In reply to William Hurst (msg # 23):

Vesper watched Will come out of nowhere and begin trading punches with the figure.

What. The. Fuck.

Her jaw drops as she watches Will get knocked back and begin taking in large gulps of air.

Her arm cocks back and she releases the rock at the villain.

Copycat rolled 20 using 1d20.

The rock clangs off of the helm of his metal armor with a resounding thwack.

Vesper charges towards Will and puts herself between him and the figure, while trying to help Will to stand.
This message was last updated by the player at 20:02, Wed 21 June 2023.

As Will is thrown from the impact of the fist Bulwark turns to back toward the wall. He stops as the rock shatters against the helm of his armor. There is a hesitance to his posture, a reluctance to continue the fight, but he turns towards Vesper. He sighs before throwing his arms up in a grasping motion. A pair of hardlight arms burst from the ground, mimicking him. They reach out for Vesper.
Speed task level 4(dc12) to avoid being restrained by the arms
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 17:53, Mon 12 Dec 2022.

In reply to Bulwark (msg # 25):

Vesper watches as the chunk of concrete explodes on contact.

Did I really throw it that hard?

Her quivering hands tighten on Will as she tries to help him catch his breath. Vesper’s own breath is coming in short waves.

Calm down, Ves. Deep breaths, don’t freak out.

A bright pink light bursts from her palms, encasing William for a fraction of a second. Vesper’s eyes dart between Will’s face and her hands, a horrified look of shock painting her features. She heard the gravel crunch behind her as the villain takes a step towards them, turning around to keep him in her vision.

She watches the villain pause for a moment before 2 arms made of… light? appear before her and shoot out in an attempt to trap her.

Vesper’s body moves before her mind can catch up, shoving Will to the right while she jumps to the left to avoid ending up in his grasp.

Copycat rolled 16 using 1d20.

Vesper casts a quick glance down at her palms.

Please be something cool. Please be something cool.

Vesper extends her hands in two tight fists in front of herself.

This is how they do it in the movies, right? One hand slightly farther than the other? Oh shit, I’m so screwed.
This message was last updated by the player at 20:03, Wed 21 June 2023.

Between his gasps for air, Will hears someone approach him and begin helping him up. He's extremely surprised to see his new friend Vesper pulling his arm while staring down the armored bad guy.

"What are you do-" Will was beginning to say when he felt a sharp pain in his side. Grimacing, he put a hand to the pain and deduced he must have a couple broken ribs. He could feel her hand trembling but he also felt an odd sensation as, for a fraction of a second, he became engulfed by a pink light. He thought he might have imagined it because it was that quick before it was gone.

Will tries to look up at Vesper right before she shoves him out of the way of an attack. He lands roughly on his side with an "oof."

"Oooow, not the ribs" he says.

He finally stands up to see that Vesper dodged the attack but has now adopted a somewhat poor fighting stance. "She's not gonna fight this freak, is she? That's crazy!" Seeing the fear, yet determination on his newfound friend, he walks over to her. "Well I'm not gonna let her fight alone."

Taking position next to her, Will adopts a similar pose.

"Spread your feet a little further apart, it'll help with the balance" Will says to Vesper. "Great now I sound like coach," he thinks to himself.

With fists clenched, Will goes for a Bash on Bulwark.
William Hurst rolled 11 using 1d20
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:15, Tue 20 Dec 2022.

Will's fist slams into Bulwark's armor with a resounding BAM. The force ruffles his hair slightly but the armor is undamaged, but Will is close enough to see the look on Bulwark's face. A mixture of irritation and doubt.
"It didn't have to be like this," the purple figure suddenly expands, pushing Will back. The armor grows in size until it stands 12 feet tall, Bulwark suspended inside. "Will you leave now, or do I actually have to hurt you?"

Punching into the palm of his other hand, Will looks at the now giant armored freak with a mock expression of Bulwarks indifference.

"Huh, I didn't know they stacked shit that high," he says.

Will then turns to Vesper and, with an easy going smile, says "You're pretty tough. Back me up?"

In reply to William Hurst (msg # 29):

Vesper takes Will’s advice immediately, widening her stance and sinking down on her knees a bit. She watches as Will darts forward and throws a heavy punch, taking note of his movements.

Vesper chokes out a laugh, and looks to Will.

“I’ve got you, just don’t let me die, okay?”

Vesper follows Will’s lead and darts forward, attempting to replicate the Bash.

Copycat rolled 15 using 1d20.
This message was last updated by the player at 20:03, Wed 21 June 2023.

Bulwark watched her charge him with indifference. As her fist connected, however, he realized the threat he was faced with. Her punch blew through part of his now enlarged leg, causing him to stumble before it quickly reformed. He looked down at her and cocked his head, "that felt familiar." He looks at Will, "are you two related?"

As Will watched Vesper run up on Bulwark, he braced himself for the worst. "She doesn't seem like much of a fighter," he says to himself. But, after watching her succeed on the same move that he failed, his jaw dropped. "She's freakin' strong!"

Will hears Bulwarks question but all he could reply with was a wondering "Maybe...." as he looked at Vesper. Then he thinks back to that pink light that engulfed him earlier. "That seemed to come from her hand, maybe that had something to do with it?"

Will snaps back to attention. There will be time to think about that after we deal with this guy.

Following right behind Vesper to keep up the momentum, Will goes for a Punch on Bulwark.
William Hurst rolled 16 using 1d20
This message was last edited by the player at 20:53, Thu 29 Dec 2022.

Bulwark, still off balance from Vesper's strike stumbles as Will hits him with similar force. His armored form wavers for a moment before restabilizing. Through the transparent energy, Bulwark can be seen panting with excursion but his focus is not broken. As he centers himself, the skeletons tearing into the mob begin to fall to ash. Their cinders blow in the wind as Bulwark slams his massive armored hands together. The energy from the wall behind him warbles for a moment before its surface extends tendrils toward Will and Vesper. Dozens shoot after them with speed, sharpening at their tips as they grow. The crowd, now free from their attackers rush into nearby businesses, back down the street, or simply cower where they stand. No matter where they flee, the energy spikes seem to ignore them.

Defense speed tasks lvl 5(DC 15)

As the wall behind Bullwark began to warble, Will got a bad feeling. "Uh-oh, this isn't good," he says to Vesper. Then, almost immediately, energy spikes coming flying their direction.
William Hurst rolled 9 using 1d20.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:03, Fri 30 Dec 2022.

In reply to William Hurst (msg # 34)

Vesper didn't get the chance to respond, attempting to throw herself out of the way as the spikes shot out in their direction.

Copycat rolled 10 using 1d20
This message was last updated by the player at 20:03, Wed 21 June 2023.

Vesper and Will move quickly but not quickly enough to avoid the spikes. The light constructs strike them, knocking them off balance and wounding them. Bulwark scans the area with a confused look, realizing that the skeletons have begun to revert back to inanimate. As he refocuses on the two a sudden shockwave envelopes the area, a figure appearing in the sky over the scene. Bulwark looks up at the newcomer, who yells down, "deactivate your armor and lay face down on the road. Cooperate and this will go much easier for you." Vesper and Will recognize the man easily; Paragon, a member of the Wardens.

You both take 5 points of damage.

In reply to GM (msg # 36):

Vesper visibly deflates as she sees Paragon hovering above them.

"Fucking finally," she sighs out, breaths coming out in gasps, "it only took them, what, 20 minutes.

She casts a sidelong glance at Will and begins to slowly make her way over to him once more, so she can check his injuries.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 20:03, Wed 21 June 2023.

Will hears the newcomers voice and places it immediately. The "heroes" finally showed up and it seems like they sent their golden boy. He looks up at the flying figure and, oddly enough, he starts to get a little angry. He hears Vespers words, but they don't quite register. All Will can think about is how much Paragon pisses him off. He looks over to Bulwark and can see the sweat beading on his forehead, as well as the heavy breathes he's heaving.

"We almost had him..." Will thinks to himself.

He catches Vespers sideways glance and then rushes Bulwark, taking advantage of him being distracted by Paragon. As he reaches him, Will winds up for a Punch.

William Hurst rolled 19 using 1d20.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:04, Fri 20 Jan 2023.

In reply to William Hurst (msg # 38):

Vesper's jaw drops as she watches William lurch forward and throw a punch at the villain. Her eyes dart rapidly between her friend, Paragon, and the villain, not sure of what to do or how to help.

She moves to run past the villain to flank him during the oncoming fight.
This message was last updated by the player at 20:03, Wed 21 June 2023.

Will's strike knocks the surprised Bulwark off balance. His massive armor quickly encloses him tighter, creating a smaller target. He glances around as Paragon hovers inches off the ground. He looks over his shoulder at Will, then to Vesper at his side. With a firm step forward it would appear the fight isn't over yet. The ground under Bulwark suddenly tears open, revealing the interior of what seems to be a warehouse. Bulwark tumbles in, the portal closing behind him.

Will, with an intense look behind his eyes, goes to continue the fight but Bulwark porting out makes him stop and drop his fists to his side. He lets out a frustrated sigh and, for the first time in a little bit, takes in the scenery around him and his own injuries. The air is still thick with the scent of burning and the ground is littered with debris, as well as victims from the attack. As he takes it all in with a sense of bewilderment, he's struck with a sick idea. "They didn't seem to want anything from this attack. Were they just sending a message? And if so, to who?" That thought made him even more mad. All this death and destruction for a statement. "And then there's this fucking guy," he thinks as he looks up at Paragon.

"Took your time, pal, too busy getting your underwear over your spandex?" Will yells up to the floating hero. He winces a little bit from the pain. Besides maybe a couple of broken ribs, those tendrils punctured him pretty good but the wounds aren't too deep, thankfully. There's too much going on for him to have to try to explain why his blood his purple, even he doesn't know.

Will then walks back over to Vesper. "Here, give me your phone. Any passcode or anything?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:26, Sat 21 Jan 2023.

Paragon hovers over to the two of you, his frustration thinly veiled by a fake smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "Thank you for your help, you two," his teeth almost twinkle as he flashes you a prize-winning grin, "go help evacuate. There are still some civilians in the area, make sure they get out safely. I'll handle any incoming threats." In a gust of compressed air, he shoots away toward the university.

"What a fucking cuck." Will says to Vesper as they watch Paragon fly away. Will has no interest in still being involved in whatever the hell is going on so Paragon can take his orders and shove it for all he cares. Will hands Vesper back her phone.

"I put my number in there. Like I said, I know that this wasn't the best intro to Beacon City but it's usually a pretty cool place to live. Hit me up if you need anything and feel free to come by the shop anytime!" Will shoots Vesper some finger guns before he turns and heads back towards the record shop. Will feels his face morphing a tiny bit from his encounter with Paragon so he doesn't wait for Vesper to respond before racing back.

As he makes his way back to Spin-to-Win, Will can just see how widespread the chaos was. The panic has died down but people are still everywhere trying to find loved ones they lost in the crowd or stumbling about in a daze.

Will gets back to the record shop and, to his surprise, it's all still in one piece. "Paul probably made his way out by now." After checking the shop windows for any damage and being satisfied there is none, Will turns down the alley he left the shop through. "Huh and my bike is still here, nice." Chained up to the building was an aged mountain bike that Will rides from his family farm into town. With a sigh of relief, he unchains the bike and rides home.

[To the Hurst Family Farm]
This message was last edited by the player at 20:15, Mon 30 Jan 2023.

[From Albright Memorial Hospital]

Jaylen bounds himself over rooftops until he can hear the sirens. He finds the nearest alleyway and absentmindedly makes his way to the street level to better investigate the seen of the attack as a civilian.

"So this is where that other bastard made off to. Fuck...I can't believe how much went wrong all at once" Making his way down the street he could only tell the untold power that was used in this one's attacks.

The site of the attack is filled with police, medics, and several men in black suits. The numerous charred bodies of the formerly resurrected are being bagged and taken away while the living are having their wounds tended to. There are gashes and holes in the ground where the combat actually took place.

Jaylen quickly scanned the scene of the carnage. At least what of it he could see beyond police tape and walls of suits blocking off the majority of the gruesome aftermath.
"So those burned corpses even made it this far before I was able to stop him, fuck" he thought to himself. He continued looking onwards towards the slices and breaks in the concrete and asphalt. "Who ever confronted that armored guy sure put up a fight. I hope they aren't dead." Jaylen slowly reatreated back and focused intently on the black suited individuals this time. "Lot of good the suits did here. Where the hell were the heroes? Shit, I would've expected at least some amount of Task Force members being dispatched, but there was just nothing. A public campus is attacked and the heroes are late or just missing. Something is way off with all of this" Jaylen ruminated and lifted his hood. "Buddy, get a scan on those in the black suits. See if we can collect some info and try to talk with some people"

As Jaylen observed the area he briefly noticed something off towards the center of the chaos. The movement of the investigators soon obscured it but he could have sworn there was something weird on the road. A strange light perhaps? He was unsure without further investigation.

Jaylen Zilla rolled a 5 on a d20 for perception

Jaylen seemed to of blinked and missed something just out of eyesight before the suits covered it up. Damn Jaylen moved further from the crowd and snuck back through the alley. The situation seems to be under pretty tight bonds and Jaylen isn't quite the built for quiet confrontation.

The day was winding down slowly, but surely. So he thought of only one more place to help gain info on what the hell could've happened here. The only known cesspool of scumbags willing to do just about anything for money: Reggie's. The night seems like another one to drink himself to sleep to again; at least it might help the unnerving persistent headache he's had since he woke up in the hospital.

[Leaving the Spin-to-Win Record Shop]