<div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 24pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: impact;">Yellow Brick Row  ~  Emerald City  ~  March 2014</span></span></div><br/><hr/><br/><div align="center">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7c/Pedestrianised.png) (https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/2/25/SilverStorm01.jpg) (https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/0/09/YellowBrickRow01.jpg)</div><br/><hr/><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 10pt;"><br/><br/><br/></span><hr/><div align="center"><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Tagging</strong>:  <strong>Everyone</strong>    <strong>Setting Information</strong>: Found here (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=347842.msg16368096#msg16368096)    <strong>Taking Actions</strong>: See this post (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=347842.msg16368191#msg16368191)<br/><br/><strong>Hero Points</strong>: <strong>1 for most characters; 0 for Valerie; 2 for Iona</strong><br/><br/><strong>Condition</strong>: <strong>Valerie: Fatigued</strong></span></div><br/><hr/><br/>Within her haven in the ravaged gallery, <strong>Claire</strong> continued to generate a warm glow from behind the cover of the display of paintings.  Perhaps such works of art might gain extra cachet courtesy of their proximity to the day's events... or maybe they would wind up quarantined and subject to intensive study as a result of their exposure to the mysterious storm.  Only a time-traveller or precognitive might be able to judge such things, of course - and for the moment, Claire had more than enough to cope with when it came to the here-and-now, as her unconventional senses were assailed by a continued flow of novel - and <em>powerful</em> - phenomena.<br/><br/>There was a definite impression that she might be missing out on an array of information that would otherwise have been discerned... but there was so much happening closer to hand that more remote activity was lost in a blur of confused impressions.  Certainly, Claire could be confident that the three on-going examples of the 'first' type of effect (influence?  Manifestation?  Mysterious force?) remained in place, actively <em>doing</em> something... while the second effect maintained its own presence... before flaring up once more into a 'spike' of activity.<br/><br/><div align="center">[OOC: Due to lack of actions posted for Claire, she spends a bit of time subject to the <em>Distraction</em> flaw of her senses.  Clearly, the first use of this side of her powers is proving a bit overwhelming!  ;D ]</div><br/><div align="center">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/2/24/LordEtheric.jpg)</div><br/>Julia, meanwhile, unsurprisingly succeeded in catching the attention of the flying mage.  He smiled down at her, before spreading his arms and settling gracefully back down amidst the glittering dust and debris coating the yellow bricks of the Row.  The modulation effect remained in place on his voice, though thankfully at a much lower volume than before.<br/><br/><strong>"My, my.  Aren't you a delightful vision.  The first to step forward and -"</strong><br/><br/>Unfortunately for what had seemed set to be a thoroughly successful start to Julia's plan - but perhaps fortunately for her ability to maintain a straight face - Lord Etheric's attention was jerked away from his attempt to 'charm' her by a rumbling, cascading, multi-stage crash.  Some distance behind him, a pair of steel I-beams were just in the process of ripping themselves free of the torn-open frontage of a building, resulting in a slithering tumble out and down of a significant portion of the remaining structure.<br/><br/>As the great lengths of twisted steel swung out into thin air, moving elegantly up and out to spiral around the hovering blonde in her unconventional armour, Lord Etheric looked back to Ms Venus.<br/><br/><strong>"This is <em>so cool</em>, isn't it?"</strong> he enthused, gesturing happily with both hands.  <strong>"Oh!  Sorry - I was going to give you a gift.  Here, let me give you something more suitable to wear...."</strong><br/><br/>As he spoke, his hands moved again... this time with appreciably more purpose, and - in spite of his pretension and apparent megalomaniacal tendencies - no small degree of elegance.  Indeed, from what Julia could make out, the mage(?) before her was now infused with sufficient paranormal energy (and fine enough control of it) that he was not an inconsiderable 'super' in his own right.  The effortless degree of coordination and casual restraint in his motions would suggest that he might well be on a par with her when it came to mounting an active physical defence of himself.  And to display such control of magic (or whatever it really was) with barely any evident effort required would imply a truly formidable strength of will.  The amount of magic <em>in</em> him might well make him impressively durable, too - though if that could be bypassed to affect his biology with a toxin, or if he could simply be mundanely worn out, then his body might very well still function on a merely-mundane level.<br/><br/>Of course, those might all be affected by whatever 'spells' the mage could work via conscious magical creation rather than a simple flow of it through him... but Julia was confident that she had got a decent initial 'read' on him.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">For Julia</div><div class="spoiler_body"><strong>Parry</strong> and <strong>Dodge</strong>: very similar to Julia's own.<br/><strong>Will</strong>: almost certainly appreciably better than Julia's.<br/><strong>Toughness</strong>: probably very impressive by most standards... but unlikely to match Julia (even without considering her Impervious effect).<br/><strong>Fortitude</strong>: very probably a lot worse than Julia's.<br/></div></div><br/><br/>His wardrobe-alteration (or "gift") started to form around Julia with quite startling speed... but she was too experienced (and too cynical) to passively wait for whatever-it-was to finish forming.  Instead, she twisted sharply away - succeeding in disrupting the spell before it had a chance to complete.  There was a definite impression of slinky black glossiness, and of a rapidly-growing degree of solidity around her waist and under her bust: whatever Lord Etheric had been conjuring up had seemed to have tangible <em>reality</em> to it rather than being some purely-visual illusion.<br/><br/><strong>"Hey!  Hold still!"</strong> Lord Etheric protested.  <strong>"I can do <em>so</em> much better for you than that outfit!"</strong><br/><br/>He might not be entranced... but he was certainly giving her most of his attention.  Sadly, he didn't even seem to have registered her suggestion to <em>help</em> those in need.  Altering Julia's 'look' was apparently a far more pressing matter than attending to any peons.<br/><br/><div align="center">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/9/92/DeathMagnetic.png)</div><br/>Elsewhere on the Row, other attempts to engage with the newly-manifested supers were also underway.  The nearest of those was visible in the background for Julia - with Amber standing beyond the flying woman sheathed in metal.  She would not normally have been terribly noticable amidst all the chaos, but the manifestation of her sheath of electricity stood out even against the background of the last lingering elements of the storm.<br/><br/>For Amber, of course, the woman she had inwardly dubbed 'Lady Roadkill' was the primary focus of her attention.<br/><br/>"Help?  Oh, let me think about that...."<br/><br/>Offering Amber another distinctly feral smile, she took one hand off the shaft of the Stop sign, reaching out behind her - and apparently causing two I-beams to rip out of the exposed structure of partly-collapsed building.  Their motion immediately sparked a cascade of debris that surged down towards the exceptionally long-haired blonde Claire had glimpsed earlier.  Amber was able to catch a glimpse of the young woman swiftly lifting her hands out of her pack: there was a definite impression of bulky red metal, from which a golden glow erupted an instant before the deluge of rubble enveloped her.  It was impossible to tell just what had ooccurred - and the woman responsible hadn't even been <em>looking</em> that way, so was probably wholly oblivious - but Amber had the distinct impression that the crouching stranger had activated <em>something</em> distinctly unusual to try to protect herself.<br/><br/>'Lady Roadkill' meanwhile laughed happily as she put the I-beams into orbit around herself, grinning broadly down at Amber while the cloud of dust from the rubble-slide swept out to conceal the view of the other half of the Row behind her.<br/><br/>"Do you fancy a dance with <strong>Death Magnetic</strong>, Sparkle-Girl?"<br/><br/>Hefting her Stop sign, she offered the electrokinetic an unmistakably <em>challenging</em> look - which, particularly after her gleefully casual risking of people's lives, seemed like a good time for Amber to show her that a bit more than <em>sparkling</em> was possible....<br/><br/>It had been some time since Amber had needed to employ her powers against a live target - let alone in such a startlingly chaotic and perilous environment as this.  But she seemed to have forgotten none of her old skill: indeed, she could feel really rather proud of the precision of her targeting as she unleashed a focused dose of her power at Roadkill / Magnetic.<br/><br/>The blonde villain attempted to pivot away, spinning neatly in mid-air - but she was not quick enough to evade, letting slip a startled scream of pain and shock as Amber tested out the conductivity of her armour.  Hit solidly enough that <em>she</em> sparkled and crackled for the next few moments - with her hair stretching out in static-generated waves in mid-air - she hissed through gritted teeth and recoiled a few yards back and up, before snarling loudly and attempting her own counter-strike.  One hand gestured sharply, though the motion was noticably somewhat jerky and stiff, as if her anger (and raw power) were not quite sufficient to shrug off the effects of being tased.<br/><br/>Still, it was more than sufficient to send one of the I-beams hurtling impossibly quickly through the air, burying its front half yards deep in the surface of the Row, sending a scatter of yellow brick-fragments exploding outwards.  Amber was barely able to hurl herself aside... but that fractional delay caused by the tasing bought her the moment required to fling herself to what - at least momentary - counted as safety.<br/><br/>But Emerald City's first out-and-out super-battle for <em>decades</em> was now underway, in  the very middle of the Yellow Brick Row!<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">For Amber</div><div class="spoiler_body">Very nice hit... though Death Magnetic / Lady Roadkill is unfortunately much tougher than a normal human.  Rather than the instant KO it would have been against most people, she's 'merely' Impaired.<br/><br/>That Impairment then penalises her counter-attack... providing just enough of a nudge that she doesn't manage to connect with her riposte.<br/><br/>First exchange: definitely in Amber's favour!  ;D<br/><br/>Magnetic / Roadkill is now out of Close range, however: no more Tasing without Extra Effort (or something dramatic like Leaping past / onto her)!  A 'normal' ranged attack, however, is entirely feasible.<br/></div></div><br/><br/><div align="center">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/b/ba/Octaman.png)</div><br/>'Squidward' could normally be counted as being a very lucky man indeed, to be favoured by by Mephi with a dance all of his very own... but unfortunately for both him and the unfolding of Mephi's plan, even a magically-enhanced dance seemed to simply <em>slide past</em> his notice.  He was certainly watching the dancing catgirl, just as he had focused upon her (and even slightly cocked his head) when she talked to him, but he seemed to experience no more of an emotional response to her or her motions than he would to a passing car.<br/><br/>Yet it wasn't that he was simply 'out of it': there was anger clearly evident in his expression, and he <em>moved</em> as if he was thoroughly hyped-up and in a decidedly aggressive mode... but rather than it dominating his behaviour (as might be the case for a normal human rage), it was as if those were the only elements playing <em>any</em> role in his thinking.  That Mephi was gorgeous and directly seeking his attention was just... entirely irrelevant.<br/><br/>Not that some of the civilians nearby felt that way: she was certainly drawing more than a little attention to herself... though 'Squidward' himself was providing a very different mode of eye-catching distraction in his own right.<br/><br/>Then, manifesting out of thin air, Valerie appeared in front of Mephi - mirroring her dance moves in near-perfect sync, flashing a cheerful grin as she did so.<br/><br/>A moment later, one of the currently unemployed tentacles extended in a thoroughly impossible fashion: a freakish, rubbery extension of physics and flesh, whipping out with paranormally-enhanced speed to arc around the new Valerie, snatching at the catgirl.  But even as it closed on her, it <em>continued</em> to stretch, drawing itself out and out and <em>out</em> to swirl around her in a wriggling, suckered, enveloping snare of freakishly impossible flesh.<br/><br/>As far as it went, the maneuver was indubitably a resounding success, catching Mephi thoroughly by surprise, and moving in ways impossible for her to predict... only for it to come up against the sharp edge of her kukri.  Her instinctive capacity to evade him had been quite firmly overcome, but the vigorous application of a painfully-honed edge resulted in the swirl of tentacle instinctively flinching away - granting Mephi just enough time and space to duck through and slip out of the ring of undulating oddness.<br/><br/>That was not a maneuver she would want to have to repeat!<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">For Mephi</div><div class="spoiler_body">He resists the dancing ensorcelment courtesy of something decidedly unusual on his end: that portion of his mind is either offline, or if it <em>is</em> still functioning then it has been cut off from having any influence over his behaviour.  So... a failure for Mephi, but potentially rather an informative one.<br/><br/>The new Valerie(!!!) helps to provide a momentary distraction for our catgirl... before Mephi is hit with a successful Startle effect, as the tentacle does <em>really freaky things</em> while trying to grab her.  The effects are akin to a Feint, leaving her Vulnerable to his attack... but her active Parry saves her from being wrapped up in a few yards of tentacluar weirdness.  Which probably counts as a good thing!<br/><br/>And as a note: tentacles that can stretch themselves *while in motion to grab you* are really hard to defend against.  'Squidward' has not just been physically (and apparently mentally) altered; he's gained at least one 'actual' superpower in the mix too.<br/></div></div><br/><br/><div align="center">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/2/23/Mongoose.png)</div><br/>Iona, meanwhile, put volubly insulting effort into drawing the attention of the most overtly deadly of the newly-manifested supers.  The snarling, betailed, striped, fanged, clawed, and dramatically furry creature locked onto her... and followed when baited, springing from table to awning to rubble with agility and power that clearly exceeded human norms.<br/><br/>Succeeding in engaging the animalistic super's attention was one thing... but the creature's noises transitioned to the excited sounds of a happily eager predator in pursuit of prey.  Iona was able to dive down an alleyway branching away from the Row.  Somewhat sheltered from the worst impact of the Storm, it had served as one of the routes by which people fled the scene... but there were still many bystanders hobbling away, or paused to try to catch their breath or make a futile attempt to connect to the nearest (overloaded) cell towers, or just standing there stunned and gawping.<br/><br/>It was all too clear that Iona was either going to be caught... or if not, it would solely be because her pursuer had diverted to another target.  The pressure to do <em>something</em> to change the situation - and to do so <em>right now</em> - was truly intense: life or death not merely for herself, but potentially for everyone else nearby.  With the startling array of paranormal activity, the cacophony of scared and hurt people, the flashes of the lingering storm fragments, the rumble of another building collapsing into the Row... it was all quite unlike anything that Iona had faced before.<br/><br/>There was simply no way she could handle it.<br/><br/>So... she didn't.<br/><br/>Instead, she found herself <em>shifting</em> - becoming someone who had the physique, skills, and even the <em>gear</em> that might help her to do so.  Most people nearby were too distracted by her pursuer to register Iona's abrupt change... but the startled noise the creature made certainly indicated that <em>she</em> had noticed - and had not anticipated anything of the sort.<br/><br/><div align="center">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e8/92/9c/e8929caf523e269f750f7f67a4e0f700.jpg)</div><br/>Skidding to a halt and turning around, Iona found herself being studied intently by the stripey critter.  Tail swishing agitatedly to and fro behind her, the formerly-mundane human glared and snarled, cocking her head as she sized up this strange new entity - clearly trying to work out how best to pounce upon it.<br/><br/>Then it did so - and demonstrated a clearly-impossible capacity to spring with great speed and power straight at Iona.  Evidently, if it had sought to jump for distance rather than accuracy it could have gone a very long way indeed... but in this case, the furred terror was attempting to flatten Iona.  But 'new' Iona was (to her own surprise) as quick-reacting as her assailant, and had hitherto-unknown skills to call upon.  Pivoting on the ball of one foot as if she had practiced this precise thing many times, she spun herself out of the path of those reaching claws, rolling aside to come up in a fighting crouch.<br/><br/>The beast-woman, unfortunately, seemed to be every bit as skilled in such maneuvers, and flowed smoothly into position to launch another attack just as Iona regained her own balance.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">For Iona</div><div class="spoiler_body">Gain 1 hero point for drawing off a dangerous foe when unaware of own ability to do anything paranormal.  This is a one-time thing: in future, Iona will know she is <em>not</em> as vulnerable as most people!  ;)<br/><br/>Form 1 now manifested.<br/><br/>Critter's attack evaded courtesy of Iona's now-boosted Dodge score... though that's perhaps not something to rely on for long.  It's got unusually swift reactions, though not supernaturally so: it's on a par with Iona's new form, though it would certainly have an edge over most people.<br/></div></div><br/><br/><div align="center">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/f/f6/Lightshow.jpg)</div><br/>Valerie, meanwhile, was keeping herself busy.  Blurring to and fro she was able to surprise a number of people with her presence, words, or aid - but left herself panting for breath, after once again being reminded that however fast she could run she couldn't <em>lift</em> more than usual.  Rescuing a small child was comparatively easy, and heaving a full-grown woman aside was worthwhile... but the latter maneuver was distinctly taxing and definitely not to be repeated in a hurry if it could be helped.<br/><br/>Then she was in motion once again, hurtling around obstacles and people to bring herself face-to-glare with the brilliantly illuminated figure.  It was very hard to tell quite what his reaction might be, given the difficulty of making out anything more than a hazy silhouette behind the intense light... but Valerie abruptly found herself with something new to deal with.  Unaware of the extra Valerie now dancing enthusiastically for Mephi, Valerie herself was presented with a markedly underclad catgirl of her own.  Twirling around into view from behind the speedster, this new Mephi offered her a playfully seductive wink, before offering a close-up view of the moves that Mephi herself was employing against the tentacular oddity.<br/><br/>Fortunately, there was no magical 'oomph' supporting this performance - so she remained aware of the distant rumble of a building collapsing somewhere up the road behind her, and of a fresh bout of startled screaming and yelling near the tentacles and the original Mephi - but the display certainly still provided more than a little bit of a distraction!<br/><br/>As for her question to the glowing man(?)... there wasn't even a sign that he had heard her.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">For Valerie</div><div class="spoiler_body">No discernible reaction from glowy guy.<br/><br/>A dancing Mephi is flirtatiously attempting to engage Valerie's interest at close quarters.<br/><br/>Life has got <em>weird</em>....<br/></div></div><br/><br/><hr/><div style="text-align: justify;"><br/><strong>OOC</strong>: Sorry this took a while!  There was some sorting out to manage, which took a fair bit of thought... and I <em>hope</em> that I haven't made too many mistakes in the course of it.<br/><br/>Let me know if there's anything that's unclear, or that you need me to correct!<br/><br/>If you want to post plans for the next phase of action, feel free to do so - but now's a good time to raise queries and to alert me to errors.  :D<br/><br/>Claire can remain Distracted for quite a while, if need be: I'm happy to give Elayne more time to return, since her character is out of sight and unengaged while also gathering potentially-useful information.<br/></div></div>