Log:Contest of Champions, Scene 2

Contest of Champions 2015/02/05 	 Amy Rokugo Dozan Jackie The Assessor Porter Showdown Paragon

2

An asteroid floating in space. Improbably, there is an atmosphere. And the sky doesn't look...normal. It's not a typical night sky, with just stars. There are bands of color.

There is a shimmer of light as some heroes are sent home and others arrive, beamed here from Earth. Standing in front of the heroes is The Assessor, one of apparently several beings that are older than the Guild itself. His purpose: To test the beings of Earth.

The Assessor says, "One test complete. Time for the next assessment." He waits as test subjects are swapped. He says to the heroes, "As I said previously, I'm not with the Guild. Nor am I with the Keftuan Empire. How do you see your role in the galaxy?"

Assessor(#524TOn)

A figure, standing about seven feet tall, dressed in a long grey robe. The hood cloaks his facial features and no hands are visible, as the sleeves are quite long.

Jackie(#522PenACcF?)

Jackie is slender with long light reddish-brown hair falling well below her shoulders. Her movements are graceful and fluid yet somehow indicative of a notable strength for such a slim figure. She looks young, no more than sixteen years of age. Jackie is dressed in casual clothing, a plain fawn blouse and matching slacks. Pinned to the blouse just above her heart is a silver brooch shaped in the form of a small wasp.

Porter(#2528POQeACcF?)

This young man is several inches under six feet with an average build. Brown hair is cut in a short but current style and coffee eyes are bright yet generally unremarkable. As a whole, he could probably be overlooked in a crowd fairly easily.

His clothes are fairly common, with comfortable jeans, name-brand sneakers, and a tee that varies by mood. Most common are popular bands or catchy quotes. When it's cold or wet outside, he covers up with a jacket.

Amy(#2344PenACcF?)

Standing only 5'1" tall, this young woman is seldom without a smile on her cherubic face, and her the twinkle in eyes is echoed in the the dancing light motes which always surround her, shifting colours with her mood. She wears her chestnut hair swept back behind her ears, but she is always pushing it back again as it falls forward.

She's wearing a T-shirt with the caption "Feeling lucky, punk?" tucked into her jeans; both are tight over her distinctly feminine curves. On her feet are well-worn sneakers.

Showdown(#657PeACcF?)

This man standing here is dressed in a forest green armored suit, the plates thin and trimmed with gold around them that faintly glow on occasion. The design starts with a pair of armored boots that go up to the knees in black, gold colored spurs attached to the heel and an instep on the boots themselves. Both spurs have a simple disc shape for the end of them and a curved upwards design to not interfere with running. A gold line along the front and back separate the boot's ankles from the calf and travel up either the front or back. Each step causes a clear clinking sound from the shifting of the spur. The gold line travels up the middle and back of the thighs separating armored plates up to his waist, where a black belt encircles him. The belt has small gold eyelits decorating around the entirely of it and a solid red stone on a gold mount in the center of the waist.

Going further up, a lot of the torso and arms is obscured by a poncho made of some sort of material that seems to be pretty light. The coloring to the poncho is a black color with a green design in gold along the borders. The poncho is securely kept somehow around his neck and more often than not, it seems to move with the slightest wind or just when he needs it to the most. When the poncho is not in the way, the chest is obviously armored a bit strategically with a divided breastplate over the upper chest and the lower chest simply covered by whatever the clothlike green material is with the darker green being the obvious armored plating. The gold lines travel up from where they stopped on the belt, going around the chest pieces and the shoulder armor before travelling to black elbow pads lined with gold and down to a pair of gold gauntlets over the back of his hands. On his left hand is a large stone on the back that often seems to glow faintly.

Lastly, the helmet is covered by a black wide-brimmed and flat cowboy style hat. Said hat has no visible means to keep it in place, but no amount of wind seems to move it at all. The thin helmet is designed in the darker green of the armor with gold lining the grey mouth plate covering his nose and mouth area. Those gold lines run across the faceplate, giving a grill feeling before tapering to a red tinted visor over the eyes. Both eyes can be seen through the material which is shaped as a rough winged shape over the area that is further lined with the material. It's pretty distinctive that this individual at least some sort of super hero.

Paragon(#1641POeACcF?)

This tall figure stands at about 6 feet tall, covered in articulated, form fitting high tech heavy armor. It gleams like bluish-gray metal. The body is broad chested, muscular and athletic. The plating along more flexible areas, such as the abdomen and sides of the torso, are banded and flexible. The front chestplate has angled edges and looks like a solid piece, save for some hairline seams. In between the plates and in areas where there is no armor, a black armor mesh material shows through that doesnt quite look like fabric. This can be best observed on the figure's hands. The backs of the hands are plated, but the rest is just covered by the resistant armor mesh like gloves. The front of the helm has a flat profile with no nose, a thin line seam that represents a mouth, and two black eye-slots covered by dark glass that reflects surrounding light and a solid faceplate, completely encasing the head. From deeper within the helm, one can see the "eyes"; two glowing white orbs with a red fringe that blink out in unison from time to time or narrow into lines of determination.

When Paragon talks, the voice is tinny and echoes from within the metallic helm. But the tone of the voice doesn't match the imposing figure. It sounds young and not very deep, and has friendly overtones, which sometimes boom with heroic or chivalrous overtones. There's a robotic quality to Paragon's actions, but also a humane aspect.

Paragon's head pans to the gathering to note what new heroes have arrived, then pans her head back to the Assessor. "The role of the species of our planet? Explorers, I would think."

Showdown turns his head both ways as he appears. "Okay, what's going on and why do I have the feeling this is just going to get weirder in some way?" The otherwise glowing armored cowboy reaches up to rub his helmeted face. "What's this guy mean about how we see our role in the galaxy?"

Amy says, "I dunno - friendly?"

The Assessor nods to Paragon, "Yes, that is what I meant. A subset of Guild members has kept your species contained, but that shall not last. It is imperative to have an idea where your people will likely head."

Natasha, on Amy's shoulder, snorts with a little whiff of smoke.

Does Porter get zapped back home? Or Para? No, of course not. That would be too convenient. At least they're both still here. And with others. Because if all of humanity was judged on Porter's capability...

Porter looks to the Assessor and blinks. "The galaxy? Do you mean us us, or the whole race..." He pauses when Paragon offers up a pretty good answer. "Yeah, that. For all of us as a group." Then he looks over to the glowing new arrival and offers a wave and smile. "Hi, welcome to being a test subject for the whole planet."

"'Representatives' for a whole planet," Paragon reinterprets Porter's comments. "If the question was about one's individual role in the galaxy, I would say my answer would be Protector."

"Well, I'd say we need more information on the question myself." Showdown gives a hum, rubbing his chin. "Is this individual role, planet's role, or what?"

Jackie pipes up, "At this time we, speaking of Earth and its people, really don't have a role in the galaxy. Humans have a total of one ship capable of faster than light travel, with another just starting construction. The completed ship is on a tour of Guild Space under the guidance of on-board Guild advisers. Earth has not yet reached the entry requirement for Guild Membership. In the future? Then Paragon's answer is certainly valid. Humans have an urge to see what is over the next hill. Traders would be another valid answer. Students. I've learned much from the medical professionals of other planets. Teachers too, where our knowledge can be passed on.

The Assessor nods at the answers, "What of your warlike tendencies as a species? Much of your exploration on your own world led to armed conflict."

Jackie says, "Can I ask a question. You said a sub-set of the Guild had kept us contained. What do you mean by that?"

The Assessor looks to Jackie for a long moment, not saying anything. "I should not say anything about that..." There's another long pause as he turns away and he says to himself, "Yes, sister. Very well." He turns back toward Jackie, "What your species thinks is the 'Guild' is not what you think it is. You have been talking to beings claiming to represent the Guild, but they do not."

Amy says, "Huh, what is the Guild, then?"

"Hey, that's a bit unfair there. Do other species not also have wars out there? No one's got the same values all around, after all, and a lot of it is from a minority of humanity that's not exactly the shining example of us." Showdown says. "If we meet new species, I'd say I hope humanity can be friends with them here. Allies, maybe learn from them something new." He looks to Paragon. "So, anyone mind telling me what the situation is already? Who or what are we being judged by?"

Natasha snaps at one of Amy's light motes, seemingly swallowing it.

The Assessor says, "The Guild itself is an entity as you think it is, just that they are barely aware of your species' existence. The list of requirements you have been given for membership is...not the official stance of the Guild proper."

Porter frowns at that news and asks the other questions. "If they're not the Guild, who are they? And who is our one ship touring with? And..." He winds up nodding to Showdown, and with him. "Yeah, we can't be the only ones who ever got into a fight... So these fake Guilders are giving us fake applications?"

Paragon's eyes narrow slightly at the news at 'The Guild's' deception. Then she looks to Showdown. "So far, we are being tested as examples of earth to see if we are ready to see the stars from a closer vantage point. We represent earth as selected ambassadors, you could say." Then her attention returns to the Assessor and waits for the answers to Porter's and others questions.

The Assessor nods, "I shall leave that to you to investigate further, as it would mean we are moving away from the testing procedure. You are correct. Not only your species has warlike tendencies. That in and of itself will not be a major problem. But it is a consideration when predicting how you will get along with neighbors as you start to explore the galaxy."

Jackie is distracted by the comments regarding the Guild but she does say, "That other species have warlike and expansionist traits is self evident by the invasions of our world by aliens. We will and do defend ourselves but I believe humanity as a whole is growing out of our warlike past. There are less active conflicts on Earth now than there have been at any time in our history.

[To Jackie] Amy says, "Even if you count fighting supervillains?"

The Assessor nods again sagely, "The trends certainly do bear that out. I have been monitoring your planet for some time. All out war does seem to be on the decline. Though as your fellow human says, you do have a new threat in your midst. Other metahumans. Ones with less than stellar reputations. I should have brought some of them here for the testing, as well. That is a good point. Hmm..."

The Assessor raises his hand, and there are several more flashes of light, and another three arrivals, all in a cluster.

"To be fair, the ones we call supervillains are named that for wishing to use the war like tendencies you mentioned. No matter how it looks, there will always be a person in any species willing to do what it takes for power. Those of us here that I know of have always sought to stop those that did not care for the lives of others." Showdown turns to look at the new arrivals.

Rokugo Dozan(#2367TOn)

A shinobi, dressed slightly differently from the others. There is a dark red dragon on the back of his night suit, and darkened metal plates in the shoulders and knees of his outfit. He looks a bit more muscular than the others as well, though that's hard to tell in the form-concealing clothing they're all wearing.

Ss'lisk(#1370TOn)

A reptilian looking creature....about 12 feet long. On two powerful legs. It's arms are huge, with claws, it has very sharp teeth, and slitted predatory looking eyes.The oddest thing is that it appears to be wearing...tattered clothing. The remains of a shirt, and a bandolier that appears to be empty.

Mortua(#541TOn)

A woman dressed in a tight leather catsuit. Her face is gaunt and angular, though quite striking. Her black hair is cropped short in a bob. She has black leather boots and gloves on as well. There's a shimmering in the air around her...like a tangible field of some sort.

"That's not war," Porter pipes up. "That's more... law enforcement. Protecting people from people who want to hurt them... and why do I NOT like the sound of that..." And then there's flashes of more people.

The three new arrivals look around slowly. Ss'lisk speaks up, "Where are we? Thissss...cannot be Earth."

Dozan says nothing, though he doesn't recognize anyone here. The only time he had been in Colonial Bay was to try to kill his target: Takaga Yushio.

"Apparently you're here to act as the darker half of Earth's population." Showdown looks to the other hero-types. "Ah, anyone know these three by chance? I'm not familiar with them."

Paragon frowns behind her faceplate. "Metahuman criminals are a local issue, not a galactic one." But as the villains are transported, she cannot help but take a slight step forward to interpose herself between the villains and Porter. "You are not under attack," she promises to the villains. "This is a peaceful meeting." Two she recognizes. The third, she doesn't.

The Assessor nods, "It was a random sampling. I picked three incarcerated metahuman prisoners at random."

Mortua smiles, looking at the heroes, "Well...this is a surprise. And here with my mind back. That's nice."

Amy says, "Huh? You lost your mind?"

Ss'lisk(#1370TOn)

A reptilian looking creature....about 12 feet long. On two powerful legs. It's arms are huge, with claws, it has very sharp teeth, and slitted predatory looking eyes.The oddest thing is that it appears to be wearing...tattered clothing. The remains of a shirt, and a bandolier that appears to be empty.

Porter is a little familiar with Mortua, and that she wasn't in her right mind. "Yeah. She had her head blanked by somebody else. Seemed like she was going to stop villing and make a fresh start, too..." Maybe she still will? He can always be optimistic.

Mortua grins and nods to Amy, "Well...my memories. For a time. I hear I can thank The Senator for that." She walks over to the Assessor, "You brought us here? Any chance you could...bring him too? I'd be...so very grateful."

"I would recommend not granting her request," Paragon says politely to the Assessor.

"Hold up on that one. Don't you three get why you're here? This guy's pretty much judging the planet and you three are representing it. Going for revenge or something isn't such a good idea." Showdown says. He pauses, then looks to the Assessor. "Is that why you picked three from prisons?"

Assessor shakes his head, "If I was to bring him here, that would not be a random sample. So, the test would be biased." He looks to Showdown, "I realized by picking only those designated as 'heroes', I had biased the sample." He turns toward the three newest arrivals, "How do you see your species' place in the galaxy? How will you interact with other 'alien' races?"

Ss'lisk says, "By that time, all of humanity will be the perfect lizard/human hybridsss. That issss my focusss."

Dozan shrugs, "It matters not."

Mortua laughs, "More people to kill for profit? Whoever will hire me. You know."

Amy says, "I don't want to be a lizard!"

Jackie says, "These three were in prison. That should tell you they are not representative of our race."

Ss'lisk looks at Amy and tilts his head, "Thank your friend Kibin for giving me the knowledge to change you all."

Natasha tries to make herself look big as Ss'lisk addresses Amy. But there's only so big she can look.

Amy says, "Huh? How come Kibin did that?"

Showdown sighs. "Mind if I ask some questions of them, actually, sir?" He looks to the other heroes, then tilts his head. "... huh... hey, guy in black. You didn't say anything. Why?"

Ss'lisk smiles...showing all those teeth. "I had sssomething he wanted. My DNA. In exchange, he gave me his notesss on how he created hybridsss."

Porter looks to the three who probably don't care much about anyone on the planet save themselves. And now they could skew the Assessor's view on the whole planet? Great. He eyes all three. "Seriously... that's all you three care about? A little cash, making scaley friends, and ... eh, whatever?"

Mortua grins, "Money? Oh, that's not the goal. That's just a perk. You see...you have to enjoy your work in life, if you want to have a fun time before you die. Otherwise, you don't even have your health. And if you don't have that, you don't have anything."

The Assessor just listens to the conversation for the moment, making mental notes.

Paragon's head pans to Ss'lisk. "Is it because you're lonely that you wish to create more like yourself?" she asks gently, a note of sympathy in her tin-can voice.

Ss'lisk says to Paragon, "I am from another dimensssion. One where your 'dinossaurss' never died. I am a fugitive from there. And it painss me to sssee my people long dead here, filled instead with mammalsss in their place. Ssso, I am trying to fix thisss."

Paragon nods and repeats, "So as I said...loneliness. Even though you were a fugitive among your own people, you still wish to see them again. While your methods aren't recommended, perhaps there is a planet out there that already has species that we would designate as reptilian or dinosaurs. Would you not want to explore and discover if your people are just on another planet in this dimension?"

"There are other ways to have fun, ma'am." Showdown addresses towards Mortua. "I'm what they call an adrenaline junkie. I don't do the hero work for that, however, I do it because I want to help others. I enjoy my work outside of it because it lets me enjoy that part. Can you honestly say that you enjoy a life of crime? Of the constant hounding by the law?" He turns towards Ss'lisk. "Can you say that you enjoy being in this dimension, then? What if you could go back? Would you?"

Ss'lisk shakes his head, "I would not go back. But, I am intrigued. There might be other worldsss with sssimilar people on them? Hmm...perhapsss I was too hasssty."

Rokugo Dozan remains quiet, just watching each individual warily. He clearly is not a talkative type of person.

Mortua shrugs, "I suppose I am an adrenaline junkie as well. I just enjoy killing." She smiles again.

Paragon feels some encouragement at Ss'lisk's response. "I once encountered a reptilian alien in Iceland, so I know there exists a planet out there, somewhere. If we can prove ourselves to this Assessor, we can perhaps finally be allowed to visit other planets to find them."

Amy looks baffled. "How come you like killing?"

Porter has had enough instances of opening is mouth just allowing him to insert both feet and an arm or two. So he goes quiet, now. And watches Dozan curiously... maybe a bit wary. Maybe Porter is trying to develop some 'strong silent type' rapport with him?

Ss'lisk nods as Paragon speaks. "I am curiousss to know more. I approve. I will do what I can to help."

Showdown looks to the Assessor, then to Mortua. "Why do you enjoy killing? It can't be the rush. That is not something that goes with the adrenaline. Is it power over others or something else?"

Mortua shakes her head, "I wouldn't expect you all to understand. It's based on how my powers work. But I suspect that's not important at the moment."

Paragon rubs the chin of her helm as she regards Mortua. "Are you capable of turning your powers off?"

The Assessor speaks up, "Interactions noted. Very interesting results. It is time to move on to the next test. This may be the last one, depending on the results."

That pulls Porter's attention from Dozan and back to the Assessor. Hopefully the test is the last one. In the good way.

There's a rumbling sound...and a pyramid emerges from the ground, about fifty meters away. It's a small one, but it's quite possible that it extends underground. Even likely. The ground around it crumbles into the structure's wake.

Showdown turns his head to the Assessor, then to the villains, then to the other heroes. "... okay, we got an Egyptian style pyramid..." He tilts his head, then looks to the Assessor. "Hey, is it true aliens helped with the Egyptian pyramids? I'll admit I've been curious on that one."

The Assessor says, "In that building is an artifact. It is of tremendous power, but none of you have the ability to wield it. However...for whoever recovers it, I shall answer one question honestly. About any topic you like. The test is not only one of retrieving the item, but also in regards to the question that you ask."

The Assessor adds, "That question could be about the origins of pyramids...if you wish."

Rokugo Dozan looks over at the pyramid...and then steps behind Ss'lisk's large frame, disappearing from view. He...doesn't reappear, either.

Showdown hums, then looks to the others, then tilts his head. "... silent ninja guy's gone." He looks to Assessor. "I'm guessing powers are allowed?"

Paragon frowns behind her faceplate. "If it's a test or a token, why even have it be an artifact of tremendous power?"

"I hope that's not one of the ones FROM Egypt..." Porter frowns some. Because someone would notice it was gone. And probably miss it. then the Assessor explains why it's there. Scavenger Hunt. Intergalactic Mysterious Scavenger Hunt. "Yeah, you could use anything for a widget..."

The Assessor just looks back at the heroes, not explaining further. Almost like both things are part of the test itself.

Amy says, "Maybe he just want us to get if for him?"

Mortua grins, "If it's that powerful, I'll figure out how to use it sooner or later." She starts jogging toward the pyramid.

Natasha sniffs the air.

"Unfortunately, either way, we need to get going. I... don't really care about the question, but well..." He shrugs, then raises off the ground before he takes off towards the pyramid at high speed, pushing with his legs on occasion as he aims to circle around it as quick as he can to scout it out.

Paragon sighs softly. "We should work together," she comments as her white glowing eyes shift to a cyan color. She pans her helm to the pyramid and scans the building and the ground beneath it.

Amy says to the heroes, "So, do we want to find this artefact thing?"

"Yeah, we should try and work together..." Porter adds a bit redundantly. "If Para can see something, maybe I can get us to it quick?"

Porter also steps up next to Para and puts an arm around her shoulders.

Amy says, "I'm good at finding stuff! Sometimes."

Paragon slides an arm around Porter. "I'm not exactly sure if we want to free a powerful artifact to answer a question. But we may want to stop Mortua from trying to use it for personal gain." With that, she leaps towards the pyramid with Porter in tow.

The heroes see Rokugo Dozan slip into what looks like a door in the side of hte pyramid, and the door closes behind him.

Amy takes that as a yes and runs toward the pyramid. . o O (I wonder what the artefact looks like!)

Amy doesn't have a clue whee to look, so she just figures she'll start kind of in the centre of he pyramid and work from there. If she can work out how to get to the centre of the pyramid, of course.

Paragon's eyes scan through the building into the central chamber. Through her network connection with Porter, she shows him what she sees. << Can you get us there, Partner? >> she transmits to him.

Porter hangs on for the ride, since Para's legs are just a wee bit stronger than his. Her eyes are better, too, so he recovers himself after the landing while she looks around. << I see it. And I think so. Let's get in there and grab it. Not so worried about questions, but Mortua getting some all-powerful anything... >> Then he uses the hand not holding Paragon to hit a button or three on the doohickamawhatsits on his belt. To adjust for range, direction, gravity (how that hates him), and Kentucky windage factor of 8675309. "We're going to try and grab it!" He lets everyone else know. "Be right back!" He hopes. << Hang on. >> Then he hits the button.

Paragon and Porter appear in a room with a vaulted ceiling. The only light is emanating from the sphere on the pedestal. It's a couple of meters away from the two of them.

There are a couple of open doorways leading into the room that can barely be seen in the darkness.

Showdown looks, then turns to Amy. "I guess we need to slow them down out here. Be right back." He turns and heads for Mortua, using his hovering still. Although, he now wonders where the dinosaur guy went to and looks around for him.

Paragon's eyes flicker off and on a few times to adjust to the new location, her eyes changing color from blue to a glowing green to see in the darkness. << Good job, Sweetie. Just keep an eye out for Mortua and the ninja. Maintain verbal silence. >>

Amy just keeps on looking on foot.

Ss'lisk has remained back by the Assessor for some reason. Mortua is still moving toward the pyramid. She curses to herself quietly, realizing she's already too late when PAragon and Porter disappear. She slows to a walk.

Porter is elated that he hit what he was aiming for. As opposed to, say, solid walls. Or into the ground. He seems to hit that alot. Then he starts looking around, keeping watch for others. Specifically the unfriendly others. << On it. >>

A tendril of darkness reaches out to grab the sphere off the pedestal, attempting to wrap around it.

Porter blinks as he sees a length of shadow lash out for the Artifact of Unknowable Power. "Look out!" So much for verbal silence, though there's a simultaneous << Look out! >>. He then hop/skip/jumps the last couple meters to grab for the AUP. So it's sort of like football, basketball, or any other sport he never really played.

Dozan's tendril of shadow grabs the sphere and pulls it off the pedestal, toward one of the doorways.

Porter is a touch slow on the leaping part. did he mention that his egs weren't so strong. On the bright side, he winds up grabbing the pedestal! That counts for something, right?