>>35478893

You're supposed to get in contact with Caroline and Chang at some point—come to think of it, you've no clue where they ended up. As Anne leaves, your phone vibrates; it's a text message from Anders, who elected to stay at a friend's place as well.

>”Friend's party is still on apparently. Loud as shit. Think there's another Original here? Can't find him. You be careful, okay?”

That doesn't bode well.

>Camille's been doing some reading; with an origin like Perception, one can learn a lot in a small time span.
>Improve Discipline [Current Skill: 0]
>Improve Martial Arts [Current Skill: 0]

What will you do?
>Contact Caroline and Michael. Hopefully, they've been able to keep themselves out of trouble.
>Reply to Anders. You should go see if he's alright—it's not that long a walk...
>Other.

>>35478899
>>Improve Martial Arts [Current Skill: 0]
>Contact Caroline and Michael. Hopefully, they've been able to keep themselves out of trouble.

fuck you guys, I have a history test to study for
fuck

>>35478899
What does discipline mean/do?

>>35479133
(( Better awaken your Origin fast. ))

>>35479152
(( In this case, concentration, level-headedness. ))

>>35479179
Well, martial arts are all about discipline anways, so...

>>35478899
>>Improve Martial Arts [Current Skill: 0]
So this is different from regular level-ups, right?
>Contact Caroline and Michael. Hopefully, they've been able to keep themselves out of trouble.
>Reply to Anders. You should go see if he's alright—it's not that long a walk...

>>35478893
>Improve Martial Arts [Current Skill: 0]

>Reply to Anders. You should go see if he's alright—it's not that long a walk...

Feel free to call Caroline or Chang first, but we should give Anders some backup.

Let's try not to kill any normies this thread, or any origins who don't actively try to kill us, mkay?

>>35479305
(( Your mundane skills and Origin skill levels are separate, if that's what you're asking. ))

>>35478935
>>35479305
>>35479348
>[Martial Arts Improved – Current Skill: 1]

With Anne gone, you call up Michael. He doesn't delay in answering.

“Hello?” He stifles a laugh before speaking. You can hear Caroline in the background, trying to talk over him; seems she's doing better.

“Hey. You guys alright?” You ask.

“Yeah, we're...” He chuckles again. “We're fine. Just driving around downtown, trying to figure out where to go before it gets way too late. You?”

“I'm at my friend Anne's. Thinking about what I'm gonna do when someone comes looking for me.” You frown. “Anders is at his friend's party, and it sounds like something weird is about to go down. I was thinking of checking it out. What's so funny?”

“Ahah, okay. When you get off the phone, check the local news online. You're gonna...” Caroline says something else—sounds a little more serious this time—but Michael laughs it off. “Okay, okay. You are gonna laugh, though. Seriously, you need to see this. You guys need backup?”

“I'll let you know if anything happens. You're not too far, right?” You ask.

“Yeah, I can be over there real quick.” He responds. “Okay, I'm driving. I gotta... ahah... I gotta pay attention.”

The conversation trails into mumbling, and he delays for another few seconds without saying anything before hanging up. You groan, then hash out a reply to Anders.

>”I'm fine. At a friend's suite. You need backup?”

A few minutes' pause, then a reply.

>”Maybe. Aren't you tired? I wouldn't want to cause any more trouble.”

What will you do?
>Check the news.
>Text Anders. [Write-in.]
>Other.

>>35479488
>>Check the news.
See what's going in before deciding what to do.

>>35479529
Me again, adding on
>type out a reply that we'll be there in a moment simply to scout without sending it, we can send if we decide to go or rewrite if we change our mind

>>35479488
>Check the news.
>Text Anders. [Write-in.]

>"Nah, probably couldn't sleep if I tried. Be there soonish."

The news probably won't really influence this, and the possibility of Anders, with the Origin of Force, getting forced into a fight at a crowded party makes me want to get there soonish and make sure things stay civil.

>>35479488
How are we feeling Origin-wise? 50% recharged?

>>35479792
Your headache is gone, but your body hurts, and there's a dull pain in your right thigh that hasn't subsided. With food and rest, you believe you're at near-full capacity. It's your current sub-par physical state that makes you worry about how effectively you can use your Origin.

>>35479529
>>35479762
You pull up the news on your phone, still wondering what Chang was talking about. Whatever it is, you doubt it can be good.

You check the backlog of headlines. Earliest today, the play-by-play detailing the lockdown and the situation on campus. You decide to go ahead and skim the articles; they detail numerous casualties, injuries and deaths both, among students, police, and security staff. It's noted that the crime was perpetrated by a group of men “disguised as security officers”, though none of the articles mention that most of the damage was caused by a single person.

More recent, “'Terrorist Attack Thwarted By College Students', Police Say”. The article shows a blurry bird's-eye-view of an explosion in the parking lot off campus, the one that killed Moneymaker. It's a paraphrased police report, detailing that although the security response was easily thwarted, the attackers were ultimately “disarmed and neutralized with their own weapons” by a “group of students escaping campus”. No names are given, but the article indicates that a search for the students responsible is underway.

Well, that's something.

You aren't sure what Chang thinks is so funny; then, you see the most recent article title. “Masked Vigilante Stops Midtown Robbery (Video)”. You sigh and roll your eyes, not sure what to expect as you allow it to autoplay.

>Continued

>>35480358

“In other news, a pair of robbers were apprehended by an unidentified individual who onlookers described as having 'supernatural powers'...” You recognize the woman speaking from the local news channel; her face fades out to muted security camera footage, which she continues to talk over. The video displays a pair of men, dressed in black, holding the proprietor of a small, popular grocery store at gunpoint. He's emptying the register hurriedly, and it looks like one of them is shouting at the poor old man while the other plays crowd control, waving a gun at nearby customers.

Then, you see her, and you see why Chang was laughing. A masquerade mask, a stylized heart etched into her top, skirt over jeans, pink-and-black motif—she looks like a chubby version of Hit-Girl. She enters from the front and calls out to the men; you can tell they don't take her seriously at first, and a moment passes before they're pointing guns at her as well. They're yelling threats; she shrugs, then, you see an unmanned shopping cart come barreling down the aisle adjacent at ridiculous speed. It knocks the gunman clean off his feet, and his gun discharges randomly and repeatedly as he's knocked into the basket and through a large stock display at the front of the store, which collapses comically on top of him.

You can't help but start laughing, too, at this point. God damnit, this is a serious matter!

>Continued

>>35480379

The crowd starts to scatter, and the other man goes running with his half-full bag of money. The camera view switches to an external one; he doesn't even make it across the sidewalk before a street lamp bends down like a living limb, whacking him in the ribcage and following through to carry him upward. It tosses him a distance down the sidewalk, where he lands in a crumpled heap. “...which marks the conclusion of the latest in a string of unexplainable events in the midtown area. Both criminals were apprehended on the scene, and charged with armed robbery; they're moderately bruised, but expected to make a full recovery. Astonishingly, no civilians were harmed—the girl responsible was not found, though police say a search is underway. If you know anything, please call the number on screen...”

You shake your head and sigh. At this rate, the public will have you figured out by tomorrow. You pull out your phone, and begin preparing a reply to Anders.

What will you do?
>”I'll be over in a little bit, just to scout things out.” You've got something else to tend to first. [Write-in.]
>”Actually, we need to talk.” Track down Anders and head over.
>"Nah, probably couldn't sleep if I tried. Be there soonish." Track down Anders and head over.
>Other.

>>35480406
>>”I'll be over in a little bit, just to scout things out.” You've got something else to tend to first. [Write-in.]
Consider our martial knowledge, physical abilities, and Origin power, then through the power of Perception/deduction, find out what is the most easily concealed weapon that fits us the best.
Take some rocks or something to throw in case of trouble too, even just throwing it so people trip.

>>35480406
>"Nah, probably couldn't sleep if I tried. Be there soonish." Track down Anders and head over.

Let's check it out.

Also, I really wouldn't be surprised if this vigilante ends up getting whacked, she's drawing attention to Originals and many of them won't like that.

>>35480489
I'd go for an extendable baton, like an ASP. It's easy to conceal, is less likely to get us into trouble than a punch dagger, which is also a good choice, and with Perception we can cripple joints effectively and strike vulnerable areas like their throat or groin.

>>35480683
I was thinking exactly of something like that, but I doubt we have that just lying around. I'm thinking of finding something here to use.

>>35480733
Ah, that makes sense. We'll look into picking up an ASP later.

A couple of nice rocks wouldn't go amiss, and if we have a pocketknife we could take it, but other than that we'll probably be better off improvising weapons on site.

Maybe there'll be a pool table, a pool cue would work well.

If you didn't know something about fighting, the combination of your speed-reading and eidetic memory could solve that, given time and well-done research. Issues in real combat stem from the fact that you're not as strong or as fast as most; To remedy this, you react to the most minute motions, with perfect awareness of both your body and your opponent's.

You can use guns, too. If it was difficult to, you think, there'd probably be less crime in this town—or a greater “successful-crime-to-failed-crime ratio”, anyway. If a trained man's eyes are more reliable than any laser sight, then your eyes are better than those of the most trained man. You remember your stash in the forest east of campus. Then, you remember a pair of deafening gunshots, the recoil of a rifle affording a tactile sensation to connect to the collapsing man in front of you.

You close your eyes, lean back, and grit your teeth. You don't think you could take another man's life. You'll have to be more careful, as well, but what does that leave you with? Some sort of baton, a knife if you had to? You could order something, whatever it might be, but there's the issue of campus mail service. But it dawns on you—you've got Chang, his contacts, and the cash to pay for whatever you might need. You'll make a call in a little bit, but for now, you'll have to wait.

>”Nah, probably couldn't sleep if I tried. Be there soonish.”
>”Alright. Apartment 3134. You know which complex?”
>”I'll find you.”

Your senses can detect Anders and Caroline—if Chang is to be believed, this means that they're of similar or lesser power than you. None of you could detect Moneymaker, then, because his power was greater than yours; Perception, though, allowed you to see his “aura”, in what seems like a way to cheat the system. You can find Anders just fine, but if the Original at this party is stronger than you, you might not know who he is until he tracks you down.

>Continued

>>35481316

(( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI5lwv-_LAU ))

>”I'm here. Where are you?”

It's dark, and a little sweaty; colored strobe lights illuminate the room in parts. These apartments are pretty damn big, but there's still a lot of people here, even with the furniture moved to the walls. Looks like there's a band playing, a small ensemble on the far end of the room, though there's too many people for you to get that close a look without invoking Perception. They're dancing, thrashing about, rocking out as the music intensifies.

You've only been to one other party like this in your whole life—the scent of alcohol brings back hazy memories of when you met Caroline not too long ago, abusing your Origin to steal her thunder on the dance floor. It's hard to hear yourself think. There's a guy in the kitchen serving drinks, and though you've never seen him before, you know intuitively that he's an asshole. Anders is nowhere in sight.

There's three guys who you vaguely recognize on a couch near the door, and the one in the middle is staring at you, wide-eyed. Even over the blaring music, you can expand your senses to catch a bit of their conversation, namely “...that girl from K-A...”, and “...hot as hell...”. You sneer at them, feigning an abrupt lunge, and wide-eyes recoils in fear or surprise. Really, that's all it takes?

What will you do?
>Examine surroundings. Figure out the lay of the land.
>Wait for Anders's response. You ain't here to have fun.
>Party hard. Blend in, and see if you can get a closer look at the band.
>Search for the other Original with your senses, or with Perception.
>Other.

>>35481378
>Examine surroundings. Figure out the lay of the land.

Try not to look out of place while doing so, have a drink in hand but don't drink much, don't stay in one place for too long.

>>35481378
>>Examine surroundings. Figure out the lay of the land.
>>Wait for Anders's response. You ain't here to have fun.
mainly these
>>Search for the other Original with your senses, or with Perception.
always keep an eye out though

>>35481485
>>35481494

You keep moving, noting the importance of not staying in one place for too long. A guy from near the kitchen, looking proactive, offers you a drink as you cross the threshold into the apartment proper. You accept it, taking a sip and giving him a smile-and-nod to get him out of your face, pretending you don't hear when he tries to strike up a conversation.

The main room is currently effectively a dance floor. There's what looks like a bedroom door in the corner behind where the band is set up, but you don't think it's currently in use. The kitchen is on the right side of the room, and there's a “window” over the open countertop which is currently being used to serve mixed drinks to the crowd. On the left, a bookshelf rests against the wall by the open balcony door, and you can see some people talking outside.

You feel your phone vibrating in your pocket. Almost missed it.

>”Master bedroom. Door past the TV.”

You do your best to slip in quietly.

>Continued

>>35481981

“Heyo.” Anders waves as you enter, seated on the floor against the wall. The place is a bit of a pit, but not as dirty as you expected—whoever lives here is using the corner by the closet door as their laundry room.

“What are you doing in here?” You ask. “Not partying it up?”

“Not that much.” He shakes his head. “Not after today. You see the news?”

“Us, or the girl down south?” You brush off a spot on the bed before sitting down facing him.

“Both. What'd you think?” He asks.

“The girl was something, but she's not very smart. A more violent Original might hunt her down to keep things covered up, not to mention the murderer who's hunting female Origin users.” You sigh. “As far as us, I don't know. Someone's going to come looking, and I don't know what I'm going to say when they do.”

“Mm. You think we should go try and track her down, then?” He asks. “It'd give us an excuse to not be on this side of town.”

“Maybe. But if Chang's right, we've got to get stronger too. It's only been a couple of days and our powers are stagnating. You and I haven't practiced, for lack of time and safety, and Caroline's been devoting all the energy she has to keeping herself alive.” You fold your arms and frown. “What about the guy at this party? You know what he looks like, if he's actually one of us?”

“I think so. You get a look at the band at all before you came in? I was up front for a little bit, and that drummer—guy looks like a goddamn demon—didn't take his eyes off me for an instant. He was playing, he was between songs, he didn't say a word.” Anders shrugs. “Just stared the whole time.”

“Maybe he thought you were cute.” You cock an eyebrow.

“Yeah, yeah. What do you want to do?”

What will you do?
>Other

>>35482004
>We'll track down our ferrokinetic vigilante and try to get her to get her act together in the next couple of days, hopefully without exposing us all.
>I'll take a look at the drummer when leaving, I'd like to avoid a confrontation with him if possible, since we're both weakened and not exactly suited for functioning in crowds.
>Regardless, we'll need to train, I'll cook up some exercises for both you and Car.
>I'll talk with the other two about some other stuff too.
>Otherwise, we should try to stay out of trouble if it isn't looking for us or someone else we think we can definitely save.
>I don't really want to meet any other hunters, and have to kill them.

>>35482004
Check out the drummer. This is an oddity and we should gather more information.

Slowly approach the band through the crowd, if he locks onto us then smile and nod, he probably isn't going to start a fight here.

>>35482171
This sounds generally good.

>>35482171
forgot this:
Keep an ear out for the drums, make sure they don't stop or change in a way that'd suggest new drummer without us noticing.

>>35482227
What with the whole creepy staring thing, I don't really want to show him we're aware of him/reveal ourselves if he hadn't noticed yet.

>>35482171
>>35482227
>>35482255

“We'll track down the girl in the next couple of days,” You suggest. “See if we can't have her get her act together before she exposes us all. As far as the drummer, I'll see if I can't get a look at him. I'd rather we not start a confrontation here, seeing as we're not at full capacity, and not suited for functioning in crowds.”

“Hear hear.” Anders nods. “I'll have your back, though, just in case. Not gonna let my guard down until this place clears out. What about training?”

“I'll think of something for us. Other than that, though we should stay out out of trouble, unless it comes to find us, or it's someone we think we can save.” You grit your teeth. “I... want to try and set us on the right path.”

“Trust me, I gotcha.” He smiles. “You ready?”

“Yeah. Wait in the back, and I'll see if I can get a quick look.” You'll make it fast, out of the corner of your eye; you don't want to let on that you're aware of him.

The two of you make your way back into the living room, and you wave Anders off as you push into the crowd. The current song is just ending as you reach the front, and the music gives way to cheering. You join in the applause, but don't look directly at them, instead focusing your Origin to shift your vision.

They've got a guitarist, and a quite unremarkable guy on vocals. You're interested in the drummer, though. He looks like a beast—tall, and muscular, with long, curly black hair, a bit greasy looking, hanging down over his eyes. You wonder how he can see through it at all, and you're not sure if he thinks you've noticed him; his lips curl into a wicked grin, and he begins to stand, but elects instead to extend a hand and beckon you over.

What will you do?
>Other

>>35482861
(( Dropped trip. ))

>>35482861
He's onto us, and unlikely to start a fight in front of a crowd.

Be polite, head up, say hi, be prepared to bash his face in, or run.

>>35482861
We're twisting our vision, so we aren't looking directly at him right? Act matural, like you didn't see him, and go to the kitchen, get a drink, and leave.
>>35483039
>tall, muscular, long greasy hair coverig eyes
>his lips curl into a wicked grin
really?

>>35483039
>>35483157
(( Trying to shorten turnaround time, so I'll be doing another tiebreaker in a moment unless we get a consensus. ))

>>35483157
Sure he is sketchy as hell, but I don't think he'll obviously attack us in front of a crowd of college students watching him.

At worst he'll threaten to hunt us down later.

>>35483340
>>35483039

You cock an eyebrow, like you hadn't seen him at first, then circle around to the side of the band, rather than trying to push past the other two members up to his small drum kit in the corner. You keep your head up; he probably won't start a fight in front of a crowd, if he's the violent type. He takes a sip of something bright red, and puts the glass down slowly and deliberately as you approach. The singer and guitarist are talking about their set, but you notice that more than a few people are looking at you.

“Heya.” He's breathing heavily, and he looks unhappy, but he's speaking sweetly, as if he knows you. It's strange. “You weren't lookin' at me, were you, babe?”

“Uhm?” You shrug, dismissing him. “I thought you wanted something, is all.”

“Maybe, baby.” He leans toward you, a bit; his hand snaps up, and grabs you by the wrist. It's cold, and no less disconcerting, growing a bit tighter with noticeably little effort on his part when you try to pull away. “Want to dance? I'll have the guys play us something nice, if you show me what you can do.”

What will you do?
>Other

>>35483731
how about nor showing off in a crowd, and just being polite

>>35483731
Use Perception on him to gather information.

Look for any weakpoints in his grip and possible weapons in arm's reach.

"If you play something nice I might show off a bit. But I can hardly dance with you attached to my wrist."

>>35484160
>1d100

Rolled 35 (1d100)

>>35484332
ORA

Rolled 55 (1d100)

>>35484332

Rolled 21 (1d100)

>>35484332

>>35484474

>>35484474
>55 + 10 [Origin Power: 2] = 65

“If you play something nice, I might show off a bit.”

Subtly, you invoke your Origin to gather information, to find a weak point in his grip, a way you might slip out, anything in arm’s reach you might use to help you. There’s his drumsticks on the floor next to him, as well as his stool, though he’s sitting on it. The hihat, perhaps?

“But I can hardly dance with you attached to my wrist like that.”

His grip is tight, but you see where his thumb doesn’t wrap all the way around. You could feasibly slip out, or bend his finger back with your other hand. Then, you feel it, a flare of Original power. It’s an aura, that emerges from him reflexively and burns around him. It adapts, twisting to match yours in scope and magnitude—an equal and opposite force.

“You promise?” His arm blurs, where his hand meets yours. There’s a lapse in your perception, where he rights his flaw, thumb subtly extending at an impossible angle, cold flesh growing tighter still around your wrist. He rises from his stool, towering over you, and pulls you closer to him; his teeth are sharp, and his breath smells of alcohol. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Anders push out of the front of the crowd, looking visibly concerned.

What will you do?
>Other

>>35484922
(( Apparently, once isn't enough for me to right my mistake. ))

>>35484922
Try to surreptitiously stomp on his ankle or foot and break it, and slap him across the face as visibly and loudly as we can.

Then pull the "damsel in distress" card, turn the crowd against him.

>>35486019
>1d100

Rolled 100 (1d100)

>>35486213

>>35486268
>100 [Critical Success] + 5 [Martial Arts: 1] = 105

There—when he's not looking, as you draw closer. You start to lean into him, doing the work for him, letting him lower his guard. Then, you bring your heel down at the perfect angle on the middle of his foot, slapping him across the face as you do. The guitarist is pulling the crowd into another jam with the vocalist now on bass; still, you hear the resulting crack in his foot and the resonating sound of flesh on flesh over the crescendo.

He yelps, stumbling backwards, and falls over his stool into the corner with a crash.

The partygoers lose it, and you're not sure if it's because of you or the music. A few aren't paying attention, but there's a couple people, mostly female, who shoot you knowing grins and pump fists at you victoriously.

You pull away, rubbing your wrist, watching him as he lies on his back in the corner. The ankle of his left foot—the one you stepped on—is briefly illuminated by a white strobe, and you can see mottled scales have begun to grow up his leg, terminating at the calf.

“Cam.” Anders intercepts you, and the two of you make your way through the crowd toward the door. “You alright?”

“Oi!” On the far side of the room, the drummer pushes himself back to his feet, but ends up drunkenly stumbling out of the corner and falling again, accompanied by the crash of a knocked-over hihat. “We ain't finished!”

What will you do?
>Get out of here before he can catch up. Anders can come back when the place clears out.
>Stick around and teach this guy a lesson.
>Other

>>35486778
>Get out of here before he can catch up. Anders can come back when the place clears out.

Delay him some more by doing some shrill girly yell about how he won't leave us alone, tarpit him with white knights and get out.

He seems to do biological changes to escalate for fights, might turn into a dragon given time. We don't have the hardware to take him down quick and a long fight plays into his specialty.

Sadly can't stay any longer, I have plans.