Tales of the Legendary: Strange Days

[Matrix Dragon]

There are times I wonder about this job. I mean, it's exciting, offers all sorts of interesting new challenges, and you get to feel really good about
yourself, but there are times you have to stop, stare, and be either amused or horrified at what you've encountered. The first time that happened to me was
in Faultline, when I discovered the truth of what happened there. Today was another such time.

It started out like such a normal day. Stop some muggings, stomp on the Council press gangs, nothing too serious. Picked up some info on Council safehouses
that I should look into later. Then, I had to go back to Atlas for a business meeting (Action figures, as part of the Legendary toy line... holy crap,
that's weird to think about). While I was there, I got a call from my contacts about the Hellions planning some kind of dark ritual they thought would give
them an edge in the constant gang wars in Perez. Some heroes would say kicking Hellions was a little beneath them, but I like to think being a cape involves a
bit more decency then that. I know, I'm a little bit of an idealist, so what?

So, I pay a visit to a warehouse in Argosy Industrial Park where this ritual was supposed to take place. Looks like it's actually still in use, and the
fire-lovers chased everyone out so they'd have some privacy. There's a few guards on the roof, but I blasted them before they even knew I was flying
down on them. The last one saw me and panicked a little - Hellions aren't really used to dealing with heroes that have earned their capes, I suppose.
That's when I spotted someone else hitting on the rooftop. Armored figure, clad in green light power armor from head to toe, and carrying one nasty looking
multi-function rifle.

"What are you doing here?" he asked me in an annoyed voice, even as my visor identified him from the FSBA Database. Sell-Sword, a Tech Blaster hero,
and one I'd heard of, despite his being new to the job. A former mercenary that got his hands on some fancy gear, then went hero only because going villian
offered too many downsides. There was even stories that he'd been 'unable' to recover some stolen artifacts, only to sell them himself later. They
were all rumors, but still...

"Hitting a Hellion gang," I said with a slight shrug. "You?"

"Likewise," he replied, lowering his rifle. "Isn't this a little low level for you?" he wondered.

"That a problem?" I asked, turning away and walking towards edge of the roof, hearing him follow.

"Nah, just wondering what salvage you're gonna claim," he said casually, moving up beside him. "Any items recovered from crime scenes by
heroes can be claimed as salvage once all evidence has been filed," he said smoothly as I looked at him with... well, more then a little surprise. That
was the first thing he was thinking about? Maybe there was some truth to those rumors. He certainly seemed greedy enough.

"I know the laws. Usual equal share all right with you?" I asked. I was a little dissapointed when he nodded, given that I was more then willing to
tell him to sod off. Okay, maybe it was a little rude of me, but the guy just seemed to irritate me.

"Still, I'm wondering what the Knight of the Peace is doing, dealing with mere street thugs," he commented as we jumped off the rooftop. The
guard at the doorway had been too busy lighting up to hear anything from the roof, and went down with a quick application of my gauntlets taser.
"You're running with the Legendary, you just hit Security Level twenty-six... a little high for this, wouldn't you say?"

He sounded amused, damn it. As if someone that's only just hit Level four has much experience with operating as a Hero. That's what I thought at the
time, although I realize now it was a little arrogant of me. Just as arrogant as his assumptions that one merely deals with crimes in the range of their
official security rating, I suppose, but that's a discussion for another time.

"I was in the area, I figured I might as well deal with it," I replied, stepping inside and finding the usual warehouse. Sword followed me and we
started the usual routine, hitting the Hellion groups one by one, blasting them before they could run off and alert anyone else. As is always the way with
Hellions and similar groups, the sounds of their own gunfire and partying covered the heroes arriving to kick their asses.

Sell-Sword was... interesting. He was a good shot with the rifle, but he didn't hesitate to take shots that, if it wasn't for the cities medical
teleporters and the arrest beacons we carried, would likely have been fatal. I can't help but wonder if he was pulling his punches with some of his shots
as well, due to my own presence, considering that his record already did contain a number of fatalities. None that were really too questionable - We've all
ended up with a few on file, no matter how it annoys Statesman, but still...

Anyway, we made it to the main storeroom relatively quickly, and sure enough, the Hellions were doing some sort of ritual. A big one too. There were a half
dozen Damned gathered around a spell circle, feeding the largest ruby I have ever seen with their magical flames. Occasionally, bursts of flame would reach
out, lighting whatever was nearby on fire. The Hellions watching were laughing and cheering, like it was a big show.

I didn't have any idea what the hell it was really - magic has never been my thing, but it was definitely bigger then anything I'd ever seen the
fire-starters try before. "Probably best if we stop this before it's done," I said quietly to Sell-Sword, who nodded and moved towards the other
end of the warehouse. Once he was there, we both jumped down and started working on the crowd. They panicked, scrambling for their guns, although it didn't
do them much good really. I was really making mayhem on my side, and the mercenary was a lot more dangerous then his Security Rating suggested.

Then a few of the Damned broke away from the spell circle and joined the fight, and things got random. The ruby began glowing with a light of its own, rising
off the ground and floating over the circle, the red beginning to be replaced, oddly enough, by black as it forced the flames out. Yes, I know I said it was
glowing brighter as it turned black. It doesn't make sense, but that's magic for you, damn it.

Anyway, I wasn't in a position to pay much attention at the time, with the Hellions doing their best to crush me under weight of numbers. My armors cloak
didn't hide me completely, but it kept them guessing long enough for me to throw an energy wave that picked up a number of them and threw them across the
warehouse. Things got interesting as several crates caught on fire and two of the Damned opened up with the flames on me. I fired the boot jets, kicked up into
the air, then tried one of my sisters newest upgrades, launching a plasma sphere that exploded as it hit the ground, tossing even more Hellions all over the
place.

As if enough crap hadn't caught fire, the flames surrounding the crystal intensifyied, reaching up to the ceiling. The fire seemed to hurt the Damned still
around the Circle, which was odd, by the rules of magic at least. Magical fire never seems to hurt the one wielding it, even though it really should.

Sell-Sword was yelling at me, something about needing options. Not having any magical experts around, I decided to go with the standard option for situations
where things look like they'll blow up. Grab the crystal, get it to a decent height, then blow it up. Sure, Azuria would grump at me, but that would hardly
be new.

So, I fired up the boot jets, punched through the flames, grabbed the ruby, which by now had a network of black lines running over it, flew for a window...
then pain ripped through me, all my electronics died for a moment, and I crashed into a pile of crates as it went dark.

[Bob Schroeck]

Mm. Interesting.

Looking forward to what comes next. Radical respec? Dimension skip? Something else entirely?
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Sweno]

Neat.

And you had to end with a cliff hanger didn't you
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

[Morganite]

"He was a good shot with the rifle, but he didn't hesitate to take shots that, if it wasn't for the cities medical teleporters and the arrest
beacons we carried, would likely have been fatal. I can't help but wonder if he was pulling his punches with some of his shots as well, due to my own
presence, considering that his record already did contain a number of fatalities."

Interesting. I've been trying to touch a little bit on something like this with Alexis. Most of her previous experience and training is focused on killing
as quickly and as certainly as possible. (With "certainty" being the higher priority.) She doesn't typically operate that way in Paragon for a
variety of reasons (including that her experience with swordfighting is *not* based on this priority set), but it's likely to cause... interesting
events... at times.

I also have two villains who have very explicit reasons for almost never killing anyone. Plasmabell (who I haven't actually played any) gains power from
belief, and people stop believing in you when they're dead. And Anire often likes their style and wants a chance to punch them again in the future. (Though
I'll admit that it's a tricky call as to whether Anire is really that villainous. But she's far closer to being it than, say, Amanda Winter,
who's more somewhere between misguided and deluded.)

-Morgan.

[Matrix Dragon]

Hmm. Looking at that sentence, it really doesn't read that well. I might edit it a bit.

But yeah, the question of killing in City of Heroes is an interesting one. I mean, they use the 'teleporting to prison' stuff, but come on, given some
of the firepower being thrown around, more then a few heroes would have a kill or two on their record. Heck, Knight's got a few of his own, mostly Council
and Raiders, who he considers the sort of scum that don't deserve mercy.

[Bob Schroeck]

I can't imagine that Evangelia's big-ass sword is blunted, to tell you the truth...
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Acyl]

This is cool. =D

I like the notion that a higher-level hero would still, y'know, stop to pound on the little guy, as it were. Crime and crisis situations are, y'know, crime and crisis situations. The examination of security levels - that's a clever one. As is the notion of Sell-Sword.

I don't recognise that character. Knight of the Peace, I know, yeah - but Sell-Sword? Is he another one of yours?

On the subject of fatalities incurred...I can't point you to a reference for it, but I'm absolutely certain that I read a developer interview a long time back where one of the CoH devs noted that...

...well, if you read the combat messages in CoH and CoV, it always says 'Heroname has defeated enemy'. And for the most part, missions are 'Defeat enemy and guards', and so on. They use the word 'Defeat' quite intentionally, because it is ambigious. You can be arresting them. You can be killing them. It's left to you, the player, to determine exactly what's going on.

Granted a lot of missions do hint that you're simply subduing them, heroside - and villainside, a lot of missions imply you're actually killing people. But it rarely, very very very rarely, actually says it. I like that.
-- Acyl

[Matrix Dragon]

Nah, Sell-Sword's not mine. Belongs to my best friend, who I got into the game a few weeks back. I'll be introducing him to the Legendary channel
tomorrow, most likely. You were chatting with his girlfriend just before

[Matrix Dragon]

I half expected the always-fun sensation of appearing in a medical teleporter and nearly falling flat on my face, but instead I woke up to see a smashed crate
and lots of cans of cat food. I rested for a moment, somewhat confused, only to get a sudden burst of energy and pull myself out very quickly as the damn crate
caught fire. My armor came back online as emergency power cells emptied their charge, the forcefields shielding me from the heat, which was a good thing, as
the fire roared out of the crate and came at me. Cursing, I kicked off into the air, only to be hit by another burst of pain as flame washed over me from
behind.

This time at least, my suit didn't die as I dropped to the ground gasping. The fire circled around me, forming a wall that Sword couldn't get through.
To his credit, he tried, ripping a fire extinguisher off the wall and spraying its contents into the firewall. So, somewhat greedy and mercenary, but he could
be a team player.

Then the flames crashed inward, and I forgot about making assessments of my teammate for the moment. The flames struggled with my forcefield for a moment
before worming their way through, tearing through armor and cloth, burning through my skin... I've experienced all sorts of pain over the past year, from
bullets and knives, to dark magics that rot the flesh and Ritki mind attacks that leave you fumbling with sanity. I'd class this as slightly below having a
squad of Council Galaxies beat you senseless with the taint of the Nictus.

I remember screaming. There was a lot of screaming, I suspect. Then, it just ended and I dropped to the warehouse floor, the flames gone. It was oddly cold, as
though all the heat had been leached out of it. I was shivering as well, the sweat against my skin ice-cold all of a sudden.

"Knight, you okay?" Sword asked, kneeling down next to me. A moment later, he got his answer as I threw up. "Ah, Christ!" he growled,
leaping back up as the vomit nearly hit his pants. "Yeah, that was needed."

"Sorry man," I said, wiping at my mouth. "Sudden need to toss my cookies."

"I hope there's no need for more cookie tossing?" he asked, amusement visible in his voice as he held out a hand. It occurred to me that he may
well have been a mercenary with a license, greedy and maybe something of a jerk, but I liked the guy. I grinned, taking his hand and letting him help me up.

Groaning, I ran a hand along my spine. "Oh yeah... be a hero, smite evil, discover all sorts of interesting new aches and pans," I joked, drawing a
laugh.

Sell-Sword let me lean on him for a moment as we looked over the room. The fires were all out and the smoke was dispersing. Apparently they'd all been
pulled into my little circle of hurting, saving us the trouble of running for the firehoses, or the exits for that matter. As for the Hellions, they were all
on the floor, some out cold, others making various noises of pain from broken bones and bullet wounds.

After a moment of looking over the battleground, Sell-Sword looked over at me. "Say, where'd that crystal go?" he asked. I blinked and looked
down at my hands. The last I remembered, I'd been holding it. "You lost it?" Sword grumbled. "Dammit, MAGI would pay good for that
thing."

The tone of his voice did the trick, as I broke down laughing. "You don't even know what it is or what it does," I protested, wincing. Laughing
right now was not the wisest of ideas. Sword laughed as well, mock-apologizing as he guided me to an intact crate... before a sudden flare of heat behind us
made us both stop where we were.

A moment later we both spun, my gauntlets crackling with energy buildup... only for the both of us to stop and stare. The fire had reappeared, a large sphere
that shrank into a humanoid shape before burning out, revealing one of the most surprising sights in my career.

It was a woman that looked to be in her early to mid twenties (Heck of a figure, I'll admit), dressed in a duplicate of my costume almost entirely, with
the single exception of a massive pair of red and black butterfly wings emerging from her back in the place of my cape. Tiny embers danced across her armor as
she looked at us with an expression on her face best described as utterly confused, especially when she looked at me.

"... Who... Who are you?" she asked in a weak voice, before her legs gave way under her and she dropped to the ground. I stepped forward and knelt
down, wincing at the complaints my body made, before checking her pulse.

"She's not in good shape," I said, reaching into my belt and taking out a teleport beacon.

Sword knelt down, taking a look at her. "Any idea who pixie-girl is?"

"Not a clue," I admitted, clipping the beacon to her armor.

"She's dressed like you," he pointed out, as though I hadn't noticed that odd fact yet. I gave him a look that made him shrug. "Right.
Obvious."

Grinning weakly, I tapped my comm-link, switching to the medical frequency. "Medicomm Control, Knight of the Peace is requesting a beacon transport to
Atlas Park Chiron Medical Center. Unknown woman, possible magic origins, currently unconcious." I brushed back her hair, noting the long, pointed ears.
"Possibly some sort of fey creature, she's winged."

While I worked on that, I saw Sword moving to tag the various Hellions, stripping them of their weapons, and more then a few smaller items. The snarky thought
that not all those items would show up in the report flickered across my mind, and was shoved aside as unimportant right now. Forcing myself to my feet as the
girl vanished in a shower of light, I pulled out more beacons. "Need a hand."

Nodding, he moved over to me. "So, are all your days like this?" he wondered.

"What, Powerful artifacts in the hands of idiots, getting set on fire, and a winged elf-girl appearing out of nowhere in a duplicate of my costume?"
I replied. "No, that's strange even by my standards."

[Sweno]

Very interesting. I normally don't think of Hellions as summoners, but it works.

I'm assuming that said Fey will be played by your friend or his girlfriend.
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

[Matrix Dragon]

***

When I got my new apartment, one of the major factors I made sure it had was a big shower. After days like today, it's absolutely wonderful to stand under
the shower head and just let the stupidly hot water work on strained muscles and aching bones.

Still, it doesn't work that well on turning off the mind, which meant I was replaying the days events, trying to figure out just what happened. The
Hellions have been messing with magics for years, but whoever it is that's supplying them with their gear tends to keep it rather small scale. Whatever the
Hellions were messing with this time, which seems like some sort of summoning magic as far as I can tell with my limited understanding, seems like it's a
step up from that.

That worries me, I'll admit. Most of the Hellions are nothing more then thugs really, no matter how much they like to hype themselves up. Steal some
purses, beat up some people... a constant pain, but small scale. The last thing we need is for them to kick it up a level. Atlas Park is one of the safest
parts of the city, after all.

And that still leaves the question of who the mystery girl is. She came from the fire, and that crystal seemed to have vanished entirely... Times like this I
wish I knew more about magic. All I really know is how much it hurts when people use it on me, and I'm not sure that applies here. Maybe. Being encased in
that wall of fire did hurt after all.

I got out of the shower after more then a half hour of just soaking, only because of the insistent ringing of my phone. I'd have left it if it was the home
phone, but I'd gone and gotten a phone for hero work, and I'm not sure I could ignore that and feel good about myself.

"Knight of the Peace here," I said as I answered.

"Knight, This is Doctor Baker at Chiron Medical Center," came the reply. "You'll be happy to know that all the Hellions are stable and in
custody." I didn't really care about those morons, but at least I didn't need to file paperwork with the FSBA on this.

There was something I was more interested in. "And the girl?" I asked.

"She's an interesting case. She hasn't woken up just yet - it seems like she was rather exhausted when you found her. Our mages and agents from
MAGI are looking after her and trying to determine her identity. Which is actually why I called. They're requesting a sample of your DNA."

That got a reaction, as I pulled the phone away from my ear and gave it a 'wha?' look. "Could I ask why?" I said.

"I can't answer right away," Baker responded, getting another look at the phone. "Patient confidentiality. I'll be able to tell you once
we get a result."

After considering for a moment, I shrugged. "Give the Legendary a call, it should be on file."

"Thank you. I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you."

As I put the phone down, I looked at it again. What the heck was going on? After a moment, I grabbed a second towel and went to get my armor. Time to head back
to Atlas.

***

[Render]

Awesome.

(And I'll echo Acyl; I like the ambiguity of the word 'defeat.' Badb doesn't doesn't want to kill anyone, but her instincts in combat are
lethal.)

[Matrix Dragon]

***

After the Ritki War, the hospitals were one of the first things rebuilt, for obvious reasons. To save on time and costs, they were all built to the same model,
which certainly helps. Know one hospital in Paragon, you know them all. And if you're a hero, you've been in the hospitals plenty of times.

So, up the elevators to the third floor, past the security ward for arrested villains with grade A to B magical injuries, the isolation ward, then into wing
for magical beings. As I stepped through the thick timber doors engraved with intricate runic patterns, I stopped at the sight of familiar teenager in blue and
gold armor. "Eva?" I said, looking at the young leader of the Legendary, making her jump in slight surprise. "What're you doing here?"

Evangelia spun, a surprised and concerned look on her face. "You're okay?"

I paused, looking at her oddly. "What, why wouldn't I be?" I asked. Well, I was still sore as hell from the Hellion mess, but that didn't
really count as anything that'd have the most dangerous magical girl I know in a hospital hallway, apparantly looking for me.

The blonde girl seemed to calm down somewhat. "The hospital called the base, requesting your medical files. They said they had your approval, but they
wouldn't tell me why they needed it, even with my security clearance," she said, eyes darting to the ground near me momentarily.

"Usual bureaucrats," I said with a friendly smile. "It's a case I'm involved in, but it's not me directly... I think," I said.
"Still, I appreciate you coming to look into it."

"You're Legendary," she said with an adorable smile. "Of course we came."

Looking around for a moment, I saw no one else. "We?" I asked.

The magical girl grinned. "Space Mage came with me, but she got distracted at the childrens ward," she explained, drawing a smile from me as I
imagined the hyperactive elfgirl doing magic tricks and shows for sick children. Yeah, she'd be all over that. "And Allister," she added, looking
slightly nervous for a moment. Her magical invisible talking penguin mascot was a subject of some quiet discussion among the Legendary, with some wondering it
was a figment of her imagination.

Smiling, I responded "I'd shake his flipper if I could." Heck, Eva read as perfectly sane, and heck, I'd seen weirder reality in the past.
"Now, what say we go get some answers?" I added. Eva nodded, and we walked down the corridor as I explained the Hellions ritual attempt.

"I've never heard of the Hellions trying a summoning before," Eva commented.

"Well, I think it was a summoning. I stink at magic," I admitted. "And I think the Hellions sucked at that spell. Although I wouldn't mind
finding out just what they were aft-" I stopped as we turned a corner and saw Sell-Sword leaning against a wall. "What are you doing here?" I
asked.

The lower-ranked hero looked up at me, posture betraying the boredom he was feeling even if his face was hidden. "Got called up and asked to come in and
answer a few questions," he answered. "Then they asked me to wait here while they checked a few more things."

I was wondering why I hadn't gotten a call when the doors next to Sword swung open and doctor stepped out. "Because I knew you were coming for answers
of your own," she said with a smile before I could even ask. "It's not telepathy, more a form of precognition." I started to scowl.
"Sorry, sometimes I get a little ahead of myself-" She stopped herself. "Sorry." She stepped forward and held out a hand. "Doctor
Melissa Gardener. I'm with MAGI."

There was a quiet snickering from Sword as I realized that not only was that potentially the most annoying form of precognition I'd ever seen, but Sword
had dealt with it himself and had been looking forward to seeing me experience the same thing. "Putting that aside," I said, shaking the Doctors hand
and not giving Sell-Sword the pleasure of an annoyed look, "Do you have any answers?"

"Some, I believe," she said, shaking Evangelias hand before pulling a rather thick tome out of thin air. "But first, I'd like to confirm a
few details," she continued as she opened the tome and quickly turned pages. "Was this the ruby?" the woman asked, flipping the tome around and
showing me an illustration of a large ruby with a pattern of black lines running through it.

"If it's not, it's pretty damn close," I answered as Eva stepped forward. Melissa handed her the book before she even asked, then, oddly
enough, pulled a small fish out of nowhere and held it out closer to ground level. Sword jerked up as the fish was pulled out of her hand, flipped up into the
air and vanished, swallowed by an invisible bird.

"Precognition," she said before Eva could ask. "Not the ability to see and hear, I'm afraid." Both Eva and I looked at her for a
moment, looked at each other, then turned our attention back to the tome.

"Ruby Guardian, Scarlet Sentinel... There's a good dozen names listed here for this thing," Eva said, running her finger down the list. "A
spirit, believed to be bound to the crystal, summoned to serve the will of those that call it..." She turned the page, revealing a number of sketches by
different artists of several different men and women, all dressed in clothes of different eras.

"It's believed to predate humanity on this world," Melissa said. "MAGI has been looking for it for some time, to try and answer the
questions of its origins." I looked up at her curiously. "We thought it was a summoning," she continued. "But the spirit isn't bound to
anything save its purpose. Right now, the crystal doesn't exist."

"It's the spirits bound form," Evangelia realized, looking up. "It doesn't leave the physical world at all." I glanced over at her,
then decided it was easier to let her talk, as she seemed to have a clue about this. "It sleeps until the ritual awakens it."

"But from what was found at that warehouse, it wasn't the right ritual," Melissa commented. I glanced over her shoulder at Sell-Sword, who merely
shrugged. "It was similar to the Pantheons binding of otherworldly totems, but..." she passed Eva several photos. She looked at them for a moment,
then rolled her eyes.

"But it has runes that are improperly engraved, at least one circle missing, and some of the worst grammar I've ever seen," she said. I looked
over her shoulder at the photos of what was left of the warehouse floor. Whatever she saw made no sense to me whatsoever. I really need to research some magic.
"At best, nothing would have happened. At worst, they would have blown themselves up."

"So, how did this..." I looked for the right words. "Guardian spirit wake up?"

"It came into contact with someone whose purpose matched her own," Melissa said. Eva nodded, while I... Well, I had a blank look on my face.
"Think of it as a spiritual key," she explained. "Her purpose is to defend and protect. Would you describe that as your purpose?" I
blinked. Well, I did take being a hero seriously...

"And since the Hellions had already started to wake it, that was enough for it to transform to its active form," Evangelia said in understanding.
"Using Knight as the template."

"Template?" I paused and looked at Sell-Sword, who had matched my question and confused tone exactly.

"That's why you wanted Knights medical file," Eva continued. "You needed to do a comparision."

"Comparison for what?" I asked, giving Melissa a look asking her to just give me an answer.

She considered her response for a moment, then nodded. "The transformation has granted the spirit a fully organic form, using you as the template. Tests
showed her DNA was almost a complete match for yours. In legal terms, she might well be considered your daughter."

[Bob Schroeck]

Mm. Much as I had expected.

Oh, and point of info. This is actually on Alistair's page over on the Virtue wiki, but I don't think it's ever been formally posted here -- while Alistair is invisible (and inaudible) to almost everyone but Eva and a few select folks, he is not intangible, nor does his invisibility extend to things he's carrying. If he is willing to stand still long enough, it is possible to feel a penguin-shaped object where he's supposed to be, and he has been known to prod, poke and (once) nip people in his way. And it's not uncommon to spot small objects scurrying along the halls of the base at about 30 inches off the ground, apparently under their own power...

(Edit: Added link to page in question.)
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Sofaspud]

Nice!

I *loved* the 'annoying form of pre-cog' angle. And the fish bit. (I'm kicking myself for not thinking of something similar. )

Y'know, I *know* I've seen the name Knight of the Peace around before in-game, but I don't think we've ever 'met', and there's no
entry on the wiki... who is she?

I'm looking forward to more.

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

[Matrix Dragon]

Oh, and point of info. This is actually on Alistair's page over on the Virtue wiki, but I don't think it's ever been formally posted here -- while
Alistair is invisible (and inaudible) to almost everyone but Eva and a few select folks, he is not intangible, nor does his invisibility extend to
things he's carrying. If he is willing to stand still long enough, it is possible to feel a penguin-shaped object where he's supposed to be,
and he has been known to prod, poke and (once) nip people in his way. And it's not uncommon to spot small objects scurrying along the halls of the base at
about 30 inches off the ground, apparently under their own power...

 
Oh, I knew that, but it was supposed to read 'quiet discussion among the newer members of the Legendary', but my brain skipped a few words. Knight hasn't had an experience to prove Alistair exists before now (He did see a floating cup once, but it was out of the corner of his eye and was gone by the time he turned around). And hey, he keeps an open mind. He's willing to accept Emerald Blast may not have a stuffed cat on her shoulder.
And no wiki entry... I KNEW I'd forgotten something
Robert Barnes, aka Knight of the Peace. There's no major tragedy or loss in his past, he just always wanted to be a hero. Hey, it's exciting, you get to hit people and feel good about yourself. He put the plans on hold after the Ritki War, helping his dad rebuild the family business, but last year his sisters technical skills reached the point where they were able to build his first suit of armor. It worked well, but lacked any real power systems except the HUD, gauntlet blasters, and the anti-grav systems used for flight, making it heavy, awkward and damn hot. When he hit level 20 and earned his cape, they built a new suit, with all the gear plus a forcefield generator (Currently limited to a protective field around his body), into the gauntlets and armored chestplate, along with a set of rocket boots.

(Note, the tight enforcer chestplate was a brief use, with it replaced by the armored upper body.)

[Matrix Dragon]

***

After that was thrown at me, Melissa asked a lot of questions about the warehouse, anything else I may have seen in there that was destroyed in the fight and
fire. Frankly, I think she pulled out the Daughter line solely to get me utterly off balance when she asked questions. I'll admit it worked, but it still
bugged the crap out of me.

"Well, look at it like this," Sword said a short time later in the hospital cafeteria. "She's probably not going to call you Daddy."

"Gee, such a relief," I responded dryly as I dipped a chip into the sauce. "How am I supposed to handle this, anyway?" I wondered. Nearly
an hour since being told what was going on, and I actually felt even more... unsteady, for lack of a better word. How does one deal with a magical spirit being
transformed into a young woman, using you as a template?

"There's one thing I want to know," Sword said. "The Doc said she had your DNA, right?" I looked at him and nodded. "Then how can
she be female? Is there something you're not sharing Knight?"

Evangelia paused on her own meal, looking at Sword with a dry look. "She said it was a near-match," she replied. "Besides, magic doesn't
care much about that sort of thing," she said. "I doubt you would have those ears and wings hidden somewhere," she said to me with a smile.

Chuckling, I conceded the point. "I tried fitting a wing system to my old armor," I noted. "Used the anti-grav systems, but... nah, didn't
work. But that's not relevant." After eating a few chips, I continued. "Eva, I'm guessing that the fact she used my DNA is important?"

My young leader glanced towards the plate next to her for a long moment (Which was seemingly emptying itself of food), then responded. "Most likely. At
the very least, it was simply to get a template for making its own body for this incarnation. But even so, she shares your blood. That's important, be it
for protection spells, or possibly a larger destiny." She paused, sipping her coke. "Regardless of what happens, from the magical point of view, she
is family."

It fit with what little I knew of magic. "Hmm," I replied, not really sure of a better answer. So, she was related to me, both in genetics and magic.
That answered part of the question of what to do. There was a lot here that confused the heck out of me or just didn't make sense, but if this girl was
related... well, I didn't have a lot of family left after the Rikti War. Dad, Miranda... getting another family member wouldn't be so bad really,
regardless of how it happened.

"Excuse me, Knight?" We all looked up to see Melissa Gardener standing there. "She'll be waking up in a few minutes. I thought you might
like to be there."

"That's a handy ability," I said, standing up. "Especially in a hospital."

The precog sighed. "Yes and no. I know when it won't make any difference either." I paused for a moment as she walked to the door. Next to me,
Eva had a slight look of sympathy on her face, before following. Filing that rather uncomfortable fact away, I followed.

***

[Sofaspud]

Matrix Dragon wrote:

---

Oh, I knew that, but it was supposed to read 'quiet discussion among the newer members of the Legendary', but
my brain skipped a few words. Knight hasn't had an experience to prove Alistair exists before now (He did see a floating cup once, but it was out of the
corner of his eye and was gone by the time he turned around). And hey, he keeps an open mind. He's willing to accept Emerald Blast may not have a stuffed
cat on her shoulder.

Emerald: ... wait, you can't see him? He's -right here-. *thrusts the scruffy toy in your face* He's actually a REAL cat,
y'know. He just pretends to be stuffed so he doesn't freak people out. Don't you, Mr. Whiskers... who's the kitty? Awww...

(And, um, somehow I was thinking that Knight was female this whole time. Dunno why, except that it's written pretty gender-neutral and from an internal
perspective, so, yeah. My bad! )

And finally: YAY! More story!

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

[Acyl]

I feel I should say - I love the brief mention of Space Mage there. That's spot on, and made me grin.

The Evangelia treatment is interesting as well - I certainly dunno what Bob thinks, but it makes sense for her to be well-versed in that sort of mystical
theory, all things considered. She'd know something, anyway. I like the characterisation.

-- Acyl

[Bob Schroeck]

Oh, I think it works just fine. She's certainly picked up stuff at least by osmosis over the course of 50 levels... what's really weird is when she
talks science and tech, since that's what her parents do for a living. It just seems so out of character for her...

Oh, and I love the self-emptying plate. Nice touch.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Matrix Dragon]

***

They'd placed our mystery girl in a secure ward that looked more then a little bit like a cluttered interrogation room, right down to the one way mirror
with an observation room behind it. It seemed a little excessive to me, but hey, I can understand the reasoning.

Melissa led us into the observation room, giving us a good look at the girl, lying still on the hospital bed. For some reason, I found the sight of her large
wings, spread out flat underneath her, to be oddly amusing. Then I got my first look at her face without the mask and goggles, and for a moment, my heart
nearly stopped.

She looked like Mum. She was obviously younger, and there was her ears to consider, but the resemblance was stunning. As looked at her, I flashed back eight
years, to another hospital room, holding my younger sister close as Mum made jokes about how she'd finally managed to shake off that weight that'd been
lingering on her, even as she coughed so bad her lungs rattled with every word.

It lasted a only a brief moment, then I was back in the present, looking at the woman that was so obviously family, my hands trembling. Closing my eyes for a
moment, I got myself under control. "So, how is she?" I asked.

"Just sleeping," Melissa replied. "She'll wake up in a minute... then we'll take a look at her mental state." I was about to ask
what she meant by that, but the girl began to stir.

She sat up, rubbing at her eyes. Her ears and wings both twitched as her expression shifted from sleepy to confused. She looked up and around, then frowned.
"Okay, secure ward," she murmured, sliding out of the bed and making a full visual sweep of the room. "Strange, but not too worrying
yet..." she commented, before turning to the window. "Hey, what'd you guys do with my - well, that's new," she said, tilting her head to
the side.

"What's she looking at?" Sword wondered.

"Herself," Evangelia responded. "Remember the pictures?" she said, as I figured out her meaning. Every time she'd been awakened,
she'd had a different form. Not always female, heck, not always entirely human, just like this time. Maybe this was the first time she'd gotten wings.

Then she said a single sentence that left me gaping. "I look like Mum." It was said in a quiet, thoughtful tone, as she moved her wings and brushed a
hand along one of her ears. I leaned forward, as close to the glass as possible, watching her. The motions seemed natural, suited to that body, but her first
reaction to her face had mirrored mine almost exactly.

As much as magic confused me, I can at least put together the evidence and figure out what had happened. That crystal hadn't just used my DNA as a
template. It had used my mind as well. I looked at her for a moment longer, then decided to go speak to her. Ignoring Eva's questions, I turned and walked
out of the observation room and headed for the ward doors, passing right by the Doctor that had been waiting for Melissa's signal. He made a slight protest
as I threw the doors open and stepped inside.

She turned at the noise, watching me. I came to a halt about two meters from her, remaining silent as I studied her, and let her do the same to me. Finally,
she broke the silence. "I don't really need to ask," she said in a soft voice. "But for my peace of mind, I will anyway. Who are you?"

"Knight of the Peace," I answered, in a voice that sounded more steady then I felt. "Member of the Legendary, registered superhero-"

"-Technology Blaster. I'd list your name, but there are people watching." She smiled slightly, an impish little smile I'd seen all too often
on Miranda when she was being an annoying little sister.

That smile helped, as I let a snicker escape. "I'm sure you know it," I admitted.

Her smile widened into a grin for a moment, before fading quickly. "You're the real Knight, aren't you?" she asked. When I nodded she closed
her eyes. "It fits. I grabbed the crystal, got trapped in the fire, then I got set on fire. I saw you for a moment, then passed out."

"Pretty much as I remember it," I agreed. "Aside from the ending on my side." She sighed, wings fluttering. She closed her eyes for a
moment, head tilting to the side for a moment as she thought about the situation. Which was one of my habits for when I was trying to wrap my mind around
something. Watching it from the outside on someone elses face was... interesting.

After a minute of so, her eyes opened again. "It's weird, but this feels normal. I mean, I didn't even notice these until I saw my
reflection," she noted as her wings fluttered again, just in time to stop me from taking that line entirely the wrong way. "Heck, wings, ears... the
entire package," she said, waving a hand at a figure that the gown didn't hide completely. "Hey Eva," she added as Eva, Sword and Melissa
finally entered the room behind me. "...What are you doing here?"

"She was checking up on me," I said. "Do you know what you are?"

The girl gave me a look. "A better looking you?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip. I gave her a patient look. "That's part of the
weird," she said. "I... know, for back of a better word. I was made for a purpose, designed for a certain duty." She shrugged. "Probably
helping me deal with all... this." There was an awkward silence.

Eva broke it a moment later. "Do... Do you have a name?" she asked.

My... sister? Daughter? Clone? Well, she looked rather uncomfortable at this point. "I... I don't know," she said, suddenly uncertain. "I
mean, I must have a name, right? Maybe... maybe it's part of the spell..." Looking at her, I was filled with a sudden understanding.

A name. An identity. More then anything else, it was vital she have that. And somehow, I knew what it was. I didn't know how I knew this, or why, but
frankly, I didn't care. "Ifrit," I said. She looked over at me. "That's your name," I said softly. "If you'll take
it."

Her face lit up with a smile, and for a moment I got the impression she was going to leap over and hug me, which would have knocked the day past strange and
into mind-bogglingly bizarre.

Thankfully, the moment was broken by screams and gunfire from below, followed by security alarms sounding throughout the hospital. "What the hell?"
Sword growled, pulling his rifle off his back.

Evas eyes blazed with power. "Lobby," she ordered, heading for the door. "Stay here," she said to Ifrit, who blinked and looked indignant
as we ran out.

We took the emergency stairs, leaping over the railings and dropping, nearly colliding with a purple haired elfgirl on the way. "Zounds! Crime in a
hospital?" Space Mage declared as we reached the bottom floor.

"You were looking for any excuse to say Zounds," I mused. She merely grinned as Eva pushed the door open slightly, getting a look into the hospital
entrance, and the Pantheon Shaman surrounded by the bodies he'd stolen from the morgue. "How the hell did he get through security?" I wondered. A
crazy looking man in a loincloth that stinks of rotting flesh and bad hygine tends to draw attention, even in Paragon.

There was a blur of movement as a trench coat sped across the floor under its own power, stopping at our feet. Spacey pulled it inside before anyone could
notice and took a quick sniff, before recoiling. "Guh! Bad laundry habit on cheap disguises," she said, tossing it away. "Why can't evil
ever pay for dry cleaning... Okay boss, what's the plan?"

"Space Mage, Knight, get the civilians clear," she ordered, drawing her massive sword. "Sell-sword, covering fire, target the zombies."
Curiously enough, he merely nodded and checked his weapons. "Go!"

It was a simple plan, which was fine. Zombies rarely have the brains left for anything complicated, which meant it was a simple case of Space and I blasting in
and getting the civilians clear, Sword makes a loud distraction, and Evangelia goes and uses her sword on the Shaman behind this.

Of course, all plans have their flaws. In this case, it was the Shaman having made a backup plan of his own. By the time we'd reached the ground floor,
he'd crafted a rather ugly spell circle and begun a summoning spell. Right as Eva reached the madman, yelling a battle cry about love and justice, one of
the Banished Pantheons magically animated Totems tore its way into reality, blindsiding Eva and throwing her across the room. As she crashed into a snack
machine, the Totem roared and turned its attention to the civilians trying to get into the elevator.

"Bad giant voodoo doll!" Space yelled, moving for a clear shot. I dropped my shoulder and charged, pulling a move Wide Receiver had used to great
effect in the past. Sure, I didn't have his sheer mass, but hey, that's why God gave us rocket boots. With the sheer speed they granted me, I slammed
into the Totem, lifted it into the air, and a moment later, we were crashing through the doors and out onto the street.

I rolled as I hit the ground, trying to get to my feet, but the Totem beat me to it, nailing me with a punch to the jaw that lifted me into the air and dropped
me flat on my back. Stunned, I lay there for a moment, before a hand clamped around my ankle like a vice. I tried to sit up and aim my gauntlets, only to
manage a wordless yell as it picked me up and tossed me across the road. There was a painful collision, and as my vision cleared, it became clear I'd
actually been buried in a mailbox.

"You know, that's actually a federal offense," I groaned as the Totem stomped over and stood above me, raising its fists.

[ECSNorway]

The precog sighed. "Yes and no. I know when it won't make any difference either." I paused for a moment as she walked to the door. Next to me, Eva had a slight look of sympathy on her face, before following. Filing that rather uncomfortable fact away, I followed.

Yow. Yeah, that does sound painful.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

[Acyl]

That one moment where both Knight and the newly awakened...Ifrit?...realise what's really happened, that's pretty powerful. As is the hospital bed
image, linked to Knight's recollection of his mom.
-- Acyl

[Bob Schroeck]

Agreed, very well done.

One characterization quibble... Evangelia has never called Space Mage "Spacey". In fact, when not calling her by full code name, Eva usually uses her
real first name, Adrianne, or (rarely) some diminutive of it.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Matrix Dragon]

Bob Schroeck wrote:

---

One characterization quibble... Evangelia has never called Space Mage "Spacey". In fact, when not calling her by full code name, Eva usually uses
her real first name, Adrianne, or (rarely) some diminutive of it.

Duly noted. *Goes back and makes a quick edit.*