Archive Mutants & Masterminds: Legacy - Issue #3 Swords & Sorcery

[SalmonMax]

"We have no contact with the Dragons," Echo replied testily. "And if we were allies of the Mage Lords we'd have attacked already. You are invading our headquarters, and we have numeric superiority. There would be no reason not to attack under those circumstances."

"As it stands, we are not aggressive and don't want to alienate potential allies. That said, we have every reason to be wary of strangers appearing in the heart of our stronghold via magic portal when we have recently agreed to an alliance against entities known as 'mage lords.'"

Echo's right arm returned to its unaugmented state though, the metal liquifying and sinking back into her skin.

"We need to hear your story. From the beginning. I suggest we move to one of the conference halls." She looked at Watchwoman for approval.

[Arcana]

"Also, they can't travel between dimensions as easily as I can, my friend. We were sent here from Arcadia, the realm of faerie, in order to rescue their lost Queen, Aina, they have desperate need of her." She put a hand on Nixx shoulder, in a reassuring manner.

"The League is no friend of the Mage Lords, but had the matter of the Demonic Invasion been completely dealt with? I admit some concern, sense with my father's death, it is my duty to guard dimensional borders into this realm, to watch and seek aid if I can not deal with matters. It was that that drew me to battle the Mage Lords..." She looks slightly unhappy for a moment. "Before I was captured and imprisoned.." She smiled at Nixx.. "Thank you once more, my friend."

She turned as Echo made her preposal. "There is not much time, the Mage Lords have gathered vast forces, the Dragons are desperately seeking their queen, and others are bound to take advantage of the chaos... I wonder if your problems here were not a method of taking the League out of a fight that could send shockwaves across the Multiverse. Additionally, it sounds as though you have wounded, my Friend here is a healer, and once I have retrieved the Grail from my home, I can offer my own services."

[z-Watchwoman]

“We shouldn’t hold meetings in sick bay, over the sick,” Watchwoman said. The masked form glanced at Aina, still laid out only feet away from them. The two had come seeking a dragon and hadn’t yet realized that the strange woman was their object of desire. “However, if your unnamed friend believes that he can heal our friends, he’s welcome to try. I would ask that Arcana wait outside under guard from Centurion, TK and MegaGirl. If something goes wrong, I would prefer to have you separated. And until we have talked more, I would prefer that you remain here rather than going home for anything.”

Serene had phrased this all courteously, but Arcana could tell that their hosts were willing to enforce that request. “Centurion, TK, MegaGirl… please escort Arcana outside. Echo, maintain a channel between the two groups. Mister, please let me know when you’re ready to make your attempt.”

She remained still but ready, her presence foreboding and sinister in her dark uniform. She wasn’t the tallest or most imposing of the League, but there was something about her as she stood before them. “I am aware that you might be insulted by these precautions, but if you are friends of the Dragons, I ask you to bear with them. It will help.”

[Djane]

"Whhuuuuuaaaaaaaaaah - " Djane wobbled like a weeble-wobble, tethered by her lower-hand to Watchwoman's waist. She didn't say a lot during the meet-and-greet, alternating fascinated looks between Nixx and Arcana.

"The Magelords?" Djane had heard enough about them - how they had constructed the lamp, and bound people to eternal servitude. The thought of them coming at the team with battle-genies made her pale.

[Nixx]

The green man blinked at Watchwoman's words and smiled widely at the sudden opportunity to give aid. The tension of the past few moments was seemingly forgotten.

He bowed deeply to Morgana as her charges prepared to escort her away, "My lady, it seems I must leave you in the care of our gracious hosts, but I will see you shortly. Duty calls!"

Then he turned to the Watchwoman. His eyes glowed cheerfully as he bowed again. "My good watcher, I wait only on your permission to proceed. With your approval I will do everything in my power to aid the good queen. It is even conceivable that I will attempt courses not in my power, though we can not expect those to be as successful."

[Arcana]

She looked at Watchwoman for a long moment, then she sighed, and made a sort of hand wave gesture. In actuality, she knew Aina, but had not seen her there, considering the number of folks in the sick room at the moment.

"If that makes you more comfortable, that would be fine.. I could even stay within the lamp you bear, under the watch of your genie.. I am something of an expert on extra dimension and magical problems, but I understand caution."

[Celestial Centurion]

The Centurion relaxed his hands, thier burning brightness fading to a warm glow. "You have been asked to wait outside. Please accompany us now." he said to Arcana as he headed toward the door. Herak did not spare a second look to the dragon witch, the fae were notorious for thier shifty dealings, and so he spared his every fibre to watching the newcomer. The door opened and he waited for Arcana to exit the sickbay before following, keeping an eye on her at all times.

[MegaGirl]

MegaGirl her own considerable presence to the Centurion's request, towering and powerful. She looked down at the woman who barely reached her waist, her smile apologetic but resolute as she urged Arcana out of the medical bay.

"I'm sorry, but Ser - Watchwoman is the leader, so you have to do what she says, so you have to wait outside." Before ducking through the doorway, MegaGirl looked her her shoulder and gave Serene and Nixx a wave. Then she stepped out of the medical bay and stood in front of the door, folding her arms resolutely.

Her resolute silence lasted a whole minute before she started shifting her weight in boredom. "Arca-um-uh, your name is really long, I'mma call you Arc, 'kay? Arc, do you wanna wait somewhere else? We can go to the observatory - it has a ceiling that shows, like, all the stars and stuff. I can show you the ones I've been to... well, my communicator can."

[Aeonian]

Aeonian observes over the cameras, watching the goings on in the sickbay from a neighboring room serving as a temporary extra systems monitoring room. She carefully adjusts a few power controls on a touch-screen as she sees the new visitors arrive from seemingly... nowhere.

"Watchwoman, I've been observing. Do you need my assistance with anything? I've been adjusting the power conduits in Engineering." She whispers over a direct channel on a comlink. "I've been listening in a bit... I know sorta creepy... but I gotta find out what's going on when I get a massive split-second tachyon spike on the reactor monitors when they teleported in. It wasn't anything dangerous... but it did disturb my calm. Wish they woulda came announced..." she says with a sigh.

"Nevermind me... just call if you need me in person. And by the way, if you guys are planning on heading somewhere I'm willing to help. I know I'm not "officially" part of the team and all, but I think one more mind on this will be a good thing."

[Arcana]

"My dear girl, Arcana isn't my name, it's more of an alias, like Watchwoman, Centurion or Mega-Girl.. my name is Morgania, your are welcome to use it." She replied to Mega-Girl, then she shook her head slightly at the stuff about the observatory.

"No, I can't go anywhere, until I meet with the queen, it is much too important. Look, last I saw, the Mage Lords were gathering an army, and beginning to march, the dragons are desperate, and I fear that they are going to attack one of faerie realms. I am willing to give everyone time, but only so much, and you may pass that on to your leader."

Her voice became hard a moment. "I have duties and responsibilities of my own, promises and oaths I must uphold, I can only wait so long."

[z-Watchwoman]

"I'm good for now," Watchwoman replied to the new woman, sub-vocalizing through Hudsy. "Thank you for the offer. We may need it before this is done."

She waited until Arcana left the room the turned to the strange healer. "Mr. Greenman, feel free to proceed with your healing attempt. If you're going to need something special, then please let me know so that we could secure it for you."

Still smiling, Serene turned to Echo. Through the ring, she said, "Echo, please monitor Aina closely in case he tries to hurt her. That's the last thing we need."

[Tesstarossa]

TK watched the others and Arcana. She could likely read her mind, but that would simply be rude. "She won't take any longer than is needed."

[Nixx]

The green man nodded and kept his smile but approached the stricken queen with respect. He looked to his hosts before proceeding. Only after reassuring himself that he wasn't violating some unspoken protocol did he place a hand on her forehead. The green light that shone out of his eyes constantly began to run out of his fingers. He hummed softly to himself as his brow furrowed in concentration. The queen's whole body glowed. The scent of spring filled the air as the energy of life poured into the room.

The queen herself remained still. The green man's smile faltered. He knelt closer, a look of confused sympathy on his face "What could... how did she..." he muttered to himself and then fell silent. He shut his eyes tightly. The green light surrounded him and Aina like a thick fog. Moss, grass, even flowers began to sprout spontaneously from the sterile surfaces of the infirmary.

Aina stirred and her eyelids flickered. The miasma of light shrank and vanished back into the green man, leaving the patient resting on a bed of flowers and the infirmary somewhat less desolate overall.

The green man staggered back and leaned against the wall. When he opened his eyes they were just tiny points of light. "Your highness" he pronounced dizzily. "I hope I have not woken you from pleasant dreams. But your allies and your people are deeply concerned for your welfare."

[Joani]

Aina rose to her full height filling the room with her presence. She smiled friendly at Nixx, the greenman and reached out with one long fingered hand to touch his cheek while she bent forward to kiss him gently on his forehead. "Thank you, my childe.", she whispered but her voice still carried through the entire facility.

The Dragon Queen turned to face Watchwoman and the members of the League nodding slowly at them. "Thank you, too - I may have not awaken from this slumber for another century.", for the first time since they met her Aina carried something almost human in her voice. She still commanded respect but it wasn't the kind she usually radiated - namely fear. This time she sounded much more like the wise and compassionate Queen which was far more pleasent and easier to accept.

"We don't have much time... I don't mean to hurry but a decision must be made now. I will have to return to my realm, even now I can feel it dying and my people need me.", Aina's words were infused by her power and those who couldn't hear her physically heard her voice in their heads.

"I remember an interruption when we were talking about the Fountain of eternal Youth and the Orb of Arcania. Have you made any progress during my absence?"

Click to reveal..

Echo's analysis of Nixx' healing provides inconsistent data. There was some kind of connection when Nixx stumbled backwards and from the energy readings it looked like Aina was healing him and not viceversa. Still it is impossible to explain what he did and most importantly how. This would surely need some more research. This information is also available for Aeon.

[SalmonMax]

Echo unplugged herself from the medical equipment and filed the data away for later perusal. For the moment the only explanation she could land on was 'it's magic,' which was of course inadequate.

"Two individuals claiming to have been sent by dragons from Arcadia have arrived wishing to see you," the cyborg reported. "The one who healed you is one of them. The other awaits in the hall outside. Also, the rift that your ritual opened apparently didn't close correctly, and may not be stable." She nodded at the Centurion.

"I have no record of a discussion about fountains of youth, or orbs of arcania. The Fountain of Eternal Youth corresponds to an Earth legend with origins attributed to Herodotus of ancient Greece, which became prominent during the late Renaissance period, and is said to have provided the motivation for Ponce De Leon and his voyage to what would later become the State of Florida."

[Djane]

"Florida has the Fountain of Youth?"

Djane thought of all the retired people she remembered from a brief trip there, and shrugged. "Huh. Well - anyways. Yeah, she can stay, it's just kind of a private place in there. I don't even know if I can hold people there if they don't want to be there."

[Nixx]

The green man smiled sleepily at the queen's show of gratitude and continued to rest against the wall as she spoke. His attention was held in particular by Echo as she issued forth a bewildering barrage of names. He was quietly proud of himself that he was able to make rough sense of the matter.

"Perhaps, then, we should seek out Herodotus or Mr. De Leon." He suggested dreamily. "Our cause is just and our foes most wicked. They could not, in good conscience, refuse us aid."

[z-Watchwoman]

Serene's eyebrows rose; thankfully, in her mask, no one saw her expression of surprise. "Those are historical myths and legends of our world, Mr. Greenman," she explained, her tone gentle rather than mocking. "Those gentlemen are long dead. The relics Echo referenced are from an earlier discussion."

She moved to stand before the unnamed man. "Would you attempt to heal others of our League who are injured? MegaGirl's mother, my father? Their fight with the demons has left them injured in ways that defy our medicine. I hope that you can help them as you did Aina." She didn't voice her fear that it had only worked for Aina because she was from the same realm as the greenman.

[Nixx]

The green man's eyes were slowly but perceptibly returning to their previous healthy glow. He pushed himself off the mossy wall and nodded sympathetically as the Watchwoman spoke, as if Herodotus and Ponce De Leon had been her close personal friends. "I am so sorry, I didn't realize. Death is... a new idea." His tone made it clear that it wasn't an idea he much approved of.

He brightened suddenly. "As for those hurt, it would be my honor and joy to make them well!" He added quietly, "I can not promise success. It seems there are diverse and ghastly ways people have found to harm one another. I hope but daren't assume it is in my power to overcome them all."

[SalmonMax]

"Watchwoman," Echo said, stepping closer so she could lower her tone. "What about the other one? Should we let her back in?"

[Arcana]

She leaned against the nearby wall, and then looked at the others. "So, how long do I need to wait out here, before you make the checks you need too?"

[MegaGirl]

Karra shifted in front of the door to the Medical Bay, folding her sleekly muscled arms beneath her prominent breasts, her wide-eyed expression managing to be both apologetic, yet stubborn. Her broad shoulders filled the doorway and her head almost brushed the ceiling - a formidable barrier, though her oddly young expression detracted from it.

"I'm sorry, you hafta 'til Se-Watchwoman says you don't. That's why I wanted to show you the obs - Oveb - the StarRoom. It's not far and it's lots better than standing in the hall." MegaGirl chewed on a lip, looking over her shoulder at the door, then leaned down a bit towards Morgania, a friendly and proud grin on her pretty, sculpted features.

"This is our home, we have to check on... um, things and you gotta act nice and stuff, because you're a guest in our home. We saved my mom and the Dragon Lady from... from Hell you know, and we save the entire World and we got to meet the President."

[z-Watchwoman]

Originally Posted By: Nixx

He brightened suddenly. "As for those hurt, it would be my honor and joy to make them well!" He added quietly, "I can not promise success. It seems there are diverse and ghastly ways people have found to harm one another. I hope but daren't assume it is in my power to overcome them all."

Originally Posted By: SalmonMax

"Watchwoman," Echo said, stepping closer so she could lower her tone. "What about the other one? Should we let her back in?"

"Not yet," Serene said. She could feel the rampant paranoia within, but even the awareness that she was probably being unreasonable didn’t cause her to change her course. “Let’s see what Mr. Greenman can do for Watchman and DawnStar.”

Over the Legacy Ring Network, she mentally announced, “Aina is up. Once we’ve had Mr. Greenman try to fix the other Legacy members, we’ll be preparing to travel to the Faerie Realms. We’ll literally be only a couple of more minutes and then we need to roll.” She paused and added, “For those coming, anyway.”

She’d already come to understand that this strange being was far more innocent than her, so for his benefit, she added, “Aina was – is under our protection, but the people I’m asking you to heal next are our parents. I hope you’ll understand why I continue to act with… excessive care.”

[Joani]

Watchwoman’s orders were quickly put into action and within the same minute Nixx was taken to Watchman’s medbay. Serene would’ve preferred if he went to look for Dawnstar first, just to appear less selfish but her father’s bed was closer than Dawnstar’s and it was simply coincedence that they ended up first at his bed.

Nixx concentrated placing his hands on Watchman’s comatose body. It was painful to see him like this because he never had been this wounded before. The green energy flowed from Nixx’s hands into Watchman’s body breathing pure life into his bruised body. It didn’t take long and with a loud gasp he took a deep breath while he reached for the blindfold that was covering his eyes. He blinked a few times before he smiled at Serene and then reached out for her in a very rare fatherly gesture. She could see tears in his eyes – and she almost had to cry herself for his eyesight was restored by Nixx’s power.

The Greenman bowed politely before he got led to Dawnstar’s medbay while Serene stayed back to have a moment with her father.

Nixx concentrated once again as the life giving power flowed through him and into Dawnstar’s body. This time though the result wasn’t as expected, Nixx felt how his power, almost his entire being threatened to be sucked into Dawnstar’s diminished body. His energy got consumed faster than he could replenish it and while it briefly had the effect to grant Dawnstar a resemblance of her former self it vanished just as quickly. Sensing his own existence in danger Nixx had to severe the connection and stumbled backwards before he nearly lost his consciousness, his eyes only dimly illuminated and his verdant green body suddenly appearing less healthy and almost like he was withering. It took him a few minutes to recover and with passing time he slowly regained his more healthy verdant glow. Whatever was happening to Dawnstar – he wasn’t the one who could help her...

Click to reveal..

I decided to end this Issue here and open the new thread for you all in which you make your plans. Should someone decide to not go on the mission (which I don’t hope honestly) then I will have to open another thread as needed.

Everyone please add 5 PPs to your sheets (and I mean everyone. There was some excellent RPing and very enjoyable posts, thank you for your participation. I will update the Tracker accordingly. New Issue will be up in a few.