he fully stood straight, all he could do in his reaction time was to heft his cello, and...well, swing it. And so he did. He hefted his instrument with both hands, holding it in his hands like he was an inexperienced musical samurai...and after a rather large wind-up, swung it right into the incoming Joker goon's side. He watched as the goon flew...and hit another Joker goon who was nearby. He faked a bow. "Thank you for enjoying my performance," he said. "This is a benefit concert for us, so tickets are free. Do enjoy the rest of the show," he said, a smile forming on his lips. He prepared to play his cello once more, until he saw a purple flash out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw Luxa, and from her arm was a plant, devouring the arm of the lead Joker gang member. He visibly shivered upon hearing the crunches that the plant made; such a disturbing sound was unpleasant to his musically experienced ears. As the smoke cleared from the escape of the Joker goons, things were a bit of a blur for Hikaru. He noticed Kowen on the ground, unconscious; it appeared he had taken several shots to protect Luxa from harm. Milani was concerned for Kowen's well-being, and Kresnik was using blood for some sort of investigation, after administering some form of first-aid to the unconscious team member. He walked over to Kowen to check on his current condition. He could smell the burn wounds. It gave him a sick feeling to his stomach; it reminded him all too well of that one fateful day when he had discovered his father shot to death in their home. With a sick feeling to his stomach, he did his best to strap his cello to his back, and took out his harmonica. His emotional well was overflowing with the reemergence of the memory of the death of his father, and he needed to get them out of the way before he could focus again. He sat down next to Milani, on the exact opposite side that Kowen was on; he wanted to be close to his downed teammate, but far enough away from the smell that he could somewhat be aware of his surroundings without any more emotional distractions. He softly played his current instrument, the sound barely echoing in the night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saiba Aisu Posted June 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 "I didn't know we had a resident doctor," Luxa remarked sarcastically, yet her tone seemed somehow lacking in its usual spite. Despite her careless words, however, the French girl watched Kresnik's unnatural ministrations attentively, realizing that she was seeing a professional at work. No, more than that—for all her speed and exactitude, the detail and care with which the other girl tended to Kowen was that of an artist. Luxa frowned slightly, her eyes narrowed and calculating, yet she said nothing. No matter how much she might personally dislike Kresnik, the fact that she was dedicated and effective elevated her beyond the realm of trivial arguments in Luxa's eyes. She could respect efficiency and professionalism, at least for the moment. "Thank you, Kresnik," Luxa said after a moment, surprising the others and even herself. A grimace was forming on her face—as if she were being made to drink vinegar—but she forced herself to continue. "I'm not entirely sure what you did, but if it will save Kowen, then I'm grateful." The blonde girl tilted her head to one side as she rummaged briefly through her gauzy skirt before removing the Titan Communicator. She flipped it open and began to dial; a moment later, she raised it to her ear and began to speak in her usual cold tones, as if she couldn't care less. "Emergency Response Team? Yes. This is Phantom Rose, a member of the Teen Titans North. I'm calling from the weapons factory to the west. One of my teammates was injured during a skirmish with the Joker Gang. He's already received some treatment, but he needs to be picked up while we pursue the criminals. I don't care what else you're dealing with at the moment, make sure you prioritize this assignment." Luxa hung up with a dismissive toss of her head and returned the Titan Communicator to her pocket, completely ignoring Milani and Hikaru, who seemed to be playing some kind of lament on his harmonica. She gazed steadily at Kresnik, silver-blue eyes meeting scarlet. "We don't have time to wait for them," she replied shortly. "If you know where the Jokers are, lead the way. Otherwise, stand aside." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ren✧ Posted June 7, 2012 Report Share Posted June 7, 2012 A smile reached Kowen's lips as his tentacle neared the leader, unfortunately at the last second he jumped aside leaving a lackey to take the hit. His tentacle connected with a sickening squishing sound and was followed by a girlish shriek. "Get it off! Get it off!" The female member of the Joker Gang screamed, prancing around in hysteria and desperately pulling on the tentacle in attempts to rid her face of the persistent sucker pads. Kowen chuckled at her reaction, but quickly regained his composure. Now was not a time for fun. Transforming his arm back to normal, Kowen mercilessly let the female lackey had ensnared go. Noticing Milani and Kresnik join the fray, he too leaped into action. Transforming his legs into those of a giant frog, he literally jumped in. Upon landing in the center of the group, Kowen transformed his legs back to normal and then adopted the bulging muscles of a gorilla and the ferocious claws of a Bengal tiger. Kowen slashed about, sometimes leaving non-fatal, but debilitating, gashes in his opponents and other times slicing there weapons into multiple pieces. The number of people around thinned out as they spread out to fight other members of the team. Kowen turned to find his new opponent. He came face-to-face with a joker that was a great deal bulkier than the rest. Instead of carrying the laser gun that the rest of the Gang had been carrying, he wielded a large metal, spiked bat. Kowen gulped in anticipation. He unstrapped the staff that was strapped to his back. Spinning it around a few times in hopes of intimidating his opponent, Kowen took a ready battle stance. At this point in time, Kowen had retracted his claws and his biceps were not the bulging size of a gorilla any longer. He had adopted the eye of a red-tailed hawk and the thick skin of a crocodile. His opponent didn't waste a second longer. He charged Kowen, bat raised high over head. With the eye of a hawk, Kowen saw this eye in sparkling detail and as a result his reflexes were enhanced a great deal. Weaving to the side, Kowen swiped his staff on the ground and in turn hitting the charging man's shin with a great deal of force. With a surprised shout, his opponent stumbled and fell on his face. Kowen was on him in a second, his staff a blur, Kowen gave the man a quick good swats, guaranteed to leave bruises, and then finished off with a strike to the man's head. At that moment, Kowen was hit in the back with the butt of a gun and stumbled. He fell to his hands, but without taking time to think he kicked up, his foot hitting the gun in his assailant's hand making it fly into the air. Completing his front flip, Kowen now turned to face his attacker. It was just a normal lackey like the others. One good strike to the head and his attacker was down. Kowen heard a commotion behind him and turned. It looked as if Luxa had been cornered. Not taking any time to think, Kowen relinquished all transformations and once again adopted the frog legs he had used at the beginning of the battle. He jumped toward Luxa, blocking her from the vicious energy bursts that now arced towards Luxa. One second he was flying through the air, the next he was on the ground with a severe pain on his back. The last thing he felt before he surrendered to the darkness of unconsciousness was victory, in protecting the snide beauty that was his teammate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydra of Ages Posted June 7, 2012 Report Share Posted June 7, 2012 Kresnik frowned subtly. They had plenty of time to catch up to the Joker's Gang, especially since the gang had been largely unsuccessful in their heist; chances were likely the group would disperse after making their getaway before regrouping at some base of operations some time later. Chasing after them now would be exhausting and inaccurate, given she could only track the precise location of the leader- who might be brought elsewhere for medical attention. But Luxa had a hard look in her eyes. Kresnik had to resist a sigh- she wouldn't listen to logic that wouldn't fit her immediate emotional worldview. She was looking for revenge, she could tell that much, which was a goal she could sympathize with to a point- but she couldn't abide it intruding on effective tactics. If she were in a normal police outfit, she would veto that sort of action immediately. However, here she was [i]not [/i]part of a police outfit. Luxa was driven, entitled, and likely to take independent action. Actively confronting her on the issue would force a power struggle within their team and further shatter their efforts to find and route the Jokers, not to mention damaging group morale for some unforeseen reason into the future. In lieu of rolling her eyes or sighing, she adjusted her hat to hide her eyes slightly and crossed her arms for but a second as she passed by Kowen. He was in no real danger, of course. Already her regeneration was beginning to take hold of him- the fragment of her soul dispersed through her bloodstream was converting his marrow as she thought, tripling its normal output and activating the hidden potentials of his blood cells. He'd be fine within a day or so, possibly earlier considering his already-superhuman endurance. She preferred to stay nearby during operations of this sort, just in the rare chance her own blood interacted strangely with the injured party. But Kowen hadn't inexplicably started choking or speaking in tongues, so he seemed to be fine. "Very well," she said, masking her displeasure with the idea. "Professionally, I'd suggest emphasizing patience in the matter. Our tactics will be more effective if we can box them in on their headquarters rather than beginning hot pursuit. But if you insist..." She took a few steps onto the road, and closed her eyes. She sniffed the air once or twice to get a feel of the area, building her mental map of the city. If her inner compass was correct... "He's riding down 4th and 5th highway," she said after a moment, "With a definite bias towards the south-western corner of the city. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saiba Aisu Posted June 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2012 [center][img]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/Heroes%20of%20the%20North/teen_titans_communicator_logo_by_phaeton99-d389ryu-1.jpg[/img][/center] [center][b]GM Post: "Cruel Joke"[/b] [spoiler=GM Post: Abandoned Warehouse, Aurora City]"Let's move," Luxa said shortly, turning and heading off to the south-west without a backwards glance. Milani and Hikaru exchanged a brief look before trailing after her, leaving Kresnik to bring up the rear. "You can guide us as we go," the blonde girl added presumptuously, tossing her hair with one hand as she addressed her teammate over her shoulder. Within moments, the group's frantic pace had taken them past the weapons factory and back in the direction of the sparkling city, where they were swallowed by its haze of multicolored lights. === "This is the place?" Luxa asked flatly, narrowing her eyes slightly as she gazed at the dilapidated structure before her; Kresnik nodded confidently. A large, abandoned warehouse with hastily-boarded windows and rusted walls, it rose ominously from the night, marking a point at the south-western border of Aurora City. She and the other Teen Titans were gathered in the shadows of a nearby alley, scrutinizing the building for any signs of the Jokers or automated security. [i]They certainly haven't taken any pains to clean the place up[/i], Luxa thought to herself, her disdainful gaze resting briefly upon the missing tiles and stained walls, [i]but I suppose it's necessary to deceive the police and passerby[/i]... Turning back briefly to her teammates, she was surprised to see that Milani and Hikaru were watching her carefully, as if they were expecting her to formulate some kind of plan. Even Kresnik seemed to waiting, although she seemed somewhat amused by the turn of events. For the first time since they had embarked upon the mission, Luxa's rosebud lips curved into her signature faint smile. "Follow my lead," she said. === There was a rumble and shriek of splintering wood as Luxa demolished the boarded-up entrance to the warehouse. The black-clad girl strode into the room, the two demonic plants sprouting from her bare shoulders swaying gently like serpents. Rather shocked by the directness of her actions, the other Titans fanned out behind her warily, advancing in a staggered line to cover as much ground as possible. As the dust and debris cleared, however, it became clear that despite its tall ceilings and flickering fluorescent lights, there was hardly anything remarkable about the interior of the warehouse. Of much greater interest to the group, however, was the lead Joker, who was sitting across from them at a fair distance, rocking back and forth nervously upon a scarred counter. Despite his anxious demeanor, his wound appeared to have already been treated and bound by someone else, wrapped neatly with white bandages. There was no sign of the subordinate Jokers that had accompanied him earlier during the raid. At the sight of Kowen's attacker, Luxa's first impulse was to rip him to shreds—yet as the two demonic plants began to slaver and gnash their teeth in anticipation, she forced herself to postpone that particular course of the action. At least for the moment. [i]I suppose that killing him without attempting to capture him first wouldn't sit well with Evergreen and the Senior Council[/i], she thought to herself, rolling her eyes as she remembered the other woman's troublesome rules. As if one more dead criminal would make any difference in the grand scheme of things. "One of you should go and collect him," she said after a moment in her velvety tones, addressing her teammates. "Diplomacy is not my strong suit and my plants are difficult to control when they're hungry.. like right now." At Luxa's words, the Joker's frantic rocking increased in pace, until it seemed like he would hurl himself onto the floor. Yet despite his obvious terror, he remained seated, squirming all the while.[/spoiler] [spoiler=OoC. Please read!]Alright, everyone, I'm glad to see that we're all posting a bit more frequently! ~Renegade~, I'm sorry that you returned and we're still in a situation in which your character is knocked out. Unfortunately, Kowen's absence is important to what I have planned, so I'll just have to ask you to sit tight for the moment. The remainder of this mission shouldn't take too much longer, I don't think.. In any case, I wanted to mention that many of you seemed to bend or disregard the turn-by-turn battle system, RPing enemies, their actions, and even their weapons as you pleased. While I suppose it was fine in this example (as they were petty thugs used as a plot element more than anything else), I ask that you do not do this for more intensive battle scenarios. And now that that's been said.. which one of you feels like volunteering to retrieve the Joker?[/spoiler][/center] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ren✧ Posted June 7, 2012 Report Share Posted June 7, 2012 Kowen opened his eyes slightly, everything was blurry. He tried to hear what was going on, but his ears wouldn't work right either. All the sounds were muffled and muted. Something passed in front of his blurred vision, it looked like a foot. Then it all came rushing back to him, the fight, the danger, Luxa, the pain. It all came back to him in a rush of sound and light. He stirred, wanting to see what was around him. A face swam into vision. A blonde haired woman knelt down in front of him. "Stay still, we are going to get you out of here." Kowen didn't have the strength to argue and ceased moving. Sometime afterward he slipped back into unconsciousness. The next thing he knew, he was laying in what looked to be a hospital bed. He was covered up to his waist with a thin blanket. Kowen looked down at himself. He was still wearing his black combat pants, but his shirt had been stripped off. His chest and side were heavily bandaged and he could smell the pungent aroma of healing solvent. Kowen let out a groan. Once the sound escaped his lips, the woman he had saw earlier came rushing into the room. She wore the white lab coat that all doctors were. Following her in was a man wearing a similar outfit. "Where am I?" Kowen asked. "We brought you to Titan's Tower. You were injured on your latest mission assignment. One of your teammates called us in," The female doctor said. "You had some pretty bad injuries, but one of your teammates delivered emergency first aid, probably saved your life." The man said. "They do feel pretty gnarly," Kowen said, a small smile touching his lips. "Do you have any idea what happened to the rest of the team?" Kowen asked, feeling guilty that he wouldn't be able to help out on the rest of the mission. "No other injuries were reported, and no other bodies were find at the sight of the battle. We can only assume that they are all okay," The female doctor said, her head bobbing up and down. At that moment an insistent dinging filled the air. Slightly startled, but not confused, the female doctor reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a small cell phone-like device. A frown creased her face, "Is there anything else we can do for you? If not we have another call that we really must attend," The woman said apologetically. "No, thank you," Kowen said, dismissing the two to their next assignments. Exhaustion struck his body, letting out a sigh of frustration he slipped back into a dreamless sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotaru987 Posted June 8, 2012 Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 Milani was shocked and slightly annoyed with Luxa. How dare she even think about chasing after them when Kowen was laying here in need of medical attention. He was the one who saved her, and all she could think was to go after them. Milani couldn't tell if she was even effected by his sacrifice, but it surly didn't seem like it. Sure it was important to go after them, but Kowen's condition was a bit more important. Milani opened her mouth to verbalize her thoughts, but Krensik beat her too it, and probably less rude and blunt about it than Milani would have done. Though, she was all smiles when Krensik was able to help Kowen calming her nerves down. In the back Hikaru played a beautiful tune that soothed her even more. Surprisingly, Luxa thanked Krensik for helping Kowen and Milani felt bad for her earlier thoughts on the ill-tempered girl. [i]'Maybe she's not as bad as she seems.' [/i]Luxa called up an ambulance for Kowen and once he was taken away they left. Even though Luxa didn't seem all that bad, Milani didn't think they would get a long that well - though it wouldn't stop her from trying - since she seemed a bit too uptight. She gave a glance at Krensik shrugging, and smiling as if exasperated and too tired to go against the current turn of events. Besides, along with wanting to get back at those jerks for hurting a teammate that earlier fight left her itching for more. Krensik took the lead using her awesome tracking abilities to find where the Joker gang was located, and from there Luxa seemed to take the lead again which was fine for Milani. It was too troublesome to try and assume dominance. So it was better just to go along with it, less complications and less conflict. She looked at Luxa expectantly for what they should do next to which she walked forward, breaking down the wooden door to the warehouse. There wasn't anything special about it, but that wasn't really important anyway. Instead, the Joker Gang leader was siting in a chair rocking so vigorously she thought he would fall flat on his face any moment. Luxa said that someone else should collect him, since it wasn't good for her to do it when her plants were hungry. With unbridled fascination, Milani openly stared at the plants curling around her arms. Her mind was quick to return to her earlier statement, and she energetically raised her hand as if she were in class. "I'll do it!" Her smile was as bright as a child who finally got that piece of candy they had been begging for all day. "We're practically brethren now." She said referring to his one arm status and her one eye status. She jogged over to the guy, stopping a bit from him - mostly because of his rocking...It was a bit unnerving. "Yo, Joker dude. We came back to get you." The way she grinned at him, one wouldn't think he was a thief who had just harmed Kowen moments before. Though under the surface she really wanted to kick his face in at least once.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saiba Aisu Posted June 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 [center][img]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/Heroes%20of%20the%20North/teen_titans_communicator_logo_by_phaeton99-d389ryu-1.jpg[/img][/center] [center][b]GM Post: "Cruel Joke"[/b] [spoiler=Abandoned Warehouse, Aurora City]As Milani came to a halt near the Joker, her cheerful grin faded slightly as her gaze rested upon his face. No matter how fervent or distressed his rocking as she had approached, the lead Joker had made no sound, given no command for hidden allies to attack, nor even screamed in fearful anticipation—and now she knew why. Partially hidden under the shadow cast by his mask from overhead, several wicked stitches dotted the man's lips, sealing them together firmly and preventing him from making any sounds. Before the young warrior could turn and alert her teammates, however, the criminal did something even more surprising: as if he had practiced it, he plunged his hand into his pocket and withdrew a long curved knife. Then, with one swift and vicious movement, he cut deeply into his throat and across his jugular. Milani tensed as scarlet blood burst into the air, spattering her slightly and drenching the counter upon which the man was sitting. The lead Joker convulsed, rolled off the counter and out of sight, and then lay still. The silence that followed lasted only a few seconds, but it seemed like an eternity; even Luxa seemed speechless before such an act of random self-destruction. Before the Teen Titans could recover however, a sonic barrage of shrieking sound struck them from behind, hurling them towards Milani with screams. One by one, the young heroes got to their feet shakily, trying to discern the identity of their unseen attacker. As the dust and debris cleared, however, they were surprised to see three silhouettes, rather than one, step forward into the lights from overhead. The first was a youth with spiky blond hair, clad in a dazzling white, form-fitting polyleather suit that left his arms bare. An opaque visor obscured his upper face, revealing only his lips, which were curled in a smirk. On each hand, he wore a curious metallic contraption, resembling a cross between gloves and claws. Immediately flanking him to the right was a muscular young man with a severely buzzed head of dark hair, strong features, and piercing blue-green eyes. He was also clad in a poly-leather suit, yet one that exposed his powerful frame. And finally, directly in between the two males was a slender young girl, dressed in an outfit that seemed to be composed of tightly woven bandages, giving her the appearance of a mummy. The bandage-like material curved across her face, covering her nose and mouth, leaving her golden eyes to shine freely with a manic, demented light. A few angled dark bangs seemed to have escaped from the material, falling across her forehead. "Who are you freaks?" Luxa demanded, a murderous look in her silver-blue eyes as she got to her feet. From her shoulders, the two demonic plants swayed ominously on their thorny appendages, gnashing their fangs furiously with vengeance. "We are White-Out, Adamantor, and Shade," the visored youth replied automatically, his harsh tones like static on a television screen, "but you can just call us the [i]H.I.V.E.[/i]". "The enemies you can never hope to defeat," the muscular man added in a thick accent, his body shimmering as it was suddenly encased in a sheet of polished diamond. "And this," the girl finished in a chilling whisper, her golden eyes bright, "is Attack Pattern Delta." With those words, the trio sprung into action, their movements flawless and well-organized. The technologically equipped youth swung his clawed hands together, eliciting another of the sonic shrieks from before, forcing many of the Titans to cover their ears with yells of pain and protest as they were forced back. The next moment, Shade had leapt acrobatically into the air in a series of flips and back-handsprings, hurling needles with cold precision that buried themselves into Milani and Hikaru's arms and shoulders. Before they could recover, Adamantor barreled into the group at an angle like a charging elephant, knocking the Titans apart like bowling pins.[/spoiler] [spoiler=OoC. Please read!]Alright guys, thanks for sticking with the RP until this point! As you can see, the group has been lured into a trap and attacked by White-Out, Adamantor, and Shade, three members of the villainous organization known as the H.I.V.E. Although your characters may have already dealt with the Joker Gang, these enemies are an entirely different level of skill and power. In each case, you should assume that their powers and battle prowess are equal to or greater than your own. Remember, stick to the turn-by-turn battle system, and I'll take care of the rest.[/spoiler][/center] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yang Xiao-Long Posted June 10, 2012 Report Share Posted June 10, 2012 It had all happened in a flash, and before he knew it, Hikaru's ears were assaulted with horribly-pitched shrieks, his arms and shoulders were pierced with needles, and he was flat against the wall due to the impact of Adamantor's incredibly bold charge. His senses finally caught up to his body, and it was when he was on the floor did the piercing pain of the needles finally hit him. Hikaru held his breath as he sat up out of sight, painfully removing each needle that was lodged in his arms and shoulders, tossing them aside as they hit the ground with a light clang. His fresh injuries affecting his arm movement, he grabbed his cello as hurriedly as he could. [i]If I can get those three H.I.V.E. members to hear my sounds, then I may be able to stun them long enough for the others to take advantage of the opening. [/i]Hikaru grabbed his bow and prepared to play, but then it hit him. Literally. In an instant, one of his cello strings had snapped, slapping him in a diagonal fashion across his face. He feared that would have happened; an impact like the one caused by Adamantor would've been resisted by the cello's body, but the strings were an entirely different matter. For all he knew, all of the strings were snapped, and the one that had just hit him was the last string intact. Was, anyway. All he could do was strap his cello on to his back, and he reached into one of his vest pockets, sincerely hoping that his Black Widow web-reinforced clothing kept his back-up instruments intact at the very least. He took out his piccolo, and, doing his best to keep the instrument at his mouth, he began to play a high-pitched song that he sincerely hoped would somehow hinder these new, more powerful enemies long enough that his teammates could act upon any created opening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydra of Ages Posted June 11, 2012 Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 Alarm bells had been ringing in Kresnik's head the moment they arrived, but her suspicions were only confirmed when the Joker leader pulled out the suicide knife. Those actions were too practised, too casual to be of the man's free will- and given the stitches cross his mouth, he was not a willing participant. There was [i]somebody [/i]with the ability to control bodies in the area- a metahuman of some sort, the type of person to not associate with a petty anarchy gang such as the Jokers. They weren't just dealing with a [i]trap; [/i]they'd been baited right from the start. Kresnik rolled for cover seconds before the sonic blast detonated from behind them, only a fragment of the attack clipping her side and causing her ears to ring. She grunted, but used the shadows of the far wall to hide for a moment while their new enemies revealed themselves- not one, but three. They dressed flamboyantly, but Kresnik was smart enough to take that as an indication of their power rather than their lack of discipline- any group of criminals that allowed for individualism obviously trusted their subordinates to get the job done in their own way. That was bad. White-Out, Adamantor and Shade. She documented the names for later references; pseudonyms, obviously, but that was to be expected of metahumans- even Kresnik herself didn't use her legal name. H.I.V.E. was more interesting to her- she'd heard mention of the acronym before, but not particularly recently, and what she knew of meant that this wasn't a particularly good thing. Information was key. Information would win the fight, if anything else didn't. Her eyes flicked quickly between the group, taking in their every movement. Attack patterns. They were skilled in working as a team, and evidentially had endured formal training regiments. That implied a possible lack of live-combat experience; therefore, disrupting their pattern was key. Forcing them to improvise would set them in a position where they were uncomfortable; at that point, divide and conquer would be a simple matter. White-Out used sound-based techniques and presumably was skilled in close-quarters combat, due to his use of a close-range weapon. He provided the initial disruption that allowed the other two to attack. Adamantor can change the material consistency of his body and appears to try and divert attention from his team mates by becoming an initial threat. Shade attacks from afar, using needle-like weapons of unknown origin- given lack of information about her abilities, Kresnik was liable to attribute the Joker leader's suicide to her interaction somehow. Long range combat indicates a certain frailty of the body or importance in battle; given her possible powers, she also presented the biggest immediate threat. Her path, therefore, was rather clear. Eliminate Shade, followed by White-Out before engaging Adamantor, preferably in a quick enough succession. Fortunately, Shade was an acrobatic fighter that favoured the air. Gravity and momentum were predictable; hitting someone who was falling simply required a basic knowledge of physics. Kresnik removed her gun, steadied her hand against the wall, and fired three successive blasts when Shade started a leap. The modified bullets sailed through the air silently, the component gears twisting and tightening. Given more than a few seconds in the air, they would eventually tear eachother apart into explosions of shrapnel- a little surprise Kresnik had prepared for criminals who thought dodging a bullet would get them in the clear. Small cuts wouldn't win a fight, typically, but all Kresnik needed to do was draw enough blood. That was a win condition on its own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saiba Aisu Posted June 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 [center][img]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/Heroes%20of%20the%20North/teen_titans_communicator_logo_by_phaeton99-d389ryu-1.jpg[/img] [b]GM Post: "Cruel Joke"[/b] [spoiler=Abandoned Warehouse, Aurora City]To their credit, most of the Titans recovered quickly, springing into action to deal with the villainous trio head-to-head. First to react was Hikaru, his fingers flashing across the flute-like instrument as he summoned a powerful high-pitched melody. At first, the invisible waves of sound seemed to have taken effect; Shade had slowed her acrobatic movements slightly, as if she were moving through water rather than air, and Adamantor was shaking his jagged, diamond-encased head from side to side in confusion. A moment later, a jagged burst of screaming sound shot in front of Hikaru, eliminating his enchanted music completely. Before the musician could react, a second sonic pulse caught him directly from the side, hurling him to the right against several wooden crates. As Hikaru struggled to recover from the attack and resume his playing, he suddenly became aware of a horrible slowness in his limbs. The world seemed to swim before his eyes briefly, and his usually deft and nimble fingers seemed unusually thick and clumsy. "Nice try," White-Out sneered, advancing through the clouds of dust and debris caused by his sonic attacks. "That's a pretty useful ability you have there," he remarked snidely, indicating the piccolo in the other boy's grasp. "But still," he added, tapping the right side of his visor with one claw, "it's useless if the opponent can't hear it. I'll take you on, boy." The white-clad villain raised his clawed hands again; a moment later, Hikaru rolled aside with a yell as a powerful sonic storm engulfed the wooden crates, ripping them to shreds within seconds. Shade smiled to herself behind her bandaged face—despite a minor inconvenience, everything was going according to plan. As she resumed her acrobatic leaping across the room, spinning and hurling needles in a frenzy, her mind was working quickly with smug satisfaction. There was no doubt that Hikaru's music was powerful, capable of disarming almost any foe. [i]And[/i] that's [i]why White-Out is the perfect opponent for him[/i], she thought, throwing herself into a cartwheel. Although there was no doubt that her teammate's sonic blasters were effective, they were also dangerous, for the deadly shrieks they produced would also be heard by the user in close proximity, bringing about eventual deafness if one wasn't careful. Shade allowed herself to admire White-Out's ingenuity to the problem: crafting unique and resilient sonic sponges that could be triggered manually to protect the ears from dangerously high decibels. Or, alternatively, from Hikaru's enchanted melodies. And even in the event that the musician managed to catch White-Out by surprise, his movements and senses would be inhibited by the paralyzing neuro-toxins circulating through his bloodstream, courtesy of the needle wounds she had inflicted. Satisfied that Hikaru would be defeated within moments, Shade then directed her attention to Kresnik, who seemed to have been able to somehow predict the trap before it had been sprung, unlike the others. She watched with interest and amusement as the girl's scarlet eyes flashed across the battlefield, soaking in details and immediately formulating the best strategy to disrupt the H.I.V.E.'s attack patterns. [i]She's cunning and insightful[/i], Shade smiled to herself, excited to be finally dealing with a worthy opponent. Her smile deepened as Kresnik brandished her firearm and released a volley of bullets towards her, modified to release shrapnel in the hopes of drawing blood. Evidently, Kresnik had realized that Shade was the leader of the group—really, it was quite impressive. [i]But if she's assuming that I'm a long-distance fighter, she's wrong. But first[/i]...! Falling downwards towards the shrapnel volley, Shade began to spin furiously, until her slender form had vanished in a white blur of centrifugal force. A moment later, ribbons seemed to burst from her body in thick interlocking coils as her bandages temporarily unwound, absorbing the bullets and their shrapnel with little difficulty. As Shade landed lightly upon her feet in a gymnast's stance, the bandages began to coil around her form once more, apparently none the worse for the wear. She knew, unlike Kresnik, that they were no regular bandages—rather, each one was an magical strip of paper, painstakingly enchanted to provide greater resilience and temporary animation through sorcery. Now safely upon the ground, Shade hurtled towards Kresnik at an alarming speed, closing the distance between the two and lashing out with a series of kicks and jabs in an incredible display of martial arts.[/spoiler] [spoiler=OoC. Please read!]Alright guys, I hope you are enjoying the battle scenario so far; hopefully these enemies are more challenging than the Jokers. I decided to cut off the GM Post here, so that I won't have to trouble you with Luxa's actions, which I will post when able. Keep up the good work![/spoiler][/center] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yang Xiao-Long Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 Hikaru had leapt to the side after a sonic storm came forth from his current opponent, White-Out. From what he figured out, this person was a user of sonic booms; in other words, this fight was between a sound manipulator and a sound amplifier. He was the manipulator, but he was at a critical disadvantage: his digital dexterity and reaction time had been severely crippled, and he quickly assumed it was from the needles he had removed from his arms and shoulders earlier. He made a mental note to keep an eye out for the girl who threw them: Shade. Her bandaged appearance was rather easy to notice, but her gymnastic movement would be hard to track. In his state, he kept his focus on his current opponent, White-Out. Doing his best to focus on the person in front of him, Hikaru's thoughts flew into a musical storm. His musical repertoire flew into overdrive; even if his limbs weren't as responsive, he could still think of an effective, [i]sound [/i]strategy (pun intended). He inferred that White-Out had to have some sort of protection for his hearing; a sonic blast like that at such a close range would damage the hearing of anyone nearby, including White-Out himself. It made sense, then, that he would have a sort of barrier to prevent any damage caused by his own powers. That would have to mean that in order for the barrier to work at all, the sound had to be heard, and if it could be heard, it could be blocked. [i]However, if he can't hear the sound I'm going to make, then perhaps I can bypass his little sound security system. Looks like it's time to utilize a combat composition.[/i] Hikaru turned around, his cello facing White-Out, and as best as he could, placed his left foot on the wall. With this positioning, his Nth-Metal reinforced cello would take the brunt of the sonic blast, and he would use his non-slip shoes as a sort of anchor. While standing in the sonic waves, he would play his specialized combat tune, one designed specifically for the purpose of engaging combatants who specialized in using sound as brute force. He looked over his right shoulder, directly at White-Out, and, taking a single earplug out of his pocket, "This isn't for protection against you," he began to explain as he placed the earplug in his right ear. "This is protection against myself." Continued overexposure to a piccolo's high pitches have been proven fatal to many a musicians' hearing in the right ear. What Hikaru was trying to do would cause severe, immediate damage if done without the proper precautions; he would attempt to play an ultrasonic pitch on a piccolo. All he needed was two closely-timed music notes for his musical strategy to work. Holding his piccolo in only his right hand, he slowly put the instrument to his mouth, and put his fingers in the proper position. "This is Otonashi Suite No. 99: Dolphin's Cry," he said, and began to play a single high-pitched note; high-pitched, but still audible. All he needed now was for his opponent to activate his sonic blast. With luck, when that happens, the cello would absorb the impact of the sonic blast just as the hearing barrier was raised. With that, he'll lift a single finger, unleashing his ultrasonic pitch in its full fury. His strategy relied on a single hope: If his opponent's sound barrier prevented audible sounds from coming through, then perhaps his inaudible ultrasonic pitch would bypass that barrier and allow him to incapacitate White-Out. Hikaru didn't have much choice in the matter, anyway; his shoulders and arms were beginning to feeling numb, and he needed to end this fight fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotaru987 Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 Milani smile didn't just falter, it turned into a clear frown of confusion, then to slight horror. The reason being because she saw the Joker's mouth sown together. What happened next shocked her. "Wait sto-" Her hand was out stretched from trying to stop him, as the blade he grabbed slid across his neck. Blood drops sprayed on her. Why would he do that to himself? There was a loud sonic boom, making Milani cover her ears as her teammates were blasted over towards her. Three people appeared ,two guys and a girl claiming to be a part of the H.I.V.E; White-out, Shade and Adamantor. They initiated a flawless attack, with White-out creating another sonic scream, disorienting Milani more so than the others due to her sensitized hearing. She was still trying to get her only eye to focus, as everything was blurry. It was then she felt the sting of needles embed themselves into her arm, making her yelp in pain, angrily ripping them out of her arm. Still not entirely recovered from the sonic sound, she was unprepared for Adamantor who bowled through them like pins. [i]'This is not starting well.'[/i] She thought wiping the Joker's blood from her face as she stood up. The others quickly moved once the opportunity presented itself. Hikaru hit a high pitch on his piccolo - the sound making Milani twitch, she might have to fight with ear plugs later on - hoping to disorient the enemy. Though that plan didn't last long as White-out put a stop to that quickly, and took Hikaru up as his opponent. Milani looked up noticing Shade still hurling needles everywhere, but now that she was ready she easily deflected it by twirling her staff rapidly. Moments later Shade was in a battle with Krensik, which left Adamantor. She wondered if Luxa would be fighting as well, because she hated uneven battles. "Well guess we're going to be opponents." Milani stated gaining the big man's attention not slightly intimidated by his size. "I'm Milani Krovski, and I am looking forward to crossing fists with you." She stated twirling her staff for effect then ending in a backstance with the staff facing Adamantor. He obviously had size and physical strength over her. Not only that but he was now encased in a sheet of diamond. Good thing her staff was made of Titanium. She might be able to break through it. It was a close call as to whether which one was stronger than the other, but Milani was going to find out today and hopefully it was in her favor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saiba Aisu Posted June 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 Unlike Milani and Hikaru, Luxa had been fortunate enough to avoid being struck by Shade's needles, at least for the moment. Less fortunate, however, was the fact that she had been standing near the center of the group during Adamantor's initial charge and had been hurled the farthest, into another stack of wooden crates. Emerging from the splintered wreckage, she dusted herself off briefly, refusing to give into the pain blazing across her body. Although she was not completely analytical in nature, Luxa still took a moment to observe the field of battle, taking in details as quickly as possible as she watched her teammates fight for their lives. Within moments she had come to similar conclusions, realizing that the H.I.V.E. members were working in a deliberate set of patterns, intended to maximize their individual skills. Shade had engaged Kresnik, apparently fighting on par in hand-to-hand combat, while White-Out was focusing his efforts on Hikaru, who appeared to have little to no chance of fighting back. "Just to give you fair warning," Luxa hissed, eyes flashing as she made her decision, "I'm in a foul mood!" Milani duck and wove around Adamantor's attacks and lunges, still surprisingly agile and swift despite the paralyzing neurotoxins coursing through her veins. She had managed to land a few blows on her opponent's diamond armor, but it was clear that the match had become a stalemate—while Adamantor lacked the speed to catch the spry hero, she lacked the strength needed to inflict some real damage. Before Milani could launch a counterattack in earnest, however, there was a sudden flash of movement past her, and Adamantor was hurled to one side. Luxa advanced slowly but steadily towards Milani and the diamond-clad villain, the demonic plants coiling back towards her shoulders, gnashing their teeth—evidently, they had just flung Adamantor against the wall. As the diamond-clad giant got to his feet and charged, jagged armor shining, Luxa came to a halt next to her teammate, her eyes narrowed. "Let's take him together," she said shortly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotaru987 Posted June 13, 2012 Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 [i]'Gah! This diamond is harder to break than I thought. Even with my staff. I can't stay still enough to generate enough power in my swings. Even though I'm faster than him, he's unrelenting. I can't get a good shot.' [/i]Milani thought easily ducking under his large hand. [i]'Not only that, but I think there was something in those needles. I'm feeling a bit sluggish.' [/i]She backflipped out of the way of another one of his charges and planted herself. She was just going to have to take a chance and go up against his charge head on. She figured as long as she could generate enough momentup and power into the swing then she should be fine....At least she hoped. Her adrenil was running from excitement. This was exactly the type of challenge she was looking for. Though she never got the chance because Adamantor was suddenly slammed agains the wall by Luxa and her plants. With a slight frown she relaxed. "Lets take him together." Milani scratched the back of her head. "Well...To be honest I hate having to gang up on someone...." She understood that they needed to defeat them, but she was always taught that ganging up on someone was wrong no matter what the circumstances. Call her old fashion, or naive, but she was a sticker for the 1 vs 1 fights. Besides the thrill of fighting someone who could be stronger than you was something that Milani enjoyed the most about fighting. So if she was completely honest winning or losing didn't matter to her - though she did like to win - but losing meant that there was some place that she needed to improve at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saiba Aisu Posted June 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2012 [center][img]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/Heroes%20of%20the%20North/teen_titans_communicator_logo_by_phaeton99-d389ryu-1.jpg[/img][/center] [center][b]GM Post: "Cruel Joke"[/b] [spoiler=Abandoned Warehouse, Aurora City]"This is Otonashi Suite No. 99: Dolphin's Cry!" Hikaru announced, raising his piccolo to his lips and summoning a single high-pitched, hair-raising note. The young musician struck a bold pose as he prepared to unleash his ultrasonic counterattack upon his opponent. White-Out sneered as he advanced through the dust and debris, his polyleather suit shining fiercely. "Don't count on it, kid," he replied in a harsh tone, raising his clawed hands once more towards the young Titan. Before Hikaru could react, a blinding curtain of white light exploded in his direction, enveloping him completely. For a moment, the warehouse seemed lit as if the midday sun were shining through its windows in all its splendor, so powerful was White-Out's unexpected attack. Hikaru dropped his instruments with an agonized scream as the light struck his retinas with full force, temporarily blinding him and rendering him incapable of fighting back. Overwhelmed for the moment by the blinding pain and the paralyzing poison winding its way through his body, he collapsed with a groan. Even for the other Titans, the attack was unexpected and disorienting, especially for Kresnik, who was the most sensitive to light. The distraction was brief, but it provided the opening that Shade needed—dodging her enemy's hasty blow, she struck her across the face with a powerful jump kick, forcing Kresnik back a few steps with a grunt. Before the young Titan could recover, Shade's hands had formed a mystic sign and she had cried out in command. With a vindictive crackle, several white bandages expanded from her bandaged frame like hungry snakes, winding themselves around Kresnik's limbs tightly. With a delighted laugh and a manic gleam in her eyes, Shade completed the spell, watching as the bandages tore and then rewound themselves, leaving Kresnik struggling and bound upon the floor. Adamantor charged towards Milani and Luxa with a roar, his jagged diamond carapace catching the light from White-Out's attack. With a dismissive toss of her head, Luxa ordered her demonic plants into the fray, clearly disappointed by her opponent's apparent lack of strategy. At the last moment, however, Adamantor sprang aside, bringing his sharp, serrated arms downwards—there was a brief moment of resistance, and then he had cut completely through both thorny appendages. The blonde girl watched in shock as the demonic plants thrashed about briefly on the floor, emitting eerie shrieks and hisses before transforming into ash. Within moments, Adamantor was upon the two girls, swinging his diamond-encased arms towards them, catching them both across the midriff with the blunt side. With a painful thud, Luxa and Milani were hurled backwards and onto the floor, where they lay motionless. "Is that it?" Shade asked aloud, tutting softly to herself as White-Out and Adamantor joined her. Her golden gaze traveled from Hikaru, still clutching his eyes in pain, to Luxa and Milani—both apparently unconscious—to Kresnik, struggling against her enchanted bonds. "I was expecting a bit more, but I guess that's what happens when one of your teammates is out sick..." White-Out sneered at her remarks, clearly intimating that one more Teen Titan wouldn't have made much of a difference in the long run, while Adamantor resumed his humanoid appearance. "In any case," Shade continued, addressing her villainous companions, "it's time for us to go." She smiled slightly under her bandages at the confusion her words induced in the Teen Titans, as if they had been expecting the H.I.V.E. agents to kill them, or at least take them captive. "Until next time, Teen Titans," Shade chuckled in her sinister, whispering voice, leading the way towards the exit, White-Out and Adamantor following closely behind. "And see if you can work on your teamwork, won't you?" She laughed once more, briefly, and then they were gone, swallowed by the night. === "And that's what happened," Luxa finished, her cold tones as composed as ever, despite the many bruises blossoming across her alabaster skin like purple flowers. She was gathered with Milani, Kresnik, and Hikaru in the Central Complex, her gaze directed towards the interface screen, where Evergreen's image was displayed. For once, the elfish woman seemed more than a bit troubled, and much more tired than she had seemed earlier that afternoon. [i]Has the Senior Council dispatched her on another mission already[/i]? Luxa wondered to herself, taking note of her superior's slightly haggard appearance. "It goes without saying," Evergreen said after a moment, betraying a hint of vexation, "but this is [i]not[/i] what I had planned for your first day on the job." She sighed, looking more tired than ever, but her smoky voice was the same as she continued, "At least none of you are permanently hurt. If you're confident that Kowen and Hikaru will recover from their injuries, then I'm relieved. It's been a while since we've had trouble from the H.I.V.E., but it's clear that their standards haven't dropped. You went up against the Joker Gang and then a trained team of supercriminals—you can at least be proud that you survived." Evergreen paused for a moment, her emerald eyes taking on a softer cast for a moment before she resumed her businesslike demeanor. "In any case," she added, "I'm going to report this incident to the Justice League Council as soon as possible. While it's not unheard of for criminal groups to cooperate, it's highly unusual for the H.I.V.E. to work with the Joker Gang in order to set up such an elaborate trap. I have a feeling that you'll be encountering Shade, White-Out, and Adamantor much sooner than you think. Until then, stay alert and keep each other safe. Evergreen, out." There was another pause, and then Evergreen's image disappeared, leaving the interface screen blank and the room completely silent.[/spoiler] [spoiler=OoC. Please read.]Alright guys, this marks the end of the first mission, "Cruel Joke". I hope you were satisfied with the event as a whole, it was intended not only to familiarize you with the turn-by-turn battle system, but also to set into motion several events which influence later developments. For now, feel free to interact with each other, narrate your character's mindset, discuss plans for better teamwork, speculate upon the H.I.V.E./Jokers, etc. Renegade, feel free to have your character join the others whenever you please. Once I'm satisfied that everyone has done a fair job, I will make the next GM Post. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, the OoC Thread is where they should be addressed.[/spoiler][/center] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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