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“I haven’t forgotten you,” I said. Right before forgetting you.
Here, have a solo play.
Being the first adventure with Abe Cadabra and Honeybee. This was my second attempt at a magic character: I gave him support this time. It worked better, but really they still needed a bit more.
In the next adventure, they get a teammate who is doing community service with a superhero team to work off his fraud charges. I don’t think I ever explain that, but that’s how he joins.
Uncanny Justice
Abe is a 45 point character; Honeybee is rolled. About four adventures later, I remembered to create team qualities. I still haven't used them, mind you, but now they exist.
Abraham Cadabra
Average (3) PRW Good (5) CRD Average (3) STR Good (5) INT Average (3) AWR Great (6) WIL
Stamina 9
DP 3
Specialties Occult Expert (+2), Leadership (+1)
Powers
- Good (5) Magic Mastery: Force Field
- Good (5) Fire Control
Qualities
- Addicted to applause
- Child of magic
- My ex is a nightmare
Honeybee
Great (6) PRW Good (5) CRD Good (5) STR Good (5) INT Fair (4) AWR Good (5) WIL
Stamina 10
DP 2
Specialties Science (+1), Aerial Combat (+1)
Powers
- Great (6) Shrinking, Extra Affliction, Extra Blast Limit: Rank of extras same as Shrinking in use
- Great (6) Flight
- Great (6) Super-Senses [Darkvision, Enhanced Vision & Hearing +2, See Astral]
Qualities
- I want a normal existence
- There is no one else like me
- “Never too late”
Devil’s Night
There are spoilers for the adventure Devil’s Night. Just so you know.
Mischief and Misrule
“I feel very Tennessee Tuxedo,” complained Abe to Lauren as they walked among the trick-or-treaters.
“It’s Tuxedo Mask,” said Lauren. “And you look lovely.” She adjusted her own Sailor Moon costume.
“I still feel like a penguin.” He tried to smooth his shirt. A kid in a Frankenstein’s monster costume stopped and stared, then hurried past a hot dog cart.
“It’s supposed to be ruffled. And Middle Rock has the best haunted house in the country, you’ll love it.”
“Really? I mean, given our day jobs you want to wear costumes? ”
“Especially with our day jobs. You need to take a break once in a while.” She smiled. “Plus I picked you a costume that looked like fancy regular clothes.”
He managed to smile. “I’ll do it for you.” They strolled past a knot of concerned parents who might have stepped from a colourized version of Leave It To Beaver . Everyone wore a button that said “Moral Brigade.” One wore an additional button that said “NO to Moral Decay & Tooth Decay.” Another handed Abe a flyer while a man in their group studiously avoided looking below Lauren’s shoulders. Abe smiled and shoved it in his pocket to avoid littering.
A police officer was talking with the group.. “You have to stay on the sidewalk or road. The rest is private property.”
“It’s godless heathens who should be concerned!”
Lauren and Abe edged onto the street to pass.
The policeman’s radio crackled. “One Echo Fifty-six, we’ve got a possible…arson, I guess. Homeowners are reporting that dragons, fish-men and a scarecrow are setting houses on fire.”
Abe and Lauren could see an orange glow on the next block.
“Looks close,” Abe said casually.
“Fine. I still insist on the haunted house afterward.”
“Haunted house? Oy.”
Lauren tapped the police officer on the shoulder. “We’re superheroes. We’d like to help.”
“Lady, lovely as you are, I have real work. I don’t need help from pretenders.” He ran to his car and got in. [1]
Abe looked at her. “ You wanted us to wear costumes.”
“Yeah, yeah. You were right. Meet you there?” she asked, as she shrank down. He nodded and she zipped off.
Abe began chanting and a circle of fire appeared before him. [2] He waved cheerily to the moral minority parents and stepped through the glowing portal.
#
Lauren (well, now Honeybee, even though she hadn’t changed clothes; still when you’re three inches tall and flying, people tend not to notice the clothes) hovered above the scene. Everyone was concentrating on one house. One of the three trees on the front lawn of a house burned; small monsters paced and ran in front of it: a werewolf, the scarecrow, two fish-men (one throwing a flaming egg). The house wasn’t on fire yet, but flame was stretched down one window and it was only a matter of time. The jack-o-lantern on the front porch had been tipped on its side and the lid kicked aside; she could see the naked flame inside it, too.
Her powers weren’t great at putting out the fire, but she could attack the source of the problem. Presumably the monsters were kids. Costumes brought to life, maybe? She’d heard of odder things.
For a first guess, assume possessed kids. She picked the fish-man with the flaming egg and darted down to him. [3]
“Ow!” the fish-man cried in a girlish voice. [4]
Didn’t realize the fish was a girl. Won’t really hurt her anyway.
She darted in again and hit the fish(girl) again. [5]
The kid monster crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Honeybee looked at her. [6] When the kid was unconscious, it was clearer to see the fake mask, but the kid was clearly still under the influence. Maybe the costume or mask had to be removed? The mask was obvious, but she still had the other five monsters to worry about.
Perhaps the sight of their companion falling unconscious would make them pause?
The kid monsters were looking for her: looking for whatever made one of them fall down.
Apparently not.
A glowing circle of fire appeared and Abe stepped out.
Abe saw the fire in front of the house. Fire and he were old acquaintances; of the four fires he could espy, the one with the most potential to set the house on fire was the window. He concentrated for a moment to quell the fire. [7]
He closed his fist, and the fire on the house died.
“Okay, kids,” he said. “Nothing to see here.”
The small monsters circled him, which was not what he expected.
The werewolf dashed forward and tried to bite him on the leg. [8] The pain was a dull ache: it didn’t get through his trouser leg but that beast was strong, stronger than a bodybuilder.
He shook off the beast and a glow surrounded him. Okay, I was dumb to forget a magical shield. But I was taking time off!
Honeybee grabbed the mask and tugged. The mask came off easily and revealed a young Hispanic girl. The mask. It’s the mask.
Abe saw one of the monsters fall down. Lauren at work. Small monsters and my skin itches. Magic. [9]
Her voice boomed in his earbud. “Possessed kids, seems to be focussed on the mask.”
He looked around at all the kids and decided to try something. It might not work; he wasn’t going to be able to use his usual finesse with it. [10] He touched off a sparkler to make this showier; he wanted every kid monster looking at him. He hoped also that they wouldn’t interrupt the spell—
Strands of glowing light wove through the air, through the monsters. Most of them were just starting at him [11] but one wasn’t, and he hoped the force field would be enough...
The gout of flame from the miniature dragon hurt him just a bit, but it made the show better.
He lifted them into the air. [12] If they’ll just stay still--
Honeybee went after the dragon. [13] The humming blast seemed to do damage, but not enough; the dragon breathed fire at her, too. [14]
“Get him!” cried the monsters. Suddenly all three had those flaming eggs, and they threw them at him. [15] Two missed, but one didn’t: the force field took the brunt of it, but he murmured a prayer, and he was refreshed.
Meanwhile, Honeybee and the dragon were locked in tight whorls of flight and combat; there was the distant hum of Honeybee’s blasters and bright gouts of flame, against which Honeybee couldn’t even be seen. [16] It ended with Honeybee saying, “One more down, watch out.”
Abe tugged on the shimmering threads of the web and yanked consciousness out of the kids. They were tougher than he thought, so he was going to have to do it again. [17] He took yanked the threads again, and the children fell unconscious. He settled them gently to the ground.
He and Honeybee yanked off their masks. Five kids, looking from seven to twelve.
The lights went mad, and it was because the police car had finally arrived.
Abe looked at him. “I told you we were superheroes. There’s magic involved; we’re keeping one of these to investigate.”
“Uh...don’t move!”
“Oh, pish,” said Abe. “This is almost certainly some timed thing having to do with Hallowe’en and midnight. We’re on the clock, so we’ll check in later. If you need to reach us, use the Guardians’ frequency.” Abe started to talk away, then stopped. “You’re going to need the fire department for that tree, though.”
As if to emphasize his point, a flaming branch broke off and plummeted to the street.
The Devil’s Diamonds!
In their regular outfits, Honeybee could just carry him but the Tuxedo Mask outfit had no convenient reinforced ring for her to grab. “Portal?” she asked Abe.
The police officer’s radio spoke as they heard a distant alarm. “Units in the area of Middle Rock Jewelry, we have an alarm there. Witnesses report a...fire-breathing Godzilla, a King Kong, and a Pennywise the clown.”
“To the Middle Rock Jewelry Store,” said Abe, and the flaming circle appeared before them. [18] They heard “Hey, stop!” but they had already stepped through. Abe closed the portal.
A noisy panic: To one side of them, a dozen yards away, were a human-sized Godzilla, a human-sized gorilla, and an evil clown. They were holding bags of jewelry. The noise of the clanging alarm didn’t seem to bother them much. Crowds, brought to Merchant Square by the free treats on offer, were now trying to leave. The police couldn’t get through the people, and the people couldn’t get by the police.
Standard Operating Procedure was that Honeybee was getting behind them even now, so Abe said in his best authoritative voice, “Drop the gems and surrender.”
The mini-Godzilla roared and spat radioactive flame at him. It hit him and wrapped around him. The flames hurt but the worst part is that they bound him, holding him in place. Lauren, hurry. [19]
At the sight of him held in place, the ape and the clown laughed. The ape drew a banana from a bandolier of bananas, peeled it to reveal flame, and then slapped his neck as if a honeybee had stung him [20] . The ape dropped the flaming banana on himself by accident. [21] The clown squirted fire from a lapel flower, and that hit Abe too. [22]
Fortunately, the force field blocked a lot of it...but not all. The binding force, whatever it was, was fire of a sort, so Abe concentrated on it, on telling it to leave. [23] Some of it did, but not enough.
The mini-Godzilla danced and spun, shooting fire in an arc around the area. (Honeybee missed him.) The ape made some sound and fell over. [24] The clown started peering around, because clearly the problem wasn’t Abe... [25] “Leave him,” he said to the mini-Godzilla. “We should get back.” [26]
The mini-Godzilla shook its head and charged at the fleeing crowd, setting ablaze a tall decorative pile of hay bales.
“Right,” said the clown. “Distraction.” He shot fire at another display (this a rack of winter coats) and set it on fire.
This can leap from building to building , thought Abe. The danger to people was more than the crooks; he concentrated on the hay bales, trying to get a feel for the fire—
In the meantime, Honeybee stung again, and this time managed to connect with the mini-Godzilla. [27] It made a sound and roared fire into the night air.
The clown looked around again. Abe was apparently still immobilized (really trying to snuff the fire in the hay bales [28] ). Two store employees were trying to kick the flaming clothes rack to the street. “There’s something else here,” said the clown.
“Godzilla” nodded. [29] The tower of bales was about to collapse, and if it fell into the nearest building instead of the street, the entire block was at risk. Godzilla moved over and shoved it, to make sure it was touching the building. It fell with a roar.
Well, that’s multiple fires I have to deal with , thought Abe. Hope Lauren can handle them— He ran, then, trying to find the fire nearest the building. There! He snuffed one, but there were still half a dozen more.
Honeybee managed to get near the clown and hit him, but had no effect. [30] He slapped at his neck but did not hit her. Mini-Godzilla looked oddly at him and then collapsed. The clown looked around and then started to run.
“Can I follow him or do you need help?” she asked Abe.
“I got this,” he said. “Let me know where you get.”
Abe paused a moment to remove the masks from the ape and mini-Godzilla, and pocketed them. Then he concentrated on the fires. One was particularly resistant to being put out, but he eventually extinguished it.
“Lauren?” he asked his communicator.
“Didn’t go far at all. The costume place, Chaotic Costumes, far side of the square. I thought maybe he’d ditch the costume but no. He’s…waiting for something? Looking at the stuff he stole? Have you had a chance to look at the mask?”
“When I get alone for a moment. This reeks of magic, so wait for me.”
“Sure,” she said in a way that he knew meant she was going to look around. [31]
He strode into the store that had the burning coats. “Stairs to the roof, please?” The young woman nodded wordlessly and pulled a big set of keys out and unlocked a door from the back room.
“It’ll lock after you,” she said.
“Oh, I can get through it. It’s just decent to ask, is all.”
With the moon high above him, he sketched two concentric circles on the floor and wrote sigils in the space. One mask went in. Then he turned one mask inside out and threw it in too. [32]
“Infernal,” he muttered to himself. “Some kind of demon or devil. But such a broad area…”
“Well, we should try the latex factory that made the masks.”
“Do you know where it is?”
“Will in a moment.” He went down the stairwell (he’d blocked the door open) and then indulged in a moment of showboating. [33] The young woman was staring at him as he went through the door. (Well, he had made a loud show of the incantation.)
“Do you know of the Burgess Manufacturing factory?” he asked her. Her name tag said Honey .
The woman stared. “I know the old Burgess mansion, but I have no idea where the factory is. We could look it up online?”
“Please. And the address of the mansion?”
His communicator spoke up. “Found the address of the factory and the haunted house we can go to later. Was heading back for you but I’m distracted by a werewolf versus a Red Riding Hood.”
Softly, he said, “I’m thinking demon, which means we need to find a summoner. [34] There was an occult collector named Burgess, contemporary of Aleister Crowley.”
“You’re thinking Burgess? —Scuzi. Can’t talk any more.”
“Here,” the woman said to Abe. “There are three addresses and numbers there. The bottom one is mine.” She blushed and showed her dimples.
“Thank you. And…thank you. One more favour. Do you have a car I could borrow to get there?” He smiled.
She handed him keys and said, “It’s the Genuine scooter out back. But you have to return it in person.”
“Here or there, depending on the time. I promise.” He took the keys and slipped out the back door.
“Okay. Werewolf down,” came the voice in his ear. [35] “You tell her what happens with your ex at the summer solstice?”
“She doesn’t need to know that.”
“Uh-huh. Where’s the mansion?”
He told her the street address. “I’m on a scooter heading there now.”
“A scooter?” He could hear her chuckle. “We should show up together. Tell me where you are.”
“So you can take a picture?”
“Maybe.”
He spotted a splash of fire on a wall with fresh paint dripping from a graffito that proclaimed Scratch rules! It was two monster kids (two witches) with flaming eggs chasing a pair of the straight-laced Moral Brigade folks. “I’ve got a detour.”
He brought the scooter around and gestured at the egg one still in a witch hand. [36] The egg blossomed into flame and engulfed the witch but it was a weak flame. The other witch looked at him and another flaming egg appeared in her hand. She threw it at him [37] . Fortunately it went wide of the scooter.
He knew he wasn’t strong enough to overcome the magic that had ensorcelled these kids. But he could help the couple home. [38] The two witches approached him and threw flaming eggs: both missed. [39]
“Through the portal!” he said as the flaming circle appeared before the couple.
“That’s the devil’s magic!” the man said, but he tripped and went head-first through the portal. The woman followed him. Abe shut the portal and hoped things were better at the park he had passed a moment ago; that’s where he had sent them.
As long as he had the portal up, he might as well use it. He rotated the destination straight up thirty meters over a bouncy castle (he didn’t want kill them), and tried to catch the witches using the portal as a scoop. [40] One got caught, and fell the distance to the bouncy castle; it did not get up again. That left one.
The witch wiggled her fingers at him and suddenly bare trees reached their branches for Abe. [41] He dodged under them and gunned the scooter forward, trying again to scoop up the witch. [42] He missed again.
“Need my help?” came Lauren’s voice in his ear.
“I got it,” he grunted.
The witch threw another egg but missed; he was moving too fast. One of us will connect eventually; I hope it’s me.
Another pair of misses. [43] Then, finally, he scooped her up and dropped her on the castle. [44]
“Give me a moment to get their masks,” he said.
“Meet you there.”
The mansion was shabbily genteel: clearly they had skipped maintenance but it could sill be saved. There was a light on the ground floor; Honeybee looked in and saw an old man, maybe in his seventies, with a walking stick in his hand as though he might need a club.
She made a snap decision. She grew up to three feet in height and rang the front doorbell. She didn’t look like a kid but she looked more like a kid. She pitched her voice higher. “Trick or treat!”
The door opened just a bit. “I’m out of candies,” he said, but it was too late: she’d shrunk and flown in, then reappeared at normal height behind him.
“My dentist says I should quit candy, anyway,” she said.
His voice quavered. “Who are you?”
“The costume? It’s supposed to be Sailor Moon. The problem with shrinking is that nobody gets that.” She reached out and shook his hand. “Honeybee. Maybe you’ve heard of me?” [45]
The old man shook his head. “You’re not here to hurt me, are you?”
“No, why would you think that?”
“They were.”
“They?” There was a purring sound of an internal combustion engine. “Ah, my partner. Who was here to hurt you?”
“No one,” he said, and stood up straight and closed like a locker.
There was a knock at the door. Honeybee opened it and Abe came in. “Mr. Burgess. Lovely to meet you. My ancestor knew your ancestor.”
“I’m afraid I can’t reveal my ancestor’s name — leads to true names and all. But it was at the time of Uzekial Burgess.”
“Did they…get along?” Burgess said timidly.
Abe smiled. “Well, they both lived to tell about it, so I guess they did.” Burgess softened. “I don’t think you’re in the same league as Uzekial, though. I’m certainly not in the same league as my ancestor.”
“No, I stick with visual arts. And business, of course.” He bent down and scooped up a black cat.
“Of course,” said Lauren.
“A successful business is its own magic,” Abe said. “But you’ve dabbled.”
“No!” He didn’t look at them, instead looking at his cat.
“You come from a long of witches and warlocks. No one has ever made you so angry, so helpless, that the only resort might have been…magic?”
Burgess looked shy, still refusing to look at them. “No. I looked up the spell but…it called for the blood of a black cat. I couldn’t hurt Num-Num.”
“You did,” said Lauren. “You tried to cast the spell but you didn’t want to hurt your cat. And they won’t give up a black cat at the animal shelters this time of year.”
Abe said, “You cast the spell, but you subbed something else.”
“Fake blood,” he said sadly. “I couldn’t hurt Num-Num.”
Abe nodded. “What were you trying for?”
“A demon of vengeance. It was my grandfather’s spell. I needed… I needed revenge on someone.”
“But you got a substitute.”
“He calls himself Scratch. He says he’s the king of trickery and illusion, and I couldn’t bind him.” Tears ran down the old man’s face.
“Any idea where he is?”
“He said he needed ‘a place where fear and trickery are at their peak.’”
“That doesn’t narrow it down much.”
“You’re welcome to look at my occult library if that will help.” [46]
Abe looked at the grimoire that Burgess had used while Lauren looked over maps of the Middle Rock. “An imp, I’d guess, made powerful by the time of year.”
“I know you’ll hate it, but I think he’s at the haunted house,” said Lauren.
“I donated the use of that building,” said Burgess. “It used to be one of my factories, before the new one was built.”
“Do you have blueprints?” asked Lauren. Burgess got them from a drawer.
“I guess we’re going to the haunted house.” [47]
#
The Haunted House in a residential neighbourhood that had once been the edge of town. Abe stopped the scooter a block away from the back (“If we get in from the back he might not be expecting us”). Abe ran, and Honeybee, down to her smallest size, flew ahead.
Before Abe had gotten two dozen paces, she was back. “Quiet except for maybe a dozen protesters out front.”
“Protesters?”
“That moral brigade thing.”
“He needs fear and confusion. Possessed people aren’t afraid. They’re his target. We need to get them away.”
“Well, now I wish we were out front. What if...I knock them out? Unconscious people can’t be scared.”
“Can you do all of them?”
“Maybe.” She thought about it. “I feel kind of uncomfortable about it. They haven’t done anything. But...I don’t see another way out.” She zipped back to the protesters [48] and pushed herself to the limit. Nine of them fell down, unconscious...but the last one did not. “Just grazed her!” thought Honeybee. The standing one was woman in her thirties with a short cut of bleached blonde hair. She wore jeans and a frilly blouse and a pink cardigan and a chunky necklace; her cardigan sported a button that read, “I’m PROUD my name is Karen!” In her hands she carried a sign: plastic cardboard saying “Won’t somebody think of the children?” stapled to a 2x2.
The house exploded with sound: the screams weren’t followed by laughter any more; they were terror unabated, and the front of the house spewed out terrified patrons and small monsters.
From Karen’s point of view, something had exploded from the house and killed or knocked out all of her fellow protestors. Whether it was a suicide wish or too many stories from her mother about campus protests, Karen screamed and ran for the house, swinging her protest sign to clear the way, with all the strength that yoga and Pilates classes had given her. [49]
Honeybee called after her but her voice was too small to be heard in the ruckus. Even monsters gave way before Karen.
“Ooops,” she said over the communicator. “Protester got in the house.”
“Confused and scared?”
“Yup. Double oops.”
“I’ll go into the back, you follow in the front. Who am I looking for?”
Honeybee briefly described the woman. “Really, the neck pearls are all you need.”
“I’ll be big and obvious so you can go unnoticed.”
“Be careful.”
“I’ve dealt with imps before.”
“Really?”
“No. But pixies must be nearly the same. I hope.”
You hope , she thought.
#
At the rear of the building, Abe stepped through the fake graveyard with the hanged man (just a dummy). Mist clung to the ground and wreathed the bases of the papier-mache headstones. He worked a small magic to unlock the fire exit from the outside, and stepped in. His skin immediately itched and moisture crawled across his skin…or did it? [50] He marshalled his will and pierced the illusion; he still felt it but as a memory, rather than an actual thing. He had his magical shield up, and he clomped to the next room. Be loud and obvious, he told himself.
“Scratch!” he cried. “I’m coming for you!”
He charged through the door on the left—
#
Honeybee zipped into the haunted house. She hoped that the roaming monsters would not hurt the unconscious moral brigadiers, but stopping Scratch would save more lives.
At the door one mummy was nearby, bent over and a second mummy was offering more masks. Presumably Karen had walloped the first mummy; Honeybee figured the masks were not a good idea. She blasted the bag of masks. [51] They melted...but the mummies knew she was there.
The mask-carrying mummy roared, dropped the bag, and swung at her [52] but missed. The other mummy swung [53] and missed badly. Honeybee evaded both of them, looking for Karen. The hall angled to the left and led to a room—
#
An alien ship, cramped and on emergency power. Darkness and cramped bulkheads; screens with green text running along them. Abe glanced at them. Scratch says there is no rhyme directive appeared briefly at him. Steam billowed from vents. Emergency lights strobed blue and red, illuminating the metal decks and the conduits. It was like being stuck in a claustrophobic heart.
He saw movement [54] but too late; an alien thing of legs and claws was on him, knocking him to the deck, breathing fear on him. Something was holding him and Abe was blinded by panic for a moment. [55]
The thing’s claws didn’t pierce the magic field, and he fumbled out the spell of calmness, the one he had learned when his master has dangled him from a rope ladder while spellcasting.
He slowly got control of himself.
#
Honeybee was in a bright room of white tile, like a surgical theatre. It was huge: there were openings in the floor as big as garage doors, and each pit beneath contained sharp whirling death: blades and hooks and knives. Up ahead, Karen was strung up in thick metal cuffs. The metal arms on her cuffs were slowly lowering Karen into an opening.
Tiny metal cuffs snapped on Honeybee’s arms and lifted her higher. Honeybee looked at them and flexed her arms. She was deceptively strong [56] and snapped the cuffs. Karen shrieked and kept shrieking even when she was out of breath.
A small green man with a barbed tail appeared. “Really?” he said, in a voice like a Bronx cabbie dragged over a chalkboard. He waved his stogie at Karen. “But you’re too late. She’ll be turned into Coney Island hot dogs. (That’s the secret of Nathan’s,)” he added. [57]
He hasn’t killed anyone yet. He could have…but?
“Not too late, Scratch. Never too late.” [58] She focused her blast on the cuffs holding Karen, who was screaming soundlessly. [59] The cuffs shattered, and Karen fell—
#
Abe turned the corner into a mausoleum. Pale granite and marble decorated the unnaturally long room, and the very far wall was in a checkerboard pattern. The left and right walls were studded with drawer ends, large enough for a casket, and every drawer shone with an interior white light. A mist clung to the floor and to his feet. What attracted his attention was the chrome cube floating in mid-air.
The light in the nearest casket turned green, and the drawer slid out. Abe looked quickly; it contained nothing but volumes of thick mist that fell out and hugged the floor. When he looked back to the cube, it was larger. Was it approaching or growing?
#
Honeybee caught Karen [60] before she fell to the ground, but the imp disappeared in the meantime.
Karen was unconscious. Lauren had to grow from Honeybee size to nearly full height to handle her easily.
On the plus side, she can’t do anything. But I can’t just leave her here.
But when Lauren turned to carry Karen back the way they had come, it was gone.
#
The mausoleum drawers each turned green and slid out. More mist. He could smell the acrid smoke; it was up to his knees now. “Scratch!” Abe called. “Fight me; don’t bore me to death.”
A small green man popped out of the next casket. “Brave words fer a guy who was lying down having a fear nap. Didja wet yourself?” He snickered. “I hope those are brown pants.”
The cube kept growing. “Lauren, I have him in a mausoleum room. Gonna try to keep him here.” He started chanting a binding spell. [61]
“Using Tobit’s? I haven’t been caught by that since I was an impure thought,” said Scratch. He dissolved and appeared beside Abe. “Besides, I only looked like I was there. I’m really here.”
He faded again and reappeared at the far end of the hall. “Or maybe I’m here. You can’t hit what you can’t see, bub. And heck, I won’t even be here. Your friend is just as entertaining.”
#
Lauren brought Karen around. “Karen. I need you awake for this. I can’t carry you.”
Karen slowly opened her eyes, looked up past Lauren, and then screamed again. Lauren sighed and blind-punched whatever was up above her. [62] “Pardonnez-moi,” she said to Karen, and shrank down to be Honeybee.
It was a mummy, probably from the entrance. It roared and tried to grab her [63] but missed. She darted in and used her sting. [64] “Come on,” she muttered. “Fall down.”
Impatiently, she tried to zap him; she missed, and he missed her.
Karen opened her mouth again; Honeybee switched on her speaker and said, “Please don’t.” The mummy hadn’t fallen yet, so she figured it needed another dose of venom. She dashed in and applied the sound again. [65]
The mummy grabbed for her but missed. It was wobbling now. “Fall down,” she said, forgetting the speaker was still on.
Karen hit the dirt.
The mummy fell over. [66]
“Not you, Karen. It looks like the house will only let us go deeper. Take the mummy’s mask off.”
Karen peeled off the mask. “That’s Mister Arbuckle. He has the Whole Foods.”
“And he was possessed by the mask. That’s what these things do when you put them on. They take over your mind, no matter how good or moral a person you are.”
Karen dropped the mask, then kicked it into one of the pits.
Not a bad idea, thought Honeybee, even if I’m not sure that the pits actually exist.
“Now we go deeper.” Switching to her communicator, she said to Abe, “Any luck?”
“Evading metal death-cube. Talk later.”
Honeybee saw a green glow at the opposite end of the room. Even though he might be leading them on, it was the only way out.
“Karen? We go this way.”
#
The flying cube had sprouted blades, knives, and saws. Abe jumped, slid under one of the open drawers and through the acrid mist, then popped up and tried to pull out the next drawer so it slammed into the cube.
It did slam into the cube but had no effect.
The blades cut through his magical shield as though it wasn’t there. [67] He felt a wave of fear, and he batted it aside easily. The cube disappeared, and the door out was obvious.
Calm and unafraid, he walked into a torture chamber.
At the opposite end of the room, in walked the woman that Lauren had told him about. She looked a little the worse for wear. [68] He could see a tiny shape darting around her: Lauren. Doors slammed shut behind him and them.
He took a moment to take in the room. Stone walls and wooden tables, each with a different torture: a rack, a bed of spikes to lower, a huge wheel that controlled four ropes to quarter someone. On the tables were— a young boy, an older woman, and…Shaylah?
But…she couldn’t even enter this world between the autumn and spring equinoxes.
No one was being hurt. The “yet” hung in the air.
The distinctive Bronx accent of Scratch came from a small PA speaker high up on one wall.
“Well! Whaddaya know! It looks like we’ve gathered all ya friends and families! Now, it’s real simple— Choose! Torture just one of these people….an’ I’ll let you go. You got 30 seconds to decide who … or I just activate all the machines at once!”
“Bobby?” said the woman.
“It’s an illusion!” said Abe loudly. “Shaylah can’t even enter this dimension at this time of year.”
“Ah, but I got powers, bub. I brought her here. But go ahead, think it’s an illusion.” There was a cackle, and Abe was sure he could smell the demon’s cigar. “Bet their lives on it.”
“Not Bobby!” cried Karen.
It was All-Hallow’s Eve, knew Abe. His magic was limited to what Scratch could produce until midnight, so he couldn’t overcome the illusion, but he could make it easier for Lauren and this woman to see through it.
“Hold on to her,” cried Abe. “I’m coming over.”
He chanted as he went, doing what he could to set up the spell on his path over.
“Clock’s ticking,” said Scratch.
It took him another few seconds to lay hold of the other two and say the final words. [69]
“Now,” he said, “Look closely at them and try to see them as they really are.” [70]
Abe and Honeybee saw the room, empty and with peeling apple-green paint. Karen saw the same room as before. “Bobby!” she cried again, and tried to move forward, but Honeybee stopped her.
“It’s an illusion.”
“She’s not going to believe us,” Abe said. “Scratch gets something out of this belief, but I don’t know what.”
Karen screamed (again) and fell unconscious. Abe let her fall on him and settled to the ground.
“Magic? Food? Energy?” suggested Honeybee. “Jollies?”
“All of the above. I’ll put her outside.” [71] He chanted some words and Karen disappeared.
“Let’s go.”
“Give me a minute. I had to use some personal energy there…”
“No time, it’s almost midnight.” She grew up to three feet tall and grabbed him under the arms, then took off. [72]
#
After three more rooms (flying away is a tremendous advantage), Scratch appeared before them, reeking of sulphur and flames. “What is it wit’ youse hero types anyway? Someone irradiates ya, curses ya, or offs your parents and then you get long johns and become a huge pain in my tuchus?” He vanished through the fire exit door.
Honeybee followed, with Abe pushing the door open.
The fake graveyard was awash in a sickly green glow. A greenish oval hung there, with green-tinted flames and caverns visible.
“Portal?” aked Honeybee.
“Portal,” agreed Abe.
Figures loomed out of the mist. A scarecrow of some kind; a zombie; a small dragon; a small witch on a broom. Honeybee could see more figures farther off, but they were moving slowly and might not be here for a minute. She reported this to Abe.
“We do it before they get here. I’ll run interference; you try and slam him through the portal.”
“Gee. Thanks.”
She dropped him and he lit up, glowing like a spotlight. “Really, guys?” he said. “This is it? Where’s the systematic cruelty? The casual racism? Humanity can be the real monster.”
“Heroes. Always wit’ the symbolism.”
“It’s what we do. Be a symbol of hope.”
“Where’s your girlfriend?”
“Around.”
It wasn’t part of the plan, but she had just stung the dragon. [73]
“There,” said Abe, but he was cursing inwardly. “Hit Scratch!” he told himself while he dodged. [74]
The witch and the dragon were both trying to hit Honeybee, now. [75] A golden-green curse flew through the air and was blotted out by the blast of flame that crossed it.
Abe had to deal with the scarecrow and the zombie. The scarecrow threw a flaming pumpkin and narrowly missed him; the zombie lurched forward surprisingly quickly and grabbed at him. [76] The cold dead arms wrapped around him and held him in place. [77]
Honeybee stung the witch, and hoped that it would have an effect. [78] Fortunately, that was the point that the dragon fell out of the sky. She took a quick peek and saw that Abe was in the grip of the zombie. The witch might fall out of the sky.
Abe decided that he needed to be insubstantial; he knew a spell with minimal arm movements. He cast the spell. [79]
She heard him casting a spell and hoped that meant he would be fine.
A distant church rang its bells for midnight.
If she could drive Scratch backward from this angle, he’d go into the portal. [80] She took a moment to aim. [81]
Abe stepped through the zombie.
Honeybee took off. She hit Scratch at a couple of hundred klicks, and he went flying through the portal. “You mother’s—” he said as the eldritch energies of the portal spun and tightened and shrunk until they were gone.
The mist was gone. The witch looked like a little girl. The dragon was just a boy in a dragon costume. The zombie and the scarecrow shivered as if waking up.
“Are you…are you a ghost?” asked the zombie.
Abe laughed. “No,” he said, and became tangible.
“Tuxedo Mask!” said a kid in a princess costume.
“But I’m nothing without Sailor Moon,” Abe said.
Honeybee took the opportunity to land beside him and grow. “I’m here.”
“Do you still want to go through the haunted house?” he asked Lauren.
“No,” Lauren said. “I don’t really think it can compare, now.” She laughed. “Better return that scooter.”
[1] They each get a Determination Point for being rebuffed.
[2] Abe rolls “a simple spell of Good (4) teleportation” with an effort of 6-1 versus 4, so he (barely) creates it.
[3] She’s Prowess 6, +2 because she’s shrunk; the kid is Prowess 6. She’s going to use her venom blast (Affliction) against his Willpower. 8-1 versus 6, so a moderate hit; effectively Affliction 6 vs Strength 6 and the kid monster gets a moderate loss on the affliction, so takes 6 stamina.
[4] The fish-girl looks for her (Awareness 3, -3 for size and darkness, vs difficulty 3). 0 vs 3, so she fails.
[5] Affliction roll is major success this time, so the affliction continues and she falls down.
[6] She’s Awareness 3 but she has lots of funky senses. Let’s say the ability to see Astrally lets her tell that there’s something hinky about the costume.
[7] That fire is difficulty 3, and he has Fire Control 6. Even with a -1 roll, it’s easy for him.
[8] It’s Prowess 6 and he’s Prowess 4: 6-1 vs 4; it hits and does 6 stamina damage.
[9] It’s reasonable that he has that, but he doesn’t have a Detect that allows for it.
[10] He’s going to stunt Telekinesis Extra: Burst Extra: Energy Drain with his magic, and spend his shiny new DP on it so it can be rank 6 without needing a roll. He still has to roll to hit each one, though and they have a high Prowess...so he’s going to also activate his “Addicted to applause” to add +2 to the various grabs. It’s such a comic book thing to do, though.
[11] Failed their will tests. One didn’t; say it was the dragon mentioned earlier.
[12] He rolled a 4+2+2 vs 6, so they are each in a partial hold, and he’s down to DP 2.
[13] Both flying, so blast might be the way to go. Her coordination is 5+2 vs 3, so major hit; the dragon has a little bit of Damage Resistance, so that’s 4 Stamina down.
[14] Coordination 3 vs Coordination 3+2+1; the dragon misses by 2. She gets 4+2+2 vs 3, for a major success, and dragon is another 4 Stamina down; no effect on the Stunning roll (moderate success). The dragon misses again, and she manages a marginal hit, but it’s enough to take the dragon to 0.
[15] Coordination 3 vs Coordination 4+2 for the hold; Results are two misses and one hit, so suddenly Abe is down to 2 Stamina. He should probably spend one of his determination points on a recovery. So he activates “Child of Magic” and spends a DP, and has 6 Stamina back; now up to 8.
[16] 3+2 vs 6 for the dragon (a miss) and 5+3
[17] With them in a partial hold, he is effectively the same Prowess as they are. He solidifies the hold with another set of moderate successes, and sucks 6 more Stamina from the kids.
[18] He gets a 5 and creates a rank 6 portal with the extra Portal.
[19] He takes one more stamina, so now he’s down to 7.
[20] Honeybee hits the gorilla and the Affliction roll is 6+4 vs 7, for a major success. The ape loses 6 Stamina and gets to check Affliction next panel.
[21] Rolled a -5.
[22] Now Abe is down to 6.
[23] He gets a 2, so that’s 8 vs 7. We’ll say that negates 6 of the Material of 8 (2 shots). He’s still bound and still wreathed in (non-hurting) flame but it only has a Material of 2.
[24] Affliction roll beat him: it was a major success again, and he lost another 6 Stamina.
[25] Awareness 3 -2 for shrinking, -1 for dice, vs 4. Major failure.
[26] Abe convinces the fire to go out.
[27] Her Prowess +2 for shrinking +1 roll vs 6. Oy. Affliction roll is 6+2 vs 7, so a 6 Stamina loss for the mini-Godzilla.
[28] The fire is level 7; he’s subtracted 6.
[29] Affliction has a moderate failure, but test again next panel. Honeybee fails to hit the clown.
[30] She got 5+2 versus his 6 to hit him, but the affliction roll was 6-2 vs 7, for a major failure. However, the mini-Godzilla fails his Affliction roll, and falls down, unconscious.
[31] And she barely makes the difficulty 6 Awareness task.
[32] He’s casting a Good Detect + Extra: Analyze, so 5 is the difficulty, and 4+2+1 is the effort. He succeeds.
[33] Casting Phasing 1, and time isn’t an issue here: of course he makes it. He gets a Determination point for indulging his “Addicted to applause” Quality. Now he has DP 2.
[34] He makes an Intellect roll of 4+2 versus difficulty 5.
[35] Lauren gets a determination point for having to defeat a werewolf off-stage.
[36] Fire control. He gets 4+1 versus the witch’s 3+2, so a marginal success. Effect is therefore 7/2 = 3, or 2 Stamina damage.
[37] She misses (3-4=-1 vs 4).
[38] He casts a spell (Fair Alteration Ray (Teleportation+Portal)) 4+2+1 vs 4, and puts the portal right in their way (4+1 vs 3).
[39] They get 3-2 and 3-4 vs his coordination of 4.
[40] He catches one (4+0) but not the other (4-5) vs 3. Costs a determination point and activation of “Child of Magic” to have the bouncy castle conveniently there. Rank 10 falling, -1 DR, for than their Stamina. Now he has 1 DP.
[41] Coordination 3 because it’s ranged and a 0 dice roll; they miss.
[42] Coordination 4-1 vs 3; marginal success which I’m going to say is a miss.
[43] 3-1, 4-1.
[44] 3-1 vs 4; 4+0 vs 3. Being dropped from that height knocks her out.
[45] Has he? Call it an Intellect test of difficulty 4. Nope. Int 3 -1.
[46] To make it at least an even chance, Abe is going to burn his last DP and activate “Child of Magic” for +2 on the intellect test. That makes him an 8, +1 for the dice, vs 7. A moderate success.
[47] Realized that Abe actually came to 46 points, so I shuffled things around. He’s a little less powerful (Magic down to 5) but upped his Coordination and lowered his Strength & Stamina a bit. Different levels might have caused him to lose one of the earlier fights, but I’ll chalk it up to playstyle. With this break, he’s back at full Stamina (9).
[48] She’s going to stunt Burst on her Affliction, activating the Quality “There is no one like me,” and spending a Determination Point. Her Prowess is 6 +2 because she’s small, and their Prowess is 3. There are 10 of them, and we’re only looking for a -5 when she rolls to hit, which will make a marginal success. (In fact, one was a marginal hit.) Her Affliction is 6 vs their Strength of 3. So: ten tests, after rolls: 5, 7, 7, 3, 5, 6, 7, 4, 4, 5. So nine of them drop unconscious; one does not. That Moral Brigadier loses 3 Stamina, but has 3 left.
[49] Oh, I’d say that Lauren gets a Determination point for that. She’s back to 2.
[50] Gross out room; test of will versus difficulty 7 and he gets 6+3 vs 7. Success.
[51] Did he notice her? 3+1 vs her 6 coordination + 2 for shrinking; major failure. His coordination is low, too; it’s a grab-equivalent. 6+3+2-2 vs 3. Her blast reveals her location but might do something to the rubber masks. Given that massive success, let’s say she melts them.
[52] He’s got a high prowess, 6, but she’s got the same, and she’s shrunk: 6+0 vs 6+2; he misses.
[53] Prowess 6-2 vs 6+2: major failure.
[54] Awareness 3+1 vs 7. Then Willpower 6-1 vs 7. He fails on this one. Now Stamina 5.
[55] He’s going to cast a spell of mental resistance, but he needs some time. He’s going to cast a spell of Average Mental Resistance, so he acts as Willpower 9 against difficulty 7. That should help some. He rolls -2, so 5+2-2 vs difficulty 3.
[56] Difficulty 7 to escape, and she gets 5+3, so she’s free.
[57] She makes an Int check, because they’ve said this earlier, difficulty 5: Int 4+1, marginal success.
[58] Okay, she gets a determination point for working that in. DP 3.
[59] Activates “No one like me” and spends a DP to up the strength test against the cuffs by 2. She hits (coordination 5+2) and tests its strength: 6+2+2 vs 7. Major success.
[60] Prowess 5+0 versus 3. No sweat.
[61] Yup. In this case, Binding that requires a Willpower test to escape. It probably won’t work; Scratch can call on the Quality “Halloween is my time of power” to enhance his freedom test, but it’s in keeping. The Int+Occult vs difficulty 5 spell works. Does it hit? Not with a -2 roll.
[62] They’re both Prowess 6. I’m not going to charge her the -2 for blind flighting; it’s a freebie. 6+3 vs 6; she hits and does 2 Stamina after Damage Resistance is subtracted. No slam result (5-5 vs 7)
[63] Prowess 6+0 versus 6+2 for shrinking and +1 for Aerial Combat.
[64] She hits (6+2-1 vs 6) and does marginal success on the Affliction test, so the mummy loses 3 stamina.
[65] 6+2+2 vs 6 to hit; 6+3 vs 7 to afflict. The mummy loses 6 Stamina, but not enough. It gets 6-3 vs 6+2+2 so it misses her.
[66] The next affliction test was 6+2 vs 7. It took 6 Stamina, so it fell down.
[67] Will test: his 6+3+2 versus 8. He wins.
[68] Does he spot her? Barely: 3+3 versus 3+2.
[69] Tactic: He’s going to trade a panel of inactivity for the Advantage needed to cast the spell. He’s spent the time, and the use of an Advantage means he doesn’t have to roll: it’s a rank 5 mental resistance for the two he’s touching, concentration. Now they only have to beat difficulty 4 to see through it.
[70] Karen fails (3-1 vs 4); Honeybee succeeds (5+0 vs 4); Abe succeeds (6+1 vs 4).
[71] Not a big spell: Rank 3 Teleportation done as Alteration Ray. Fortunately, because he rolled -2 for 7-2, which does beat 4. She vanishes.
[72] He’s going to use another missed page for an Advantage, then spend that on a Recovery, so now he’s up to full. Because there’s a big fight coming.
[73] She hits, and the Affliction barely (+1) hits, and then barely succeeds. The dragon is down by 6 stamina.
[74] He’s Defending, so +2 to all tests to defend.
[75] Both miss, but one by less (3+2) than the other (3-4) versus her 6+2+1, or 9.
[76] Whoops. Prowess 6+4 vs 5+2. That’s a major success, so he’s held motionless.
[77] The force field stops most of the strength damage, but he still takes 2 Stamina.
[78] Both Affliction rolls manage a marginal success (6+0 vs 6 and 6+0 vs 6), so 3 Stamina from each. That’s enough to knock out the dragon.
[79] Int test plus Occult: 5+2 vs difficulty of 1+2 (increased difficulty). Next panel he’ll be phased.
[80] The affliction test on the witch knocks her out: 6+4 versus 6, so the witch falls unconscious.
[81] In this case, the aiming involves activating two qualities, and using her two determination points: The qualities are “There is no one like me” and “Never too late.” One will be used for +2 for the Prowess test to hit. The other will be used to increase the slam. The first is Prowess 6+2+2+2 versus 6, so that’s a major success. The rush does 7 damage, so she can slam (yes, technically it’s stun, but she only wants to slam), with 7+2+2 versus 5, so another major success. Scratch takes no damage (he has a force field) but he goes flying back to the next range increment.That is, through the portal.
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