Agents of Chaos [Chapter 2]

[suomynonAyletamitlU]

] T H I S . I S . A N . U P D A T E [

> Make an opening

You lift off the pieces above him, bit by bit, opening up a hole. But, as you work, you can't help but feel that you're handling a bit much considering how little you know about what you're doing.

After a few moments, the rubble above starts to shift, and you momentarily panic, worrying that it's going to rain down on the trapped man. It's not that you can't lift it all, but spread as thinly as you are, something could break through...

You are no longer Teresia Linnet
For narrative purposes, time will rewind slightly

[ BAR "INDEPENDANGO" | MAIN ROOM ]
This bar is part of the Archon Underground. The people around you, without exception, are power users, and this is one of the many places in the city where they congregate. A TV on the wall broadcasts the local news. The bartender wipes glasses clean while eyeing the crowd. You don't see any bouncers, not that it would do anyone any good. The smell of vomit and cigarettes hangs in the air.
YOU ALSO SEE: Your drink
EXITS: Street (South), Hallway (East)

The TV is currently playing a news story about a drug bust in the downtown metro area.

Two people at the bar are arguing about Archons and their place in the world.

A gorgeous woman in the corner of the bar seems to be looking at you.

---

Clearly we're not Terri anymore. There's been no name prompt, so you can either wait for me to ask or have me do it. As for powers, wait and see...

I can say that this character is male, however.

Also, there are other "NPCs" in the room, but in text adventure style, they're just part of the description until they become important.

[forkinyoureye]

Approach the gorgeous woman.

[Antiscient]

> Disregard her as unimportant and eavesdrop on the couple at the bar for a few minutes. Gorgeous women are things that can wait.

[suomynonAyletamitlU]

] T H I S . I S . A N . U P D A T E [

> Disregard woman
It's not that she isn't pretty. (Okay, you weren't thinking pretty, you were thinking hot. You can be honest about that, at least subconsciously.) But you're not exactly a single man.

And more than that, you are 90% certain you smell blood on her, even across the room. Probably not a Psycho--those tend to get noticed, and, ah, cleaned up--but clearly a person who has killed. You're also not what one would call a stupid man.

> Eavesdrop
You don't really need to eavesdrop. It's a pretty loud discussion. You know one of the speakers personally--Jen Ayl is her chosen name, not that you take aliases that seriously. The other you know only be reputation; he's a Shadow Manifester-type. You think his name might be Phil. You don't remember, and wouldn't you know it, she's not using his name as part of the dialogue.

Jen, like you, is firmly in the camp that "normal humans" are people, and that anyone who thinks differently is abnormal. Phil sees humans as "problem people"--as though all normal people will doubt and fear Archons for being different. He's not really arguing for their extermination or anything, but he wants Archons to be On Top Of Society.

There is a little bit of nodding around the bar in time to the conversation. You can say for certain that the people who nod in response to Phil's arguments are not the sort of people you want in charge of anything. It doesn't help that at least one of them is a known misogynistic jerk, who tried to use his powers to muscle in on your (normal human) girl.

> Start a barroom brawl
Nope. If you do that in here again, you'll be kicked out for good. Wait, where did that command come from?

> Keep drinking your drink
Oh, I remember now.

[ BAR "INDEPENDANGO" | MAIN ROOM ]
This bar is part of the Archon Underground. The people around you, without exception, are power users, and this is one of the many places in the city where they congregate. A TV on the wall broadcasts the local news. The bartender wipes glasses clean while eyeing the crowd. You don't see any bouncers, not that it would do anyone any good. The smell of vomit and cigarettes hangs in the air.
YOU ALSO SEE: An empty glass
EXITS: Street (South), Hallway (East)

The TV is currently playing a news story about a drug bust in the downtown metro area.

Two people at the bar are arguing about Archons and their place in the world.

A gorgeous woman in the corner of the bar seems to be looking at you intently.

---

There won't be much drinking in my stories because I don't know enough about drunkenness to write it properly. Also it's a superhero story, he has more interesting things to do than drink. But he's at a bar, so screw it.

[goggleman64]

> Listen to the newscast.

> Look at who else is looking at the gorgeous woman.

[Whimbrel]

Finish drink, exit bar~

[Antiscient]

> Butt in on the conversation with an intelligent argument.

Alternatively,

> Give the woman a "sod off" look so that she gets the idea.

[forkinyoureye]

> Look at who else is looking at the gorgeous woman.

I like this one.

[suomynonAyletamitlU]

] T H I S . I S . A N . U P D A T E [

> Examine woman

Among Normal Humans, this woman would be a woman of exemplary quality--for a few, very specific definitions of 'quality'. You have noticed, however, that the Archon transformation seems to idealize people's body shapes, according to their self image. This woman could have looked substantially differently, but this is who she thinks she is--all top and curves, no character to her at all. At least, that's your snap judgement; you don't know the woman, and don't care to.

There's a fellow to her right that's taken by her. He's staring, and you're sure that she knows it as well as you. Not the young naieve type, you'd guess--he's eyeing her greedily, like he wants to chow down on her.

Someone on your side of the room is also giving her looks, but he's a younger fellow, looks more lonely than anything. He seems the sort that'd end up at her side like a lost puppy, following her anywhere in the hopes of making the score.

There's also a player near the door whom you are acquainted with, named Daniel. For all you know, he could go after her at any time. More than likely, the two are already 'acquainted,' as they both frequent this place.

None of this tells you why she is looking at you in particular.

> Give woman the stink-eye
You don't have THE STINK-EYE!

> Give woman a 'sod off' look
You don't have a SOD OFF LOOK

> Damnit why are you being so literal
I don't understand the command DAMNIT

> Finish drink
> Get another drink, so you can finish it
Best idea yet.

> Listen to the news
As far as you can tell, it's not relevant to archons right now. You're a little too drunk to pay attention to thinks... hah! Thinks. Things you don't want to.

> South
You haven't finished your drink yet!

[ BAR "INDEPENDANGO" | MAIN ROOM ]
This bar is part of the Archon Underground. The people around you, without exception, are power users, and this is one of the many places in the city where they congregate. A TV on the wall broadcasts the local news. The bartender wipes glasses clean while eyeing the crowd. You don't see any bouncers, not that it would do anyone any good. The smell of vomit and cigarettes hangs in the air.
YOU ALSO SEE: An empty glass, Your drink
EXITS: Street (South), Hallway (East)

The TV suddenly is interrupted with BREAKING NEWS. Something is happening DOWNTOWN, and it seems very likely to be archon-related. You can tell from the lack of an ARCHON SIGNBOARD that nobody has responded to the crisis yet.

The bar is quiet. Most people are watching the TV broadcast.

PHIL says, "So, it has come to this."

---

So. It has come to this.

I didn't automatically "Listen to the news" again because there are other things you can do. If you listen to the news, you might not hear other things...

Also, you can use the HELP command for more information on any named character or object.

[Whimbrel]

>WATCH NEWS
>HELP ARCHON SIGNBOARD

[Antiscient]

> Listen to both the NEWS and PHIL like a drunk professional.
> HELP ARCHON SIGNBOARD what is that even

[suomynonAyletamitlU]

] T H I S . I S . A N . U P D A T E [

> Help "Archon Signboard"
> Help "Psycho"

show spoiler

hide spoiler

> Help "Archon Signboard"

Among the things that makes Archons notably different from humans is that they have enhanced senses. This very quickly created a way for Archons to communicate only with other archons; Domino Effect later codified this into giant vertical "Signboards" which are visible even through walls, as long as you are within range. They can be configured with various options, but they default to public, unencrypted, and with enough range to be seen from anywhere within a medium-sized city--but only by Archons.

When a public safety issue arises, it is deemed polite to put up a signboard with details of what support is needed (combat, repair, healing, public relations, etc). To wit, when a Psycho arises to threaten either Normals or neutral Archons, a "Combat archons needed" signboard will be presented, letting all archons in the city know that something is going down. When combat is finished, the sign switches to "Repair and Healing Archons needed" or something similar.

(To clarify)
> Help "Psycho"

A Psycho is an Archon that has turned against the public order. There are a lot of reasons, some of them noble, but anyone who uses the term knows what it means: That your life is forfeit, and that nobody is on your side. In that sense, it is similar to "Criminal" and "Terrorist"; it is used to dehumanize, demoralize, and ostracise.

"Psycho" is just a term; it is not a mechanic. Being called a Psycho by one person does not make you an enemy of the city, and being called a Psycho by everyone in a city does not create some sort of mark that travels with you.

> Listen to the news
"This is Steven Fettleson with your breaking news coverage."

"At 6:30PM, this man, identified as Archon David Clair, started flying over the city around the intersection of 1st and Main, threatening passersby and preaching Archon superiority."

"As of yet, he has not turned violent, but traffic has come to a standstill, and police are on the scene. As of 6:45PM, there are no other known representatives of the Archons on the scene, and there has been no word from Domino Effect or his organization."

You snort. Even drunk as you are, the idea that Domino would show up because of one little idiot is pretty ludcri-- ludciro-- it's pretty out there.

"Right now he seems to be suggesting that--he seems to be demanding that City Hall turn itself over to him and his organization... he says that he will rule us and make right the wrongs of the past..."

> Listen to Phil
The only sound you hear from Phil is labored breathing. You're pretty sure he was saying something else a minute ago, before he stabbed Jen Ayl with a sword made of shadows, but you were listening to the news.

[ BAR "INDEPENDANGO" | MAIN ROOM ]
This bar is part of the Archon Underground. The people around you, without exception, are power users, and this is one of the many places in the city where they congregate. A TV on the wall broadcasts the local news. The smell of blood, smoke, and vomit hangs in the air.
ALSO HERE: Jen Ayl (Wounded, Power Mode), Phil Darkman (Power mode), Daniel Witter (Power Mode), Bartender (Power Mode), NPC x4 (Power Mode), Unknown Woman, NPC x3
YOU ALSO SEE: An empty glass, Your drink
EXITS: Street (South), Hallway (East)

There is a fight going on. The air is as tense as murder.

The TV is currently playing a news story about an Archon Supremecist threatening the city.

---

Important notes:
* Combat is not going to have mechanics per se. Be savvy, be safe, be dramatic (it WILL get you bonus points). Protect what you care about. Let me worry about the rest.
* Archons are tough to kill, even to each other. They are NOT immune to Normal Human weapons.
* All archons have a "Power Off" mode in which they look like Normal Humans. It's pretty trivial to turn it back on, so all (Power Mode) really suggests is that all pretense has been dropped. Archons not in (Power Mode) are not helpless.
* I haven't told you what the current character's power is, but it isn't available for selection. You're free to guess, make generic commands, or try to get out of this another way...
* I won't respond to questions about the others' powers until the character stops being drunk. Sorry!
* Remember, the HINT command can be used once per chapter if you get stuck.

[Antiscient]

> Prepare yourself. Murder is afoot, or at least attempted murder. Keep in mind that Phil had some kindred spirits in the crowd. Figure out what everyone's current intentions seem to be with a quick glance. Your goal is to ensure that Jen doesn't get more holes added to her or worse, and you may as well Power On so that she can see you're ready to be useful here.

Also,
> HELP shadow manifester type.

[Whimbrel]

>Punch Phil in the face. Finish drink.

[forkinyoureye]

>Punch Phil in the face. Finish drink.

seconded

[suomynonAyletamitlU]

] T H I S . I S . A N . U P D A T E [

> Help "Vulcan Archon" (Manifester-type)

show spoiler

hide spoiler

> Help "Vulcan Archon" (Manifester-type)
Vulcan Archons manifest solid items out of digital matter, which can be of any shape. Typical of this caste are swords, armor, walls, tools, structures, and so on. Vulcan Archons may be unflavored (in which case the items resemble their real counterparts in most ways), or they can be combined with an elemental power (fire, ice, light, shadow, etc).

Like most creation-type archons, this caste is heavily skill-based. Low-skill Vulcans can only create solid objects of uniform material, while highly skilled Vulcans can create simple machines, and can emulate more complex ones, such as guns. They cannot create complex chemistry such as gunpowder, but similar effects can be created.

Vulcan Archons do not draw material from the world, and instead use their innate Archon power reserves.

If the Vulcan Archon is combined with an elemental power, they may have some ability to use or manipulate that element outside of the Vulcan-type skills.

> Examine (NPCs, etc)
You case the crowd for a moment.

Jen Ayl, Daniel Witter, the Bartender, 1 NPC (Power Mode), and 2 NPCs are sided with the house.
Phil Darkman, 3 NPCs (Power Mode), and 1 NPC are sided with Phil Darkman.
Unknown Woman and 1 NPC have indeterminate alignment.

> Punch Phil Darkman In The F---ing Face
You stand up rapidly, knocking over your table in the process. One NPC (Power Mode, @PHIL) and one NPC (@House) notice the movement. As you start moving towards Phil Darkman, the NPC (Power Mode, @PHIL) starts to get in your way; in response you crouch down, engaging your power. Your legs start covering themselves in digital steel, painted blue--but rather than armor, it is mechanical augmentation. Large fake metal legs start to form; attached to the bottom are small rockets. You ignite the rockets, causing an unmistakable hissing noise to fill the room.

(The Bartender is now hostile. Yes, before you do anything. You damn well know why.)

You angle yourself forward, and the rocket push knocks the NPC (Power Mode, @PHIL) out of the way. You aim straight for Phil's face, and in the moment of surprise, connect a punch straight to his face. You momentarily regret not having also encased your hands in armor. Unable to stop, you and Phil plow into the bar, then flip over it and embed yourselves upside-down in the wall. You are SORE, but not wounded; Phil is only SCRACTCHED. You fall unceremoniously to the floor.

You pick yourself up and dust off the broken glass. "I can't say I know what this is about," you admit. "But anyone who makes enemies of Jen, or of the city..."

> Power Mode
Your Power OFF is disabled. Tiny lines of digital steel now run up and down your arms and legs, across your chest and back, and up your neck. They glow faintly.

> Finish activation
The rest of your body starts to wrap in digital blue armor. Your torso and arms are first; when your hands get wrapped, only the left hand becomes a blue gauntlet. The right hand is, instead, an iconic blue gun barrel just wider than your forearm.

"...They're going to have to deal with the Blue Bomber." The iconic headgear closes over your head to complete the image.

(The Bartender is still hostile but has to admit that was a pretty hard-boiled entry line)

> Get another drink, so you can finish it
Man you are in so much trouble with the owner. So much. F!@$.

[ BAR "INDEPENDANGO" | MAIN ROOM ]
This bar is part of the Archon Underground. The people around you, without exception, are power users, and this is one of the many places in the city where they congregate. A TV on the wall broadcasts the local news. The smell of blood, smoke, alcohol, and vomit hangs in the air.
ALSO HERE: Jen Ayl (Wounded, Power Mode), Phil Darkman (Scratched, Power mode, Hostile), Daniel Witter (Power Mode), Bartender (Power Mode, Hostile), NPC x1 (Power Mode), NPC x3 (Power Mode, Hostile), Unknown Woman, NPC x2, NPC x1 (Hostile)
YOU ALSO SEE:
EXITS: Street (South), Hallway (East)

There is a fight going on. Everyone seems shocked into silence.

You are in POWER MODE. Your power is currently active, wrapping you in MEGA MAN ARMOR. You are unhurt.

The TV is currently playing a news story about an Archon Supremecist threatening the city.

The UNKNOWN WOMAN walks towards you, but stops before she gets to the bar. Her eyes are unreadably deep. "What is your name?" she asks in the momentary stillness.

---

You are a MECHA ARCHON. Your power is to create suits of armor to enhance your abilities. It is mostly defensive, but the definition of "suits of armor" can be stretched in not at all subtle ways to include fantastic creations such as the MEGA MAN ARMOR and the GIANT MECHA ARMOR from which your caste gets its name.

Please choose a name. You may also choose a PROFESSIONAL ALIAS, but you need a Normal Human Name for the times in your life when are living among Normal Humans.

[Whimbrel]

Jackson Bohrs

[Antiscient]

Scott Clarriston, but

> don't tell her. Now is not the time.

Also I don't have a clear understanding of how (and what kinds of) aliases are used by Archons, so

> HELP alias.

[suomynonAyletamitlU]

] T H I S . I S . A N . U P D A T E [

> Help "Aliases"

show spoiler

hide spoiler

> Help "Aliases"
In a world full of superheroes and supervillains, sometimes you just don't want to be John Smith anymore.

What's in a name? If a guy kicked your ass ten ways till sunday and called himself Zoosmell Pooplord, you'd still be intimidated. Sometimes, a flower salesman can call himself Brick Hardmeat and intimidate only with his name. It's not an automatic thing. It's just a name, and sometimes it matters, and sometimes it doesn't.

People who continue living in Normal Human Society are also required to live two lives--only rarely can Archons live out in public. They can still use their human name in Archon circles, but some people don't like to risk it.

> Don't reply
I still need a name input.

> Scott Bohrs
Groovy.

"I may be drunk," you say, taking a couple steps forward and leaning heavily on the bar (bending at least one of the beer spigots), "and you may be a pretty woman, but I'm pretty sure I don't know who you are, so I ain't gonna tell ya."

(Seriously, the bartender is going to murder you. Not even kidding.)

"Just tell me your name."

"Hah!" You take a step backwards. "If seeing me in person doesn't tell you who I am, then I don't even care."

The NPC (Unknown alignment) comes up behing Unknown Woman and whispers something in her ear. The NPC (henceforth Unknown Man) takes a step back and they both appraise you. "I guess you're right," she said, taking a step back. "Seeing you in person is more than enough."

Unknown Woman and Unknown Man are now Power Mode.

Unknown Woman activates her power, and creates a ball of charged plasma that floats in midair, sparking dangerously against everything within a few feet--and starting numerous fires. Unknown Man activates his as well, and the entire room is cloaked in darkness, with every light source disappearing from sight.

"Darkman, get out of here, and take your wannabe flunkies with you. Shit's gonna go down soon, anyway."

You start to move towards the sound, but a stab from behind disorients you, and you tumble over the bar again, landing on the ground. You can feel the plasma arcing against your armor, but roll quickly away from it.

Suddenly, your vision clears. Darkman is almost (but not quite) out the door, so clearly the distraction wasn't dropped; indeed, as you suspected, the Bartender is focusing his efforts on the two in the middle of the room. The Unknown Man (Shadows) is glaring at him, and the Unknown Woman (Lightning) stares at her hands for a moment before bolting for the door.

Jen Ayl reaches for her neck, grabs an invisible knife and flings it at the Unknown Woman, driving it right through her knee. She stumbles, but quickly turns around and prepares a defense.

You stagger to your feet, but the Bartender hits you with an evil eye that could stop a Blackhat dead. "Scott, you are going to get the f!@$ out of here in the next two seconds, or you are going to die by my hand." You're pretty sure the timer stared before he finished talking. Maybe before he started talking. Possibly even yesterday.

> South
You leave the lightning woman and shadow man to Jen Ayl and the other friendly unrulies of the bar, and get the f!@$ out of his bar.

[ BAR "INDEPENDANGO" | OUTSIDE ]
You are outside of Independango, one of the few spots in the Archon Underground both stupid enough and well insured enough to allow highly dangerous types such as yourself to drink there. It is tucked in a back alley off a disused street, and as such there's only two ways out. First is back up the alley to the street; the other is straight up, for those Archons that know how to fly--or are tall enough.
ALSO HERE: NPC (Power Mode, Hostile) x2
YOU ALSO SEE: Bouncer's Corpse
EXITS: West, Bar (North)

Sounds of fighting are coming from the bar to the north.

The NPCs look up from the corpse of the bouncer. They look frightened. "You're the Metal Monster, right? We really don't want to fight... it's just..." The other one blurts, "We don't want to be at the mercy of humans! They can't understand! They never will. So please..." The both ready themselves for a fight, just in case. "Please don't kill us."

You hear the sounds of car alarms coming from the west and northwest.

You are in POWER MODE. Your power is currently active, wrapping you in MEGA MAN ARMOR. You are only lightly wounded. You are still a little drunk.

---

I'm not actually railroading, he really was going to kill you. Do you have any idea how much trouble you have caused him. You're a terrible human being Archon. Seriously.

For reference, Jen Ayl is a Titan Archon, and the Bartender is a Null Archon. Titans can manifest electronic and mechanical devices (as well as solids, but with less oopmh than Vulcans), and can even replicate any other holographic devices--but only from a limited selection.

Null Archons destabilize or disable holographic effects. If the bartender was more powerful, he could've stopped most sorts of holographic effects in the bar all at once--but he's sort of a weak example of the breed.

I hope I don't have to do an "Arrow in the knee" joke here.

[Antiscient]

> Charge your gun, but don't aim it at them. Ask why the bouncer, who was presumably an Archon, is dead. Be threatening.

[forkinyoureye]

> Charge your gun, but don't aim it at them. Ask why the bouncer, who was presumably an Archon, is dead. Be threatening.

Make sure you shoot a passing cloud for extra intimidation factor.

[suomynonAyletamitlU]

] T H I S . I S . A N . U P D A T E [

> Interrogate
"Y'don't want to be at the mercy of humans. I get it. So why'd you murder Jim?" You walk towards them, keeping an even pace, although you still wobble a bit. "F---er may not be a supremecist like you, but he defends the lives of everyone in the bar--defends all of us archons to keep our lives and our secret secure. Both from humans, and from murderous little sh--s like you."

One of the two cringes in fear. The other seems to be trying to screw up his courage. Neither answers for a long moment.

> Intimidate
You set the blaster to charge. It makes a noise not unlike wind being sucked into a wide hole, and sparks of light start to appear in the air around you. Inside that arm, your hand is wrapped around a trigger, gripping it gently--pulling the trigger enough to engage the charge circuit, but not pulling hard enough to shoot. It probably makes you more tense than it makes them--not least because you can't guarantee to yourself that your hand is steady enough to not shoot. You aim it skyward to make sure you don't hit anything.

"C'mon, guys. Whatever else you say about me, I've been fair. Come clean, stop being brats--and if you're nice maybe we'll overlook your descent from rebels to murderers."

"No." The courageous one seems to have found his words. "You haven't been fair, Metal Monster. Every time you took down a psycho, not once did you ask. Not who was at fault, not what could be done, not why they were doing it. I've seen good people get in fights and be taken down as Psychos. It's not right and you know it."

"'S'true," you admit. "And you know why, same as everyone else. Because people were getting killed. I don't think there was once when I went out where people hadn't already died, and I don't mean our kind. You may consider them expendable, but..." Your blaster goes off accidentally. A stray cloud above gets hit with plasma and makes something of a lightshow. Guess you were clenching your fist more than you thought.

The NPC (Power mode, hostile) x2 are now FREAKED OUT.

You cough to clear your throat. "You may consider humans expendable, but I don't, and that's why we're not on the same side. You want to be safe from me, you keep everyone else safe from you."

The courageous NPC seems to be trying to look you in the eye, but can't quite.

[ BAR "INDEPENDANGO" | OUTSIDE ]
You are outside of Independango, one of the few spots in the Archon Underground both stupid enough and well insured enough to allow highly dangerous types such as yourself to drink there. It is tucked in a back alley off a disused street, and as such there's only two ways out. First is back up the alley to the street; the other is straight up, for those Archons that know how to fly--or are tall enough.
ALSO HERE: NPC (Power Mode, Hostile) x2
YOU ALSO SEE: Bouncer's Corpse
EXITS: West, Bar (North)

Sounds of fighting are coming from the bar to the north.

You hear the sounds of car alarms and shouting coming from the west and northwest.

You are in POWER MODE. Your power is currently active, wrapping you in MEGA MAN ARMOR. You are only lightly wounded. You are still a little drunk.

---

They still haven't said anything about why they killed the bouncer. Maybe they think their political differences justify it? Or maybe they just thought this was more important? Heck, maybe someone else did it, but that doesn't explain their guilty demeanor.

Scott probably shouldn't be as well spoken considering he's drunk, but heck, I dunno. Maybe he's just that good.

[goggleman64]

If you weren't drunk, I'd suggest knocking them out and tying them up or somesuch. Since you're a bit short on fine motor controls, though . . .

and . . . letting 'em go wouldn't be any punishment at all . . .

> Help "Archon Imprisonment", Help "Archon Jail"

[Whimbrel]

>This isn't exactly a "speak now or forever hold your peace" situation, but still! C'mon kids, speak up.

[Antiscient]

> Get their plans out of them anyway, somehow. Charge the weapon again and aim it at them if you have to. It'll be partially their fault if they get accidentally shot in the face for not talking.