THIS QUEST IS NEWBIE FRIENDLY

Reading this plot summary:

>http://ironmaster.wikia.com/wiki/Plot_Summary

Will get you just about caught up with the quest.


THE IRON MASTER
Athletics: 2
Cunning: 3
Technology: 5
Insight: 2(+1)
Observation: 3
Nefariousness: 2
Stealth: 1

Powers: Super Strength, Super Speed, AI, SynthSkin, Model T, Mobile Dolls, Ghost Whisperer, Deathless, Monster Form (battle morph, tech morph), Puppeteer

>Link to rules (including powers list): http://pastebin.com/cVXaZb4x

Action Points:

The Iron Master: 2/2
Julio Pedone: 3/3
Rica Rivera: 2/2
Red Death: 2/2

Resources: 22
XP: 0
Julio Pedone: 0/3
Rica Rivera: 1/2
Red Death: 0/2

Resources: 22
XP: 0

So, yes, we're back after the Halloween hiatus. Asrael is planning stuff with Team Blue. I am busier than normal, so my responses may be kind of delayed.

File: 1352055754976.jpg-(1.38 MB, 1600x1162, Villain Quest Gang Map 4.jpg)

Hold up, that's the old rules paste. This is the new one:

>http://pastebin.com/gKNv9LD2

Also, map.

YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO BEAT ASRAEL? GET EIDELOS TO ENTER HIS BODY.

>>21429352

And that was a clusterfuck of formatting errors. The full action points on top are accurate, ignore everything below the first XP: 0. Except for the last sentence, at least.

Any major changes to the combat system? Anyway, I have an evil plan for Asreal:
Step 1: wait for him to begin his attack with team blue (Kestral Feints alone, Kestral does a real attack with swat team, Asreal does his feint alone, Behemoth guards Kronos) [I need confirmation on which kestral is actually Amp]
Then we use the weaknesses inherent in the plan to take it apart, and kill Asreal.
Weaknesses:
1. They split the party.
2. Kronos has to rely on technology to communicate what he learns about the future to the others, and we are a tech super villain. (his timey whimy powers explicitly don't allow him to easily share the information, and there isn't a single power in the rules that will allow him to easily communicate long distance. telepathy has been proven to be ranged limited)
3. They sent the insight 3 super to guard Kronos. Possession is a thing.

>>21429436

Eidelos does have seven of those liquid metal spikes left.

>>21429522

Only significant combat change is the new keep away action, which you can use to try to dictate what range the battle takes place at. It might make a big difference against Asrael, since he's got an attack that is nearly unbeatable at close range but nothing special at a distance. Other than that, though, it's basically unchanged.

>>21429523
I definitely say that bringing Asrael into Eidelos is a solid plan. Since we're in here already, it will give us insight into his motives and what he's really behind, as well as make him more willing to see things our way. Of course, the same is true in reverse.

Bring the alien to the killy team black member? Are you certain that's a good idea?
He could, and would just burn it.

>>21429550
Okay, btw is Amp or Kestral the one with the SWAT team?
Plan of action is as follows:
Get a meeting with the Ronin, where we try to speed up the Katana project and discuss strategies for dealing with the new Asreal team blue alliance. (I've got a few fake ones, like targeting Amp with lethal force to bleed Kronos dry)
We start warding everything against ghosts and Astral Projection (which is what I think Asreal has, since he doesn't actually know how deathless works). We then preposition Rica, Red Death and the Mechs (the mechs are hidden in crates or something) near Asreal's target. Once Team blue begins the operation we have them hit Asreal. At the same time, we use our mad tech skills to strand Amp in traffic and cut their communication with each other, leaving amp by himself. In the Meantime, Julio tries to posses Behomoth, if he does, he keeps Kronos busy, if not, oh well.

>>21429602
lets not do this. Remember when OP said it was a bad idea to force the doctors to have the spikes? I think this would be worse, much worse.

>>21429675

I never said it would be a bad idea, I said the doctors themselves are too cowardly to try it. These guys are not exactly winning medals for bravery to begin with.

>>21429653

Oh, yeah, that. Kestrel is leading the SWAT team, Amp is going in on his own.

>>21429436
>>21429522
>>21429653

So which of these three plans is the one we're going with?

>>21429769
Okay, so first we need to get the meeting with the Ronin set up, then finish our pullout of compton. Make sure to leave everyone 1 AP for the operation.

>>21429522
>>21429653
These two are actually the same plan. One is an analysis of how Asreal screwed up, the other is the actual plan.

>>21429866
Asrael/Eidelos is probably better as a backup plan.

>>21429898

Alright. The Ronin agree to meet with you but require that you do so on their turf. Okata's successor is apparently not as friendly as Okata himself, but he's upholding the alliance, at least. What exactly do you plan on saying to them?

>>21430171
Start by handing him the data on Chimera's little deal with the Santos and Family. I imagine that they will be interested in the fact that their traditional rivals now have production information for laser guns. Mention that that the Katana project is still on the table. Oh, and that Asreal has teamed up with team blue to eliminate the remaining members of team red.

>>21430260
I like this. Add in that we've honored our pact with the Ronin in the past and we don't fuck our bros in the ass. Or find a stranger in the alps.

>>21430260

The data does indeed raise a few eyebrows. Unfortunately, however, there's not a ton that they can do to fund the Katana project right now, because they're still pretty much strapped for funds after the recent gang war. They're happy to donate the men, of course, but it'll be a week or two before they can actually pay for it.

We've got the money to front for a few of their Katana soldiers as a sign of good will. They'll have to pay us back, but we're allies and we're going to act like it.

>>21430452

Right. Remind me exactly what powers you planned on handing out to these guys? I need to figure out how much this will cost before I can adjust your sheet.

>>21430578
The original idea was meta speed and meta strength. Enough to be an asset in battle, but not enough to actually pose us a problem. (we told the damio that would be 8 each, I figure that needs to be reconned to the current price of 12)

>>21430676

Right. That means you can spot them the first Katana now and they'll be able to pay you back for it next week. That sound good?

>>21430732
Fair enough. I take it we left a deliberate impression that we intend to take our time to build up the katana force before going head to head with team blue, or anyone else for that matter? Spend a few actions to move our remaining forces inside our perimeter (place for maximum income generation OFC). Next turn we start disbanding our less profitable legions and replace them with Elite sets, we are running low on guards. (also, have you been doing natual moral regeneration lately?)

>>21430676
>>21430732
Could they be further enhanced by making various super-suits and weapons?
If so we could set us up as their primary arms dealer. This way we could boost their combat potential when needed, while also making bank.

>>21430914

Powers cost the same regardless of how you're granting them. Whether it comes in the form of a serum or a super suit is just fluff. You could sell them Photon and Aegis stuff, though.

>>21430842

You have three empty neighborhoods in Long Beach and three sets lying around in Compton still. I believe the plan was to give three Compton neighborhoods each to the Ronin and Santos, thus leaving one for you, but this will mean leaving a Long Beach neighborhood vacant (and thus, leaving Long Beach as a broken region) until you buy another set there. Is that alright?

>>21430999

Uh. To elaborate more on what I'm asking. Do you plan to leave a set in Compton, or are you moving them all into Long Beach?

>>21431009
Move all of them to long beach

>>21431031

Alright. That takes a total of three actions to get it all moved, who's going to be doing it?

>>21431280
Julio does 2, Rica does one. Leaving the IM and Red Death with one action each.

>>21431309
Once you account for our plan against Asreal and Co.

>>21431325

Okay.

Action Points:

The Iron Master: 2/2
Julio Pedone: 1/3
Rica Rivera: 1/2
Red Death: 2/2

Now what?

>>21431446
Team blue is implementing their plan this week right? If so I vote we basically sit tight this week, maybe try to subvert one of the Police's more profitable precinct, on the grounds that since we are already their number one target there is not much more they can do to us. (what is the cities terror level right now?)

>>21431446
lets check up on that Scientology file Asrael had.
lets do something about the worst things on there raid a "care center" or some such make it look like were doing team blues job

>>21431524

Terror level is weird because it wasn't implemented until just now. The writing has suggested the city is frightened, but mechanically speaking they've been shaken. Since martial law is mostly off the table right now I'm going with shaken.

Rica, the Red Death, and the mechs move into position. A few cameras set up in the area detect nothing, but then, it's Asrael, so you weren't expecting to pick up much. You've already cracked their communications and can bring them down at the drop of a hat, and now you're just listening in while waiting for the right moment.

"Behemoth, where are you?" Kronos asks.

"I'm in the lobby right now," he responds, "been here for about fifteen minutes."

"I didn't see you when I arrived," Kronos says, "that was around the same time. Are you sure you have the right building?"

"I've got the map right in front of me, I'm sure," Behemoth says.

"You should head to the lobby and check," Amp says, "I don't want our lifeline left unguarded."

"Isn't the operation starting soon?" Kestrel asks, "someone could get inside the building and then things might get messy."

You get another signal, this time from Julio on your ghost phone. "Hey, boss," he says, "just arrived at I don't see Behemoth in here. Or Kronos, for that matter."

"We're all in place," Kestrel says on the other line, "what's the hold up?"

"Running a bit late," Asrael says, "can't hurt to strike a few minutes late anyway. Iron Master might know when we plan to attack."

Phones have GPS. Find out where everyone is. (or trace the signal or whatever, we have the tech to locate them)

>>21432060

They aren't using phones to communicate, they're using radio (same as the police). You can pin down Kestrel and Amp just because you've spied on them before, but you don't know Behemoth or Kronos' phone numbers and you're not even sure if Asrael HAS a phone number.

More chatter from Team Blue. "Asrael?" Amp asks, "what're you doing here?" You can't make out Asrael's response, which means his radio's been shut off. "Why would I do that?" Amp asks a moment later, and then "I'm going quiet for a few minutes. If I turn up dead, Asrael did it."

>>21432166
Then trace the radio signals. That's entirely possible and militaries do it all the time.

>>21432166
lets go kill him
never have a better chace

>>21432308
with a satellite drop get them both him and Asrael at once make it look like Asrael went nova

Rolled 83

>>21432371
Fuck yea colony drop there ass

>>21432371
>>21432390
HELL NO. LIKE THEY COULD POSSIBLY MISS THE FALLING SATELLITE

>>21432371

Yes. Nobody will notice the missing satellite, or that an object entered the atmosphere and struck the epicenter of the explosion.

>>21432281

With a pair of directional antennae set up sufficiently far apart from one another you could indeed triangulate their location. However, you have not once mentioned the concept before now, which means you lack the properly positioned directional antennae to do this.

>>21432482
Let's hijack two cell or tv towers then. Dont pretend there ain't any.

>>21432482
We're a supervillian with a tech score described as "unmatched." If we don't have directional antennas, we will simply use our absurd tech score to hijack some. The National Guard has to have some.

>>21432371
>>21432390
>>21432453
Also we could also plant evidence to suggest a catastrophic booster malfunction.

>>21432644
Cell phone towers man. Essentially radio masts, and common as fuck.

>>21432691
which no one would believe for a moment. Including Kestral, who would probably murder us.

>>21432691

Look, I'm just going to flat-out veto the colony drop idea because it is seriously not ever going to work. A booster malfunction just so happens to kill two major enemies of a technology super villain? Yeah, the surviving members of Team Blue are just going to eat that bullshit right up.

>>21432629

'Kay, that works.

It takes a minute or two to get a hold of the cell towers. By then, Behemoth and Kronos have confirmed that they are not in the same building, and they've begun debating whether they should go ahead and give the addresses on a channel the Iron Master might be listening to or try to find some other way to rendezvous that the Iron Master won't be able to intercept. Once you get their positions locked down, you find that nobody is where they're supposed to be except Kestrel. Kronos is in completely the wrong part of town, hanging out in Compton when he's supposed to be in Hollywood, and Behemoth is about two miles away, while Asrael and Amp are in the southern end of Downtown even though they're supposed to be on opposite ends of Palos Verdes.

>>21432918
He split them up so he can do whatever he wants. We should get some guards on Kestral or something.

>>21432918
So either they are lying about everything, or Asreal's paranoia made sure they can't coordinate properly. Did anything indicate anyone was lying? I refuse to believe that Behomeoth has a high enough cunning score to deceive us and our henchmen effectively. in either case, I think we need to change our plan. How quickly could we move our forces to hit Asreal and Amp undetected?

Rolled 60

>>21432918
quickly shift bots towards were every one but Kestrel is

>>21433234

So you mean you're going to be splitting your mechs up? If so, how many are you putting on each of them?

>>21432918
Do we know if Kronos has any powers besides the time manipulation shenanigans?

We could use this opportunity to attack him with some of our mechs, defeating him would be nice, but at the very least we would force him to use power points which then could not be used to rewind time at a critical junction.

>>21433352
Very tempting. I'd prefer to take out Asreal, because we can actually kill him but this will do for now. Send the mechs and Rica and Red death to Kronos's location, underground ofc. Also send Julio to Behemoths location, but have him wait until we begin the attack on Kronos to attempt possesion. Needless to say, once we begin the attack we drop their radio net.

>>21433352

He has a few blaster powers that he used to actually fight crimes, but they're nothing amazing.

>>21433484
You know victory is not even important against Kronos, what we need is for him to waste his power points so that he can't lol-rewind when we fight the other supers.

>>21433653
Forgot to add:
Which is why I suggested the mechs (though I'm not very opinionated on this point) because they are powerful enough that he's forced to fight but still very much expendable.

>>21433689
>>21433653
I'm pretty sure that us cutting off his raido prevents him from being able to tell anyone about anything his timy wimey powers tells him.

Okay, so mechs are going to be moving into position on Kronos, are Rica, Red Death, and Julio just going to hang out where they are, then?

>>21433815
I vote we either send everything after kronos or after Asreal. And have Julio Posses Behemoth regardless.

>>21433815
I vote for sending Rica in a combat doll.

Asreal stated that he wanted to draw out our leadership which is why I don't want to send Red Death. In a worst case scenario we simply supply her with a new body, red death would be a bit harder to extract. Also this way we keep him close to us should Asreal know our location and try to attack us directly.

>>21434095
We don't have the battle doll think anymore. If we put Rica in the bot we only make it weaker

>>21434140

Even if you had it unlocked, you can't swap out a regular mech for a battle doll on the spot.

>>21434225
Then I think we should just go with >>21433484
We'll whittle them down

>>21434326

Alright.

A minute or so later, while your forces are still moving into position, Asrael and Amp turn their radios back on. "Alright, boys and girls, change in plans," he says, "everyone rendezvous at Eden Tower."

"What?" Kronos asks, "we're abandoning the attack?"

"We already won," Asrael says, "I'll explain once we're in person, just get to the Tower."

"Just do it," Amp says, "once we're all together we can demand an explanation even if he decides not to gives us one."

"Like I haven't taken every opportunity to ramble about my plans," Asrael says, "I'll see you at the Tower."

>>21434468

Oh, forgot to mention.

Since you're going for Kronos and not Asrael, and Kronos is now moving, Rica will get there in time to intercept Kronos before he reaches the Tower, but not the mechs. You still want to try and catch him, or will you mass your forces and take them all on at the Tower?

>>21434490
No, send red death and Rica (both of whome have super speed) to take out Kronos and have Julio try to possess Behemoth. Drop them, (and only them) from the Comm net long enough before we begin the attack to stop Kronos from reversing time and giving the others a warning. But not long enough to give them the warning that everything is going wrong.

Rolled 47

>>21434468
just wait mass assault the tower with mechs. then supers then colony drop so time rewind woulen't do shit but lead to one defeat after the other for team blue

>>21434559

You can't pick and choose who to drop from the comms. Radio jamming just shuts off the whole signal, and it's pretty obvious about it, too. You literally drown out conversation by playing something else really loud over the channel.

>>21434641
... Okay, assume that kronos rewinds time to 6 seconds before the colony drop. Now what? The satellite is already deorbiting, there is nothing he can do to stop it.

>>21434681
Then how did we mess with the national guard's communication way back when without them knowing about it? I suppose we'll just have to settle for general jamming, at least they don't even know each other's positions anyway. We can pretty easily strand (or at least slow down) Amp in traffic anyway.

>>21434686

I'm curious as to what your plan is when martial law is declared and half a dozen major league super heroes show up to kill you.

>>21434926
My plan is don't do that because it's stupid.

Rolled 62

>>21434686
they could run

>>21435045
... Probably no far enough in SIX SECONDS. Also, we would still kill a massive number of people.

>>21435117

And also why you expect them not to notice the satellite until it's already hit them. And also why you expect the government to just sit and watch, dumbfounded, while it falls from orbit instead of calling up any of the four or five heroes fully capable of deflecting such an impact. And also why you don't think any of the FIVE heroes you're planning to kill could deflect or avoid the impact. And also how the Hell you plan on getting Kestrel out in one piece.

Seriously, just stop posting.

Is this plan: >>21434559 still good given that you can't cut comms on a case-by-case basis?

>>21435185
yeah, they don't know where everyone is anyway, so its not like they can immediately go help, have our mechs put in vans or whatever to have them get to where kronos is so they can join the fight eventually. I would prefer to just kill Asreal and then retreat, but it seems that plan is not meant to be.

>>21435117
So? Whether of not the falling satellite kills the intended target or not is not the problem.

>>21434468
Am I the only one thinking that Asreal is trying to eliminate the entire team blue in one go by collecting them in the eden tower?

My guess is that he will try to lure us to the Eden tower by collecting team blue in the tower and then removing the remaining supers who could oppose him using something similar to what he did at our peace conference. Essentially leaving him as the only super of note left in the city.

>>21435278
I would expect him to take us out first, as we are more difficult to kill. Also him killing all of team blue would likely lead to at least a de-facto alliance between the city and us to take him out.

>>21435251

Alright. Red Death and Rica ambush Kronos' limo (he is, after all, basically retired). The car comes a sudden halt, and Kronos slams against the steering wheel as Rica puts a sizable dent in the front while stopping it. Red Death rips off the door, and an instant later the both of them suddenly have gaping holes where their heads are supposed to be and Kronos floors the gas, the car driving on despite its damage.

A few minutes later, Kronos walks in the door, pulls the gun out from beneath his clothes with a gloved hand, and tosses it to Asrael, who's waiting with Amp and Kestrel in the lobby of the Tower. "I appreciate your coming to my aid," he says, "but I hope you understand I can't condone your killing those two."

"Oh, of course not," Asrael says, slipping the gun inside his own jacket, "I'm such a rebel."

"On a completely unrelated note, I'm just about out of power so I hope you're not counting on my support for the counterattack," Kronos says.

"Like I said, we already won this battle. But if the Iron Master's trying to crash our party, it means we don't have time to wait for Behemoth. Anyways I already know what's up with him."

"Quit being cryptic," Amp says, "you said we'd get an explanation, so give it, now."

"I need you to answer me just one question first, all of you, in your folder what was the location of Kronos' holeup?" Asrael asks, "I think someone may have tampered with the folders, scrambled the maps, hence this clusterfuck. Amp?"

"Mine said he'd be in West Covina. In Eastside, clear across the city from the fight, turf controlled by your friends," Amp said, acid tinging the last word.

"Right, Kestrel?" Asrael asks.

>Truth or lies?

>>21435405
Which is where the lure us in part comes into play.
I highly doubt the team blue and Asrael has the same agenda, and he has already fumbled their plans by separating the Supers (in particular Behemoth and Kronos) which would make it more likely that they would agree on meeting up in Eden Towers.

I might very well be mistaken but Asrael is definitely not on team blue.

>>21435950
Okay, reading this he must have timestopped and unloaded everything he had. Still kinda crazy he managed to do any damage past our armor.

>>21435950
Truth or lies about what exactly? (Did we get Kestrel to fuck with the maps or something? Must have missed it.)

Anyways, is the katanas ready?
If they are we should get in contact with the ronins before we take any actions.

>>21436251
let me run some numbers:
the rules state:
If you're attacking someone who, for whatever reason, isn't fighting back (because they spent their actions attacking someone else, because they don't want to hurt you, or whatever), you deal damage if you beat their roll, but if they beat yours you take no damage in return.
So, I figure this is what applies when timestoped since they aren't fighting back, and there doesn't seem to be anything in the rules saying anything different.
So Kronos had to beat someone rolling at A9 with a heavy pistol. Lets make it armor peirceing so he only has to win by 6 to do any damage against Agies armor. (Timestop doesn't say it ignores mundane armor, so it doesn't)
So he had to roll 17 or higher (assuming constant 2's by everyone) at least 11 times before he ran out of power.

>>21436414

The combat rules act on the assumption that you are not completely helpless. If Kronos presses the barrel of a gun against your timestopped head and pulls the trigger, you get fucking shot. If the rules say otherwise, it means the rules are wrong.

>>21436318

The one Katana guy is ready, yeah.

>>21436318

About what the location is. So far as you know, Kestrel's folder hasn't been tampered with, but since I've intentionally kept it vague as to what Asrael's getting at, it occurred to me that you might want to have Kestrel lie about it. Since she is in fact keeping secrets from all of these people, it'd be in character. So I'm giving you the chance to do that.

>>21436481
...Did Kronos just murder two supers in broad daylight? Doesn't that sort of automatically make him team black?

>>21436481
I feel compelled to point out that plenty of other powers explicitly state they get to ignore mundane armor. Timestop doesn't, so the assumption that mundane armor works is completely reasonable. Also, if timestop has a bunch of special rules attached to it, you really need to put them in explicitly, preferably before we get multiple people killed learning the rules by trial and error.

>>21436645

Kronos didn't ignore mundane armor. He put a gun to the head of a helpless opponent and pulled the trigger and then the other guy died, full stop. There are no rules for that. There don't need to be rules for that. The result is obvious and inarguable. You were perfectly capable of working out that the Time Stop power could do something like this because you are not a computer.

>>21436598

He killed them in a time stop leaving behind very little evidence of how they died. From an outside perspective, all that's obvious is that their heads exploded, and Asrael's pretty straightforwardly agreeing to take credit for the kills. It's not like they're going to stay dead anyway.

>>21436780
... Red death might, Unless Asreal's about to murder someone and give us enough XP to revive someone. Anyway, I don't see any reason to lie.

>>21435950
So, if Kestrel is the only one without sabotaged plans Asrael will probably use it to paint her as our lackey if she tell the truth. Under normal circumstances lying would be a good idea, however apparently Asrael has telepath powers which would mean that he could conceivably use that to get the truth out. On the other hand he is a member of team black which limits his credibility with team blue, possibly splitting team blue (Amp will likely back Kestrel, Behemoth will probably take whatever side Kronos takes, and I'm pretty sure Kronos has a working relationship with Asrael doing his dirty work).

I vote for lying, either she gets away with it or team blue faces a possible split. Hell if Kestrel gets booted out of team blue we might have a better shot at actually recruiting her.

>>21436860

Well, true, the Red Death might indeed stay dead. And similarly, this could come back to bite Kronos in a huge way. He's old and jaded and kind of just doesn't give a shit anymore, but that doesn't mean he's invincible. Still, he's the most respected super in the city and someone else is offering to admit to the murder straight-up, so he's not handing himself over, either.

Kestrel gives the Hollywood location, and Kronos, of course, gives the Compton location where you found him. "Right," Asrael says, "and Behemoth was, of course, one neighborhood over in Compton, since that's where he's coming from now and the news choppers keep track of him easy."

"Sure," Amp says, "now explain what all this is about."

"I lied," Asrael says, "nobody tampered with the maps, I intentionally printed different locations for everyone." Kronos' eyes flick upwards and Amp's fist tightens around one of his blaster gauntlets. "Relax, I'm still on your side. There's a plant in Team Blue, that's how the Iron Master found out about the meeting in Exposition Park, that's how he found Amp and Kestrel's secret identities, and the purpose of this sortie was to flush out the plant."

>>21437128
Did or didn't Julio yoink Behmoth? I'm pretty sure that was part of the stratigy

"Because the plant would send the information to the Iron Master," Amp says, his voice distant, "so you could tell where the leak came from based on where the enemies showed up..." Amp's gaze turns towards Kestrel.

"Wait, what is going on here?" Kestrel asks, her heart leaping up into her throat.

Asrael pulls out another alchemical spike. "This is a magical device that reacts with the blood of a human, a counterpart was slipped to Mister Julio Pedone by some old enemies of mine, I replaced the warding spell they wanted to give him with one half of a two-part spell. The half Julio got, told it would keep him safe in a time of peril, would actually allow his soul to be seen from pretty much anywhere in the city by whoever activated the second half. I didn't expect any of you to take my word for it, so when I saw Julio snooping around the Hollywood address, I headed to Amp and convinced him to prick his finger on the thing. We can both see him now. Including his phylactery."

"I saw a ghost through all the buildings. Or...I felt it," Amp says, "and I knew it was Pedone without him having to tell me. But I don't know it was true, magic can be used to induce hallucinations."

>>21437168

Oh, yes, I forgot to mention this. Julio tried, but it didn't work.

>>21437261
... I'm noticing a distinct lack of anything working right now.

"Irony is such a wonderful thing," Asrael says, "but we also have Kestrel coming back from the dead, just like the Iron Master's minions, showing up at Omnus Base at the same time as his forces according to the eyewitness testimony from Doctors Span and Dandurand," Kestrel sucks in a bit of breath at the mention of their names, "and she sure does seem eager to knock down his biggest rivals. To say nothing of the fact that she's living in a condo paid for by an unknown benefactor in Palos Verdes. Or that the Team Blue secret identities the Iron Master snagged just so happen to be the identities Kestrel herself knows about."

"Yup, case closed guys, the homicidal stalker with magic mindfuck powers says I'm evil, it must be true," Kestrel says.

"You're a killer, too," Asrael says.

Kestrel's snarky retort catches in her mouth. "I...That was self defense, not like you," she says, finally.

Asrael tilts his head to the side a bit and says "actually I was referring to the incidental civilian casualties I'm always on about. I'm curious as to what this self defense was, though, was it on the Iron Master's orders?"

"No!" Kestrel says, "I'm not working for the Iron Master! A gangster tried to kill me, it was him or me, I didn't even have powers back then!"

"But you had a gun," Asrael says.

"It wasn't mine," Kestrel says, then turn to Amp and says "Kurt, don't put me through this bullshit again!"

"What are you suggesting we do with her, anyway?" Amp asks, "we can't throw her in the Towers, we can't lose an ally right now, and we sure as Hell aren't killing her!"

"She wouldn't stay dead anyway," Asrael says, "I want to know why."

>>21437333
yeah it seems we are pretty well and truly fucked.

>>21437408
well were fucked and one of our biggest aces are going to be revealed.

anyone up for bailing out of this city asap? Take our shit and secrets then destroy whats left/can't be taken. I dont see any other way.

>>21437519
I am regreting not doing what was suggested in previous threads when it came to bugging out. Should of listened to the paranoid anons they were right after all.

"Phylacteries, don't we already know that? If she is working for him, I am not convinced," Amp says.

"I meant why did she decide to work for him?" Asrael asks, "it would have been near the start of the Iron Master's career if he used her to get your identity, Amp. And just because you don't want it to be true doesn't mean it isn't."

"I don't find your evidence very compelling," Amp says, "in court, she'd walk, there's reasonable doubt."

"Doesn't strike me as reasonable. You saw Pedone's ghost at her address," Asrael says.

"Magically induced hallucination," Amp says.

"I dealt the folders out clockwise, there's no way I could've known in advance which seat Kestrel was sitting in, no way I could've known where to put the illusion," Asrael says.

"You could've pulled hers from the middle of the stack, none of us were paying attention to your hands," Amp says.

"I have eyewitness testimonies from Span and Dandurand, you can ask them yourself," Asrael says.

"Extracted under duress, possibly completely brainwashed," Amp says, "you've had them for weeks."

"She's living in Palos Verdes way beyond her means," Asrael says.

"So she found a benefactor who appreciates what she's done for the city and didn't want her on the streets," Amp says.

>>21437333
>>21437419
Depends on your perspective, as of right now we have lost Red Death and Rica(temporarily). They have lost Kronos, or rather he is unable to contribute further in any meaningful manner, Behemoth is delayed, and the machinations of Asrael is likely to lose them Kestrel and possibly Amp depending on how it pans out.
Julio is in peril, but they are unlikely to reach his phylactery in a timely fashion.
I'd suggest we have Julio and (possibly)Rica possess random maintenance staff at the tower and sabotage everything they can(cut lights/power, turn on sprinklers, subvert security systems etc.)

Meanwhile we go personally and dominate Behemoth with our new alien mind powers, and retreat while sending their shambling former ally to attack the tower forcing them to fight against him.

Also call the ronin and have them get ready for a fight.

"A benefactor who owns the only real estate not ruined by the Iron Master and who remains completely anonymous," Asrael says.

"Circumstantial at best," Amp says.

"And why did the Iron Master find your identity but not Behemoth's, not Kronos', not Tarot's or Swordsman's? Why just you two?" Asrael asks.

"Because it didn't work," it's Kestrel talking now, emboldened by Amp's defense, "because he tried it and it backfired so he backed down. Go Team Blue."

"That's a huge pile of coincidences you're asking us to swallow," Asrael says.

"So what? You're going to burn me at the stake and if I stay dead that makes me innocent, but if I come back that means I'm a witch?" Kestrel asks.

"No, Kestrel. I want to know what he offered you," Asrael says, "and why you accepted, and I promise you, we can offer you more and better."

"I'm not working for him," Kestrel says.

Kronos cuts in with even more agitation than is usual of him lately, "rather than arguing about what trivial evidence we have, why don't we investigate? Or are we back to shoot first, ask questions later?"

"Do you have any suggestions?" Asrael asks.

"Yes. Hand me that spike," Kronos says. Asrael shrugs, pulls it out of his jacket, and gives it to Kronos. "Now we'll just send this to the White Mage and he'll tell us what it does," Kronos says, "and who it's keyed to."

And...I think I'm too tired to keep this up, so I'm going to have to call it here. Next time, Kestrel's fate decided once and for all, while the battle for the city draws ever closer to its thrilling climax.