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Trinity Universe: Masked Men


ProfPotts

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The Attic

Frowning at the light show inside but unsure what it means, Lotus reaches out to test the window and see if is locked. Looking to Ulf, she tries to lean toward him to whisper, "Do you wish to enter though there are lights, Viking? I've never seen such a display. It maybe one of the Doctor's inventions."

Ulf' nods impatiently, looking around to see if anyone else has noticed the flickering light. "Go! Others may come." Without waiting for further discussion, he squats down and offers his cupped hands for another boost.

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  • 5 months later...
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The Attic:

Grabbing one of the many dust sheets covering the various items in the attic The Banshee covers the strange glowing orb with blazing speed...

... Outside Ulf' & Lotus see the lights vanish as quickly (if not quicker) than they appeared. Soon enough the athletic pair have reached & entered through their targeted window, coming face to mask with The Banshee...

The Party:

For a moment the doorman's brow creases with a slight frown, but his delay is brief - Karl & Polly (AKA the Holcombes) have soon been ushered into the warm entrance hall where their coats are taken by attentive servants. The sounds of the party grow louder, including the distinct (& most likely less-than-legal) chink of champagne glasses...

The Shop:

As The Watchman cautiously approaches the display case the energetic lights are joined by small discharges of electric-blue lightning which jump from the globe to ground at any nearby objects. Suddenly the phenomenon takes another stride towards the bizarre - the globe starts to rise, supported by nothing but the jolts of electric energy, into the air! Moments later the display cabinet shatters with an accompanying bright flash of electrical discharge...

On the stairs, Bai Long observes the 'gangster' types: at first they don't seem to notice the unusual activities beneath them - but the clamour of static snap & breaking glass, not to mention the bright flash, are impossible to miss even by the dullest of goons... The men's attention is brought into sharp focus & each, seemingly on hard-won instinct, reaches for his weapon...

The Attic:

As the three heroes meet, The Banshee notices odd electric sparks dancing across the surface of the dust sheet she just used to cover the globe. Moments later the sheet rises into the air, seemingly supported by the sphere it covers, like some strange parody of a child's halloween 'bedsheet ghost'. Electrical sparks & the scent of o-zone add to the weird effect. Once the sphere has reached a height of about six feet above the floor it stops rising, but the sheet keeps moving - almost as if a pair of arms & hands were moving beneath it...

The Party:

As the Holcombes are fussed over in the lobby, a servant is quietly dispatched to (Karl overhears) fetch the master of the house, Goldstein himself...

The Shop:

Blinking light-spots from their eyes, The Watchman & Eckhardt find themselves facing a truly alien being. Standing in the shattered remains of the display case is a roughly humanoid figure - a 'man' of sorts, with the glowing globe as its 'head', while a series of copper rods make up a stick-figure of a body: arms & fingers, legs & feet - all 'joined' by nothing but constantly shifting arcs of electric lightning, each component otherwise floating free in a gravity-defying display!

The six-foot 'electric man' appears (by its configuration of 'arms' & 'legs') to be facing the two intruders. For a time-defying instant it seems to settle into its new form or, perhaps, take stock of the situation. Then, with surprising speed & agility, it lunges towards The Watchman, copper-rod arms outstretched & blazing with electic fire!

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the three heroes meet, The Banshee notices odd electric sparks dancing across the surface of the dust sheet she just used to cover the globe. Moments later the sheet rises into the air, seemingly supported by the sphere it covers, like some strange parody of a child's halloween 'bedsheet ghost'. Electrical sparks & the scent of o-zone add to the weird effect. Once the sphere has reached a height of about six feet above the floor it stops rising, but the sheet keeps moving - almost as if a pair of arms & hands were moving beneath it...

Hearing a sound behind her, the Banshee whips around, red-stained cable thick black hair flicking across her shoulder as she bares her claws at the new arrivals, half crouched menacingly. Recognizing her fellow masked companions, she turns back to the rising sheet, surprised at the metamorphosis the "sphere" had seemed to take. Grabbing a long stemmed (almost five foot high) candle holder, most likely put up there when they electrified the house, she swipes at the thing's "legs", trying to trip it.

Note: Could also be a broom, spear or even a light chair. Anything that could be used to trip without her having to touch a sparking thingy with her own hands..

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As The Watchman cautiously approaches the display case the energetic lights are joined by small discharges of electric-blue lightning which jump from the globe to ground at any nearby objects. Suddenly the phenomenon takes another stride towards the bizarre - the globe starts to rise, supported by nothing but the jolts of electric energy, into the air!

What the hell...?

Moments later the display cabinet shatters with an accompanying bright flash of electrical discharge...

Throwing his arm up to shield his face from both flying glass and the blinding flash of light, the Watchman takes a step backwards as the case explodes.

Blinking light-spots from their eyes, The Watchman & Eckhardt find themselves facing a truly alien being. Standing in the shattered remains of the display case is a roughly humanoid figure - a 'man' of sorts, with the glowing globe as its 'head', while a series of copper rods make up a stick-figure of a body: arms & fingers, legs & feet - all 'joined' by nothing but constantly shifting arcs of electric lightning, each component otherwise floating free in a gravity-defying display!

Instinctively reaching for his gun, the Big Apple's first champion blinks his eyes and casts a glance over at his - at least temporary - partner.

"So much for the sneaky way...", he mutters under his breath. ::rolleyes

The six-foot 'electric man' appears (by its configuration of 'arms' & 'legs') to be facing the two intruders. For a time-defying instant it seems to settle into its new form or, perhaps, take stock of the situation.

The suit clad vigilante backs away from the figure while he asks his companion

"Got any useful tricks up your slee...."

Then, with surprising speed & agility, it lunges towards The Watchman, copper-rod arms outstretched & blazing with electic fire!

"...SHIT!!!" ::blink

Acting on reflex and years of experience, the Watchman throws himself out of the construct's way, diving for cover behind the counter or nearest intact display case!

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The Attic:

With lightning reflexes Black Lotus's twin automatics appear in her hands as she steps around the animate sheet, giving it as wide as berth as is practical in the cluttered storage room. Scanning the surroundings as best she can in the dim light given off by the spark-covered sheet, the eagle-eyed young woman quickly spots where, at the other end of the attic, a short staircase leads down to a closed door. The dim aura of light filtering from the edges of the door confirms that it must lead to one of the lit floors below. What's more, she notes the subtle signs of disturbed dust running in a trail between the door & where the strange sheet now rises - as if someone had trodden that route recently...

As The Banshee glances around for a make-shift weapon, Ulf's hunter's instincts send him silently to the shadowed corner of the room, his positioning to unleash a potential ambush as natural to him as breathing.

For her part, The Banshee quickly locates an archaic candle-stand &, with a slight grunt of effort, swings it towards the sheet-creature at 'ankle' height. Half-expecting the swipe to pass through thin-air beneath the sheet, like some magician's stage trick of levitation, the improvised quarterstaff instead connects with a metallic 'clang' & a shower of electrical sparks - the sheet-creature crumples to one side, causing more sparks to spray into the air from beneath its covering. The thing under the sheets struggles some more, managing to finally claw the sheet from itself...

... Revealed beneath the sheet is a stick-figure man made up of various lengths of copper rods & bound together by electrical arcs, topped with a 'head' formed from the strange glowing globe The Banshee witnessed earlier. Free of the sheet, it appears to look wildly around (although it's lack of eyes, or any features for that matter, make it hard to tell exactly what it's doing) & begins to scramble to its feet...

The Shop:

As Bai Long leaps into action the three surprised thugs prove equal to little less than a shocked utterance of the traditional...

'What th'...?'

... before they are subject to a spontaneous lesson in the finer points of the fighting practices of the mysterious East. A swift direct punch to the chest of the first thug sends him sprawling backwards against the office desk, scattering loose papers as he clutches a hand to his sternum & stares in stupid disbelief before his dull criminal brain catches up to events & he collapses unconscious. The second man falls just as quickly as the White Dragon's foot lashes out backwards to connect solidly with his stomach, a wheeze of breath being forced from the thug's lips as he collapses like a proverbial rag doll.

The final heavy, obviously still uncertain as to what's happening, manages to level his cannon of a pistol in the master fighter's rough direction & let rip with a trio of wild shots - none of which come near to hitting the fluid & graceful form of Bai Long. As the thug fires, he hastily stuffs a piece of paper from the desk into his jacket pocket...

"Got any useful tricks up your slee...."

... As the three shots ring out clearly from upstairs, Eckhardt stares at the electrical-man confronting The Watchman & himself with a look of mild surprise momentarily breaking through his usual mask of calm. He just begins to frown as The Watchman notes the construct's charge with a less-than-eloquant, but rather apt exclaimation...

"...SHIT!!!"

... &, gun in hand, hurls himself bodily over the nearest display case, avoiding the lightning-sheathed copper fingers by a fraction of an inch. The stick-man, with surprising agility & speed, recovers from his charge in time to turn the forward motion into a spin - arms stretched out to the sides & whirling like the blades of an autogyro in flight. Eckhardt barely has time to bring his cane up to block the whirling lightning-clad fists as he is forced back into the corner of the room by the sudden onslaught. The Watchman, from his position behind the counter, hears the white-suited man swear under his breath in a language he takes to be German...

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The Attic:

... Revealed beneath the sheet is a stick-figure man made up of various lengths of copper rods & bound together by electrical arcs, topped with a 'head' formed from the strange glowing globe The Banshee witnessed earlier. Free of the sheet, it appears to look wildly around (although it's lack of eyes, or any features for that matter, make it hard to tell exactly what it's doing) & begins to scramble to its feet...

The Banshee quickly brings down the candle-stand's base onto the glass head of the..."creature".

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The final heavy, obviously still uncertain as to what's happening, manages to level his cannon of a pistol in the master fighter's rough direction & let rip with a trio of wild shots - none of which come near to hitting the fluid & graceful form of Bai Long. As the thug fires, he hastily stuffs a piece of paper from the desk into his jacket pocket...

Bai Long ducks under the gunfire of the last goon, then spins, sweeping the man's legs out from under him. Assuming the man falls, Bai Long quickly makes his way over to the prone man, and kneels on his wrist (the one holding the gun).

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The Banshee quickly brings down the candle-stand's base onto the glass head of the..."creature".

Ulf' had a bad feeling ever since he saw the thing come out from under the sheet...seeing Banshee's intent, he let go a muffled shout. "No!" Hurtling across the room, he tackled her, trying to stop her from shattering the golem's head.

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What ya waitin' for, Jack? You ain't gonna come up with any brilliant ideas right now anyway. Keep it simple, stupid.

The Watchman aims for the glass ball that passes for the copper-rod-man's head and squeezes off a shot from his trusted Colt, the sharp sound echoing loudly in the enclosed and glass-filled room.

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The Attic:

Still with considerable effort, The Banshee hefts the heavy candle-stand above her head, ready to strike, when...

"No!"

... Ulf' hurtles across the room, slaming into the strangely costumed woman & tackling her to the floor! The candle stand falls from her hands as she goes down, but she gracefully rolls out of the fall, flipping up onto her hands, then back onto her feet - with just a small wince of pain. [banshee is Bruised with Bashing damage]

Thanks to Ulf's efforts the strange 'golem' of copper rods, glass sphere, & lighting regains its feet without suffering a womanly beating. Pausing just a moment to, it seems, assess the scene, it swings one electrically charged fist at the nearest target - its rescuer Ulf'! The blow pounds heavily into the viking's jaw, causing a flash of electrical sparks to shower off the impact & leaving him reeling! [ulf' is now Bruised with Lethal damage & Wounded with Bashing damage]

The Shop:

Bai Long's body ducks low as his leg whips round in the form of the mystical dragon's tail kick. The last of the thugs doesn't know what hit him as his legs are swept from under him. For a moment the man seems to almost hover suspended in the air, before crashing heavily down to the floor. His lights go out the moment his head hits the carpet, & his gun skitters away from his now-limp hand.

Downstairs The Watchman squeezes off his well-aimed shot. Amazingly the bullet just cracks the glass globe, but doesn't shatter it - although the spider-web pattern traced from its impact point doesn't look too healthy. The automaton flails its limbs wildly for a moment, metal rod hands reaching to clutch glass globe head, before it seems to turn all its attention on its new assailant... Copper rod feet clacking across the floor, it nimbly vaults the display case which The Watchman was using for cover & reaches out with lightning-etched fingers...

Behind the lightning-man Eckhardt takes a deep breath, loosening his collar, & tips The Watchman a salute with his cane,

'Many thanks.' he says...

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The Attic:

Still with considerable effort, The Banshee hefts the heavy candle-stand above her head, ready to strike, when...

... Ulf' hurtles across the room, slaming into the strangely costumed woman & tackling her to the floor! The candle stand falls from her hands as she goes down, but she gracefully rolls out of the fall, flipping up onto her hands, then back onto her feet - with just a small wince of pain. [banshee is Bruised with Bashing damage]

Thanks to Ulf's efforts the strange 'golem' of copper rods, glass sphere, & lighting regains its feet without suffering a womanly beating. Pausing just a moment to, it seems, assess the scene, it swings one electrically charged fist at the nearest target - its rescuer Ulf'! The blow pounds heavily into the viking's jaw, causing a flash of electrical sparks to shower off the impact & leaving him reeling! [ulf' is now Bruised with Lethal damage & Wounded with Bashing damage]

"Ciach ort!"

The Banshee swears as Ulf slams unexpectedly into her. Was the oaf trying to save her? Taking in the new situation, the Banshee runs towards the construct and sommersaults over a covered desk, grabbing the cloth over it as she does so, and vaults the cloth over the thing's "head". Whatever it was, the thing still seemed to rely on sight...

(I'll spend an inspiration point towards the accomplishement of this unlikely feat... ::biggrin )

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Downstairs The Watchman squeezes off his well-aimed shot. Amazingly the bullet just cracks the glass globe, but doesn't shatter it - although the spider-web pattern traced from its impact point doesn't look too healthy. The automaton flails its limbs wildly for a moment, metal rod hands reaching to clutch glass globe head, before it seems to turn all its attention on its new assailant... Copper rod feet clacking across the floor, it nimbly vaults the display case which The Watchman was using for cover & reaches out with lightning-etched fingers...

This is gonna hurt...

Gritting his teeth against the oncoming pain and holding his gun steadily in both hands The Watchman squeezes off as many shots as the mechanism can handle, all aimed point blank at the automaton's glowing head. The only thought going through his head is

It's just glass, and glass breaks! ::angry

[Putting my destructive facet to use here.]

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The blow pounds heavily into the viking's jaw, causing a flash of electrical sparks to shower off the impact & leaving him reeling!

Shaking his head to clear it, Ulf' grimaces, working his jaw. Then he grinned. Finally, a decent fight.

Seeing the Banshee move, he decides to take the lower approach. Drawing one of the twin fangs, he sprang towards the creature, swiping hard at the legs to try and cut through them.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Shop:

Not the sort to panic, The Watchman's rapid, barely aimed, shots still seem rather wild as they spray around the room shattering display cases & causing Eckhardt to swear in German as he ducks for cover! None of the three shots find their mark & the masked man has no time to squeeze off a forth before the automaton's skeletal copper fingers grasp his lapels.

With arcs of electrical fire dancing from the strange stick-man's hands & painfully across the surface of The Watchman's skin the vigilante finds himself hoisted off his feet, held for just a moment to stare into the electrical storm within the automaton's cracked spherical head, then hurled bodily across the room to smash through the remains of one of the display cases! However, despite the pain & the impact winding him, The Watchman's taken worse (much worse...) beatings in his time & is far from finished, & is soon pushing himself up out of the shattered glass, broken pocket watches, & scattered wedding rings...

[The Watchman managed to take no damage. He also didn't use up his Destructive facet, 'cos none of his shots hit.]

Meanwhile, upstairs, Bai Long quickly retrieves the paper from the unconscious goon's pocket. At a glance it looks to be some sort of shipping manifest, but the noise from downstairs seems to require his more immediate attention, so further inspection of the document will have to wait...

... Bounding down the stairs The White Dragon is reminded of the proverbial 'bull in a china shop' as he takes in the now devestated jewelery shop. Lying in the shattered remains of a display case near-by is The Watchman, struggling back to his feet, whilst across the room Eckhardt is looking up from where he's crouched wary of any more random flying lead. The weird electrical stick-man is stalking towards the prone Watchman, but pauses as Bai Long makes an appearance & seems to decide that the more upright target should be dealt with first - changing directions to dart towards The White Dragon...

The Attic:

Moving with incredible grace, despite the rather cramped environment of the attic, Banshee seems to defy gravity itself as she vaults over the covered furniture, snagging a dust-sheet on the way, & spirals over the automaton's head, depositing the covering as she goes, landing elegantly on the 'creature's' far side.

As he springs forward & ducks low, Ulf's blade slices forth in a deadly arc, trailing a slight wisp of chill frosted air behind it as it moves. With a sharp, clean, 'clang' the ancient blade cuts clear through the stick-man's right 'leg'. Frost fights with electricity & results in a small plume of steam rising from the 'wound', even as Ulf' grits his teeth against the pulsing voltage which jumps through his weapon & up his arm. The stick-man's severed lower 'leg' & 'foot' clatter to the floor, causing the sheet-covered 'creature' to topple over, arms flailing wildly as it does so, before crashing back to the attic's dusty floorboards...

... However, within moments the copper rods which make up the thing's detached leg & foot are again pulled back into position by the lightning arcs which seem to hold the creature together. Clawing the dust sheet from its head, it again pushes itself to its feet. Where Ulf's blow sliced a rod in two a small electrical arc can be seen breaching the gap...

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The Shop:

As Bai Long makes it to the bottom of the stairs, he takes a quick stock of the situation. Seeing that his two allies are basically okay, he focuses his attention of the strange electrical being coming towards him.

Realizing that he only has one real choice, he steels himself for the obvious pain he's about to feel, and jumps up into the air, executing a graceful spinning jump kick aimed at the things 'head'.

[using destructive facet to add to damage]

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The banshee sneers, at least one would assume, despite her impassive mask.

"Cut it again, Viking."

The acrobat prepares to lunge and cartwheel towards any limbs the automat might lose, throwing them away to distant corners of the room. If they couldn't stop it outright, they could tear it apart, limb by limb... ::devil

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Where Ulf's blow sliced a rod in two a small electrical arc can be seen breaching the gap...
"Cut it again, Viking."

Frowning, Ulf' mentally nods to himself. *Let's see how it fares against Fenrir's true fury.*

Growling, he runs at the creature with both blades now; slicing and hacking off any parts he can lay blade to.

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The Shop:

With an incredible combination of grace & power Bai Long leaps through the air, his movements for a moment almost seeming lazy & serene - an illusion shattered at the last second as his trailing leg whips round with lightning speed to impact the spherical glass 'head' of the animate figure. An intense flash of light & electrical discharge explodes forth as the damaged globe ruptures & showers across the room in small fragments - White Dragon finds himself blown to one side by the force of the blast, but manages to flip at the last moment to land skillfully on his feet.

As the masked men start to blink the spots from their eyes they see that the once-animate copper rods are now scattered, lifeless, across the floor. The electrical power within the globe has disipated now that its container has been smashed, leaving just a few small fires scattered around the shop - & a lot of scorch marks - to indicate its presence.

Getting to his feet, & brushing loose glass fragments from his coat, Eckhardt tips a salute to White Dragon his his cane,

'Many thanks, friend.'

Looking about the room he adds,

'So - does anyone have any idea what that thing was? What about the situation upstairs, White Dragon - all taken care of?'

The Attic:

"Cut it again, Viking."

Lashing out with both blades, Ulf' manages to connect with one - severing the creature's left 'arm'. Flipping forward on cue, The Banshee neatly kicks the offending limb across the room.

Flailing its remaining arm in obvious anoyance, the electrically animate creature slams a sledgehammer blow into the Viking's chest - sending the Norse warrior flying backwards over stored furniture to crumple in a heap where he fades from consciousness...

[ulfmund is KOd with Bashing & Injured with Lethal damage]

... the creature turns its attentions towards The Banshee.

Across the room, by the door, Black Lotus raises her shotgun & aims it at the thing's head - now that Ulfmund is clear...

Downstairs:

After waiting a while, the 'Holcombes' are introduced to the master of the house, as Goldstein himself finally comes out from the party to deal with them. A middle-aged, somewhat overweight, man Goldstein's face sports classic Semitic features under thinning black hair. His tailored tuxedo does what it can to hide his excess weight, & manages to grant the man quite an imposing presence. Several large gold rings adorn his podgy fingers, & his watchchain also appears to be of thick golden links.

As the door to the party proper opens to allow Goldstein to exit, the sounds of laughter & merry-making drift through with even greater clarity, born on the wave of music from the band & torch-singer entertaining the guests. The scent of exotic tobacco blends with that of expensive perfume & high-quality alcohol to assail The Whistler's sensitive nostrels.

After a quiet word with the doorman (during which, The Whistler hears, the man repeats to his employer the story he'd given him earlier) Goldstein confronts the gatecrashers. Letting his eyes linger on Polly's curves for a moment, the 'businessman' then looks Karl up & down before offering his hand,

'I'm not sure I've had the pleasure, Mister?..'

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Getting to his feet, & brushing loose glass fragments from his coat, Eckhardt tips a salute to White Dragon his his cane,

'Many thanks, friend.'

As he dusts his gee off, Bai Long nods towards Eckhardt...

Looking about the room he adds,

'So - does anyone have any idea what that thing was? What about the situation upstairs, White Dragon - all taken care of?'

Instinctively, Bai Long glances back up the stairs, then looks back at Eckhardt, "The goons should be out for a while." He then opens his hand and hands a piece of paper to Eckhardt, "They were looking for this, it's a shipping manifest of some sort."

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Flailing its remaining arm in obvious anoyance, the electrically animate creature slams a sledgehammer blow into the Viking's chest - sending the Norse warrior flying backwards over stored furniture to crumple in a heap where he fades from consciousness...

[ulfmund is KOd with Bashing & Injured with Lethal damage]

... the creature turns its attentions towards The Banshee.

The Banshee flips backwards towards the window through which Black Lotus and the Viking came. She then waits for the thing to lunge, ready to jump aside at the last moment if Lotus doesn't stop it first...

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