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Post by Dead Sidekick on Feb 1, 2012 8:18:31 GMT -5
Early Friday morning, October 23, 2009; 3:23 am Brooklyn, New York
Leonard Lipshitz, the Stark Fist, patrolled the dark streets in his ragged costume, in search of evil to punch out.
The red and blue strobes of light in the streets below were a clear sign of trouble, if the presence of police cars and ambulances could be taken as trouble.
There was a gaping hole in the pavement going straight down through the subway levels and into the sewer mains, in front of a freshly collapsed building, an old hotel that had housed the Roaring 20s club. A hangout for gangsters affiliated with Hammerhead, now smashed. The building across the street looked like it had been ransacked as well. Someone had hit the Hammerhead gang hard, possibly that "Faces of Fear" gang of mutant-monsters that had the city scared out of its wits after a string of nightly attacks on gangs across the city over the past week.
Squatting on a rooftop and listening to the cops make their reports, Leonard pieced together that apparently there was a discrepancy in eye-witness accounts. The club had been attacked by teleporting monsters, and then gun-wielding vigilantes teleported in to fight them, then the club collapsed and both monsters and vigilantes teleported away. It didn't make sense.
Leonard moved on, patrolling the neighborhood. This was Hammerhead's turf, and there were plenty of thugs and hooligans to fight if the Stark Fist so desired. For the most part the people on the streets were keeping a low profile due to the increased police presence. With one police shooting in the neighborhood already, also associated with teleporting gunmen, apparently the villainous hoodlums in the neighborhood didn't want to push their luck angering the police further.
That's when Leonard spotted the body. A man in a black and red costume, stabbed all over his body and drained of life, his corpse unceremoniously flung into a back alley dumpster.
As Leonard pondered what to do, the body stirred, as if coming back to life...
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Post by starkfist on Feb 4, 2012 0:50:14 GMT -5
The Stark Fist sits perched, heroically yet darkly mysterious upon the rooftop. The streets are quiet. Perhaps… a little toooo quiet. Normally Hammerhead's scumbags are out shaking down the innocent on nights like this. But not tonight. The Stark Fist's Stark Chest swells with pride.
"Well, maybe Johnny and Jena Q Public aren't aware of the reason for their good sleep tonight, but the the bottom feeders that make their dirty living suckling off the teats of the innocent know… and that reason is the Stark Fist!!!"
As to enunciate his point, he shakes his arm at the heavens
"Oh, how this city's vermin fears me; me… the darkly clad diligent gavel of justice; ready and oh. so. willing… to... come smashing down on the blackened hearts of the corrupt.."
"yeah . . . they do."
Just then, his train of thought is interrupted by a window that flies open from below him, and an extremely angry looking old woman looks up at him!!!!
"KEEP IT DOWN YOU COSTUMED FREAK!!! I'M TRYING TO WATCH THE WHEEL IN HERE!!!"
"Oh crap. I said that all out loud again…. Sorry Ma'am! I'll let you get back to your solitude and patrol elsewhere!"
And with that, he bounds off across the rooftops, before long coming to the scene of the disaster at the club.
"Sweet Fred Astai… Oops, doing it again" he says outloud before catching himself, continuing on in thought:
"Sweet Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers… what happened here?" He thinks, as he listens. however, So many stories and conflicting accounts are given, none of them seem to link up. Puzzled, he moves on with his patrol hoping to find the missing clue to the scene.
Just then, Leonard, er, I mean the Stark Fist sees the body! He moves in to investigate when suddenly it seems to be moving back to life!!
"Citizen!! He says, then after getting a better look, follows up with "Er, um, darkly clad and slightly mysterious Citizen! Let me call you an ambulance!"
In the back of his mind though, he's thinking to himself, that this guy should be dead with all the holes in him, and thinks to himself to be on guard...
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Post by Dead Sidekick on Feb 4, 2012 1:31:33 GMT -5
The costumed man crawls out of the dumpster, and his wounds appear to rapidly heal, leaving bare skin exposed through the bloody slash and puncture holes in his red costume. A black cape and cowl complete his costume.
The man does something rather expected for one who just revived from being dead.
He screams in delirium.
At the sound of the Stark Fist's voice, the man darts a look upward at the rooftop over the alleyway into the darkness...
SNIKT! SNIKT!
A flicker of reflection from nearby street lamps glint off of a set of four ten-inch long blades, two on each hand, as they spring from the back of the man's gauntlets.
"Who's there! Come out!"
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Post by starkfist on Feb 5, 2012 16:59:21 GMT -5
Hmmm. I better approach this carefully... he doesn't look like one of the Hammerhead's normal goons... the Stark Fist thinks to himself. Staying hidden while trying to sound ominous he says: "The champion of the downtrodden, the evictor of evil, protector of light, the force of good NO ONE FEARS!... I mean NO ONE ANY GOOD FEARS! dangit.. THE ONE ONLY EVIL FEARS!!! That is who lurks in the shadow... unseen tonight. If you are a good guy, then I am your scion of protection. However, if you are bad, then prepare for the sweet calm that only a thrashing will bring..." Satisfied that he has made an impact he waits silently for the newly animated man to speak.... (OCC: Darkclaw? very cool! ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) )
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Post by Dead Sidekick on Feb 5, 2012 17:52:21 GMT -5
ooc: no, just a creation of a player that disappeared, leaving a cool character [Raptor] behind... ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) ===== The blades retract into the man's gauntlets as he says, "You can't be serious." From beneath his cape, the man withdraws a gun, aims it at the rooftop, and fires a grappleline that quickly draws him up to the rooftop with the Stark Fist. "Now that's weird," the man says, eyeing the Stark Fist's tattered costume. "I thought I was the one having a bad night. Are you the one called the Stark Fist?"
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Post by starkfist on Feb 5, 2012 22:57:40 GMT -5
As soon as the mystry man speaks, SF's shoulders slump a little, slightly dejected.
Obviously, it hits him, there must be some secret tailor the other heros use.
"It's um, the best could do with my one home ec class patrolling the night doesn't leave much time for learning to sew... but the villians fear it!!" YES! I am.... (pausing for drama and action pose) the Stark Fist! What is your name fellow roof patroller... and how the heck did you get up from that beating you took? That was SO COOL!!"
OCC: Leonard still hasn't put it together in his head he also has regenerative powers
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Post by Dead Sidekick on Feb 5, 2012 23:18:37 GMT -5
"Your costume definitely sucks, no offense." the man chuckles.
"I am called Raptor. And I was.... dead. It's not the first time I've ever died and came back either. Coming back from the dead... it's one of my less pleasant powers. It is, however the first time I've risen from the dead with a message from the afterlife for a 'Stark Fist' and there actually being a 'Stark Fist' present to deliver it to. I was never sure what that meant until today. Do you know Spellbound? Or the Omen? Or Oldschool? Apparently she knew my secret identity. We were co-workers in a coffee shop, until she died. It doesn't make much sense, but apparently her ghost is trying to assemble certain people together to fight a great and growing evil. We're supposed to be at the Angel Towers Complex in South Manhattan at precisely 10:49am"
Raptor peels his gauntlet back to look at a watch. "Seven hours from now. Do you need a ride?"
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Post by starkfist on Feb 9, 2012 0:08:56 GMT -5
The Stark Fist looks visibly confused. Since he has been prowling the night, he has taken on his fair share of thugs. But this... is a different level. Guys coming back from the dead? Some great evil? Wow. This must be what the big leagues are for. He'd never heard of any of them, but bet they all had really cool costumes as well. Probably didn't have to pull dayshift in the video store either. Not that it was a bad gig, getting first crack at the new movies and all.
Snapping out of his thoughts, he realizes that he's been shuffling the dirt on the roof with his boot like some kid. Quickly he respostures himself.
"Nice to meet a fellow scourge of the night Raptor. I am not familiar with these people. Perhaps we run in different super circles. Yeah. Thats it. But if they are sending for a can of Justice, first class, then I am your man!"
Thinking about the offer for a ride... and how cool hanging with this guy would be...
"I'DLOVEARIDE!!!!, I mean, yes, I would appreciate it since you know the way"
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Post by Dead Sidekick on Feb 9, 2012 2:37:20 GMT -5
"Try to keep up."
With that, Raptor points his grapple gun at the edge of a rooftop across the street and fires, securing a swingline with which he carries himself across the street and down into an alleyway.
He looks around for prying eyes before he unlocks a black van with blacked out license plates and gets in.
When the Stark Fist gets into the passenger seat, he notices that there isn't really anything obviously special about the van's interior save for a commercially available police band scanner radio built into the dashboard. It is only when the van is in motion, moving at high speed and cornering like a sports car that the Stark Fist realizes the van is indeed modified.
Raptor explains. "Racing suspension and steering, four wheel drive capable. Bullet resistant plating and windows. A lot of work from my sponsor." Raptor adds "Don't even think about calling this the 'Raptormobile.'"
They drive past the wreckage of the Roaring 20s Club. Police are still lingering at the scene. Raptor is amazed at the destruction. "I kicked a little ass, but I didn't do that."
After getting out of the Bronx neighborhood ruled by Hammerhead's goons, Raptor says "I suppose we can patrol for something to do. I was looking for a punk named Tommy Bifrost when I got... killed... by Hammerhead's goons. This kid Bifrost is supposed to be the acting leader of the Flashing Blades gang, and he's supposed to be organizing gangs together to fight this Faces of Fear gang that's been terrorizing the city with monster mutant attacks. Waltzing right up into Hammerhead's club was a bad idea on my part."
"So, you don't know any of these people I saw in the afterlife?" Raptor says, visibly shaken. "I would have just played off what they told me as I have every other time I've come back from a death experience if not for the fact that you were there this time around. It's hard to explain and understand what I feel right now. Hopefully these people at this Angel Towers Complex understand what someone who died and came back from Hell with a message would want with the two of us. I've seen the building before, just from checking it out after coming back from the dead once before. As far as I know it's still abandoned. It's got a huge and creepy looking sword-wielding angel statue in front of it, not hard to miss."
"These people in Hell or wherever I went seemed adamant that you and I have to be there this morning. It's weird that they knew you'd be there when I revived from the dead. I still don't know what they want, or what connection to the ongoing gang wars they have. It seemed they were entirely detached from reality, no connection to time and space. I guess that goes with the territory of being dead. I was only out for two hours or so."
"Ah, yes. Here we go."
Raptor points out the window towards four thugs in dayglo florescent Broad Daylight Killaz gang wear, accosting a woman. "Looks like they're going to rob her. Let's take 'em down and see what they know about Tommy Bifrost. I wanna see what you can do. I have your back."
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Post by starkfist on Feb 12, 2012 11:54:28 GMT -5
The Mighty Stark Fist nods grimly with determination to Raptor, and without another word, goes to take on the thugs.
Pulling a maneuver right out of Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon, he leaps into the scene a few feet away from the Thugs, in the processes doing no less than 5 mid-air somersaults. As he lands, he raises himself into the Crane Kick stance, starts to casually twirl his staff slowly, and speaks: "Alrighty you dayglo clad dispensers of cowardly violence. You've proven you can scare a woman... now. How about you test your mettle against the Stark FIST!!!!. Once chance - give up now and tell us what you know about Tommy Bifrost, or fight me and earn a trip to the RE. Your choice..."
(OCC - hes really hoping they attack, but is giving them the token good guy chance to give up peacefully)
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Post by Dead Sidekick on Feb 13, 2012 0:37:29 GMT -5
"Would you look at that!" "Potato sack wearing mofo with a big stick all ballin' like he all that." "He say he gone test his metal stick on you with his fists, mon." "What?" "This fool? Twirlin' that stick in them busted ass rags you know what he remind me of? He look like the mummy joined the marching band." They laugh at the Stark Fist's expense. One draws a knife and puts it to the woman's throat. "Okay Swap Meet Samarai. Why don't you get the hell on before you get jumped on." ooc: action declaration and initiative roll ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) [Four thugs, one known to be armed with a knife, currently holding a woman hostage.]
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Post by starkfist on Feb 13, 2012 1:38:32 GMT -5
Vaulting off his staff (which is most likely completely unnecessary) Leonard will go straight for the thug with the knife to the woman's throat with a helicopter kick, shouting "HHHAAAAAAIIIIIIAAAHHHH!!!!!!!" at the top of his lungs ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) Init: [attack=224325253764228]
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Post by starkfist on Feb 13, 2012 1:38:47 GMT -5
occ: doh!
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Post by Dead Sidekick on Feb 27, 2012 5:33:07 GMT -5
Three thugs fan out while the fourth holds the woman hostage at knifepoint.
The three thugs lunge to attack the Stark Fist...
init:
[attack=124262981285687]
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Post by Dead Sidekick on Feb 27, 2012 5:37:00 GMT -5
ooc: it's a tie all around... ye olde initiative order... these thugs are no more Intuitive than Stark Fist... and he's getting no Intiative bonuses either...
go ahead and roll your attack on the knife-wielding thug...
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