Shattered Innocence (IC) [M]

[Lisky]

Garis had watched with a mixture of horror and regret at the small children in the room and their situation.  He'd resisted every urge to rush in and, at the very least clean their clothing.  However, he did restrain himself as he focused on staying in character,  whispering in Kassin's ear, "We're here for the Darrins boy.  He's our best hope right now if we're going to find anything else out.  I too wish to help, but unless i can get my full clan's support, there's nothing we can do... there's too many children, and not enough care-givers... especially with our group's makeup..."

He started urging Kassin forwards with a gentle nudge on the shoulder.  He would have begun searching more rooms until the slightly dulled *Thump* reverberated down the halls.  followed very quickly be something about a fire.  Putting these two pieces of information  together, Garis inferred the obvious,  "Shhhhhiit... Quick... we gotta find the Darrins' boy, very quickly... someone used a fire spell and didn't think about the effects on the dry timbers.  Stay close."

Garis started weaving a water spell, as he tried to head for the source of the loud bang and the thoughts of warning.

[Noone]

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Kassin raised an eyebrow at Garis, "Wait, what? On fire? That means..?" Kassin quickly pondered his situation as he rushed forward. "We've got to get everyone out!". He glanced around, quickly, and in a panic. The children, though they seemed to hear Kassin's exclamation, didn't seem to be in any hurry to get moving, they just stayed put and stared ahead.

Coming to the end of the corridor, there's a path that goes to the left. This goes down another corridor. There are no visible doors along this side, though it goes down quite a bit further than the previous corridor, likely to the other end of the building. There are exits presumably to other corridors on the left, one near and one far. This place is also as dusty and unkempt as the previous corridors.

As soon as they come to the corridor's corner, a loud scream could be heard. It was a woman's voice. Soon afterwards, she could be seen rushing towards Garis and Kassin, but she seemed disinterested in them. She looked to be a gray feline of average height and build, her clothing marginally cleaner than everything else in the place, though accumulations of dust clung to her pants. She was running for the exit. To hell with this place! This isn't worth my life. When she got close to Kassin's position, she exclaimed "Out of my way!" as she rushed out. Kassin just stared at her, frozen in panic.

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Pushing the dust on the floor away does slow down the spreading flames some, but it's certainly not going to stop them. The fires also start to make some smoke, and it becomes harder to see into the building.

A loud woman's scream can be heard. To hell with this place! This isn't worth my life. The source of the scream however, is unknown.

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Eilan briefly turned his attention towards Kedered. He spent a moment processing what he's been told. He raised an eyebrow in response to his inquiries. I'm not sure why he's asking me how I know Kassin, but I suppose there's no harm in saying.

"I suppose you could say that we've saved each other's lives. From what you've seen of this place, you probably won't be surprised to hear that adventurers killing each other off is rather common. They tend not to like the competition, plus they can take what their victims have." Eilan paused for a moment. "I first met him when I ran afoul of some of those, I was injured. I managed to kill one before I got away, which made them think I wasn't worth pursuing. That's when I first met him, he came over and tended to my injuries. He didn't even ask for a reward. Suffice it to say that I do owe him much." He paused briefly to glance up at the dark sky, then to the ground, making sure that his sense of direction was correct before continuing. "He was a wandering healer, miracle worker, et cetera, for a while. I presume that he's picked up friends from all over Ithralia. It's a shame that this place is such a mess though, undeserving of him." He sighed, and shook his head.

"Kassin is powerful for sure. Unskilled, but powerful. As for his family..." Eilan paused, and shook his head. "He's always been very tight lipped on that subject, as if it's something that pains him. Kyirri was closer to him than I and he was never able to get him to say anything about them. I haven't however, had any reason to disrespect his privacy on that matter. Alas, I know nothing of them." He paused again, to check the terrain. He let out a brief sigh before turning to Kedered.

"Anyways... did you get any impressions that Raffiele was in the Claws? That could explain his behavior, but if that were a case, then Kassin's relative would have killed him, unless he wanted him to stay with us for some reason... but..." He shook his head again. If Kassin's relatives are of typical angel behavior, I can't see them caring too much for him, not above using him as a tool, but still... He turned to face Kedered again. "You brought this up with Kassin before? What happened then? And why didn't you say anything to the rest of us?" His last query was said with a touch of agitation.

[Sprocketsdance]

".........................."

With ears and wings severely drooped a look of total horror overcame her features. For a second all she could do was stare at what she had just done.

Yeah.. what the hell did you expect to happen?! Came a voice from inside her own thoughts which shook her back to the task at hand.

Darting inside she first went to the doors on the left of the corridor to check if anyone was inside, muttering to herself all the while. "Ohmyohmyohmyohmy what did I do? Why did I do that? Stupidstupidstupid!"

[Lisky]

Garis moved down the corridors as fast as safely possible, he was doing his best to keep Kassin along with him, but the angel boy seemed rather rattled, and disoriented.  He rounded a corner to find someone headed right for him, a woman, feline of some kind, and seemingly in a rush.  Rather than doing as commanded, the incubus spread his arms wide, although still in disguise as a she.  The vixen gave a rather annoyed look, and said in a mildly agitated tone, "Is that any way to treat potential customers?  We're here for a specific boy, and we've got nothing but annoyance after annoyance... why are you running?  Is something -wrong-, here?"

The vixen's eyes narrowed, and her tone bordered on accusation. "Where can we find Mr. Darrins?  At least help me out with that before scoffing us off like the rest of the staff here."

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Kedered strode deliberately, but not with undue haste. He was sure that the others couldn't get into too much trouble in his absence, in an orphanage with no apparent threats. Besides, he wanted to continue this discussion, pry some clues out of the reticent adventurer. Which meant trading information, and the being was suspicious, suspicious. Fortunately, his own query at the time was relatively innocuous.

"Personally, I do not think that that Raffiele was a claw member himself. So far, the group has had little luck actually finding and striking at us, and beside, remember when he ran off? He came back bloody, but alive. As brutal as the Claws are, I doubt they would assault one of their own just for laughs. My guess is just a similar ideology and a looking out for his own interests. He was probably seeking to either join, or align with the group somehow."

My turn, how to make this count?


"How long have you known Kassin exactly? He seems to be incapable of actually taking care of himself, and I am wondering how long he's had someone, say, like you, looking over his shoulder, keeping him out of trouble. I am trying to reconstruct exactly when and how he left his relations. I think it is important. I have never seen or heard of power on the same sort of level taht Kassin has displayed, certainly not for so  young, and I think it was induced from the outside somehow."

[Noone]

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The caretaker looked at Garis with an angry glare. What the hell is going on with this place? There are no customers, and that moron Threeb isn't supposed to let anyone in! And this place is about to burn down! She shouted at Garis. "There's a fire in the building and this whole place is about to go under! Now move it!" She charged at Garis, intent on shoving him(her?) out of the way.

Kassin looked at the caretaker with mixed horror. He took a step back. Soon afterwards however, he doubled over. "Aiiigh! No! It hurts it... they're in there..." He started screaming in agony. His knees fell to the ground, he clutched himself as if in immense pain. "They're... they're... aaargh!" He whimpered as he fell to the ground. The caretaker didn't appear to notice his pain.

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As you rush forward, a wave of heat brushing against you calls you to a stop. The place you are trying to enter is currently on fire. You would not be able to pass through this area safely unless they are either put out, or you have something to protect you from the blaze, or going inside through another way,  perhaps the main entrance.
A closer look however, reveals that in the corridor in front of you, that there are a few doors on the right as well. There's also, further down the hall, another corridor that goes to the left. However, the new 'entrance' is still impassable without extreme risk. Your vision is also somewhat obscured due to the flames and some smoke that they are creating.
The flames continue to spread on the inside. However, the bright flames along with thick smoke make it difficult to see what exactly is going on in there.

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Eilan raised another brow as he looked at Kedered. Evasive for sure... not explaining what happened when he brought it up before, and why he didn't tell us. I have my own secrets to keep I suppose, he probably doesn't want to know that I was working for the Thularians when I first met Kassin, nor that I immediately tried to kill him... still... He glanced about, checking to make sure they were still going the right way before turning back to Kedered.

"I've known him for a little longer than two years, though I know a few that have known him for around four, so I think that's a better estimate. He's naïve, like a child in many ways... but..." Eilan shook his head. "He's got friends scattered throughout Ithralia, they provide him food and shelter when he asks for it. Kyirri and his family were one such." He shook his head momentarily. "And to be completely fair, becoming Atharra's most hated creature in the space of a day would be a bit much for anyone."
He paused momentarily. "As for his power,.. I wouldn't know about that. All I really know is that he doesn't really know what he's doing when he uses magic. He's never had any training, and doesn't know how it works, it's mostly just instinct to him. Just kind of pours energy into whatever he's doing until something happens."

He stopped momentarily, looking up at the sky, then to the ground, checking terrain. He briefly turned to Kedered. "Now then, I believe you haven't explained what happened when you brought this up with Kassin... or why you hadn't told me about it." He looked at Kedered with something of an accusatory glance, his tone of voice somewhat irritated.

[Ghostwish]

Zanfib's efforts against the fire were a futile effort, so he quickly began to search for other options. If matters become any worse, he realized he would probably need to start rapidly teleporting the orphans out of the building.

Luckily, he did find an alternative. The frosty conditions outside provided an abundance of snow for him to use. And so, with a somewhat simple application of his telekinetic abilities, drifts of snow were soon bombarding the flames that threatened to destroy the building.

[Lisky]

As the woman shoved harder Garis's wings seemed to explode from his back.  The incubus returned to his base form and braced himself with a pair of tentacles.  A wicked look in his eye as he reached for the woman's collar in a snatching grab.  His voice calm, level, with only the slightest edge of ill intent in his voice, as he asked, "I'm going to ask you one more time.  -Where- is the Darrins boy?  If you value your miserable existence that you call all life, you'll tell me where i can find him, and try and get as many children out of here as you can."

While talking, a tentacle very gently scooped up Kassin, while another kept it's hardened point covering Garis' rear should someone appear unexpectedly  The two that blocked the woman's path had curled up and around, facing the Cubi's front, both pointed at the feline.

[Sprocketsdance]

Chance backed away from the heat, coughing, over to Zanfib.

"Hey! Do you think you can hold snow above the building? Then I can melt it with.. " She grimaced slightly. ".. some.. more fire?"

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Kedered shifted a few of the muscles in his neck around, to avoid a cramp that seemed to be developing. Walking with the head craned around like this for a prolonged period of time simply was uncomfortable. While on the subject of personal maintenance, and stalling for time, Kedered wove some simple gimmicks, turning his clothes pristine again.

Suppressing a sigh, he opened up after his clothes finished cleaning themselves with "Because he is so odd, and I do not understand him, and I do not like not understanding things, especially when it is tied up in my own safety. You were there. The restrainers have no effect on the child. I am certain, although I cannot prove, that the claws are tracking him by it, and by the people he has worked his healing upon. I do not know much about magical theory, but enough to know that this is seriously abnormal. But the kitten is in denial about himself."

He put on a much higher toned voice, requiring a few delicate shifts to his vocal chords, and continued "I don't think anything is special about myself, I don't know how I got this way, I don't even want to think about the fact that the rest of my family does magic and I should know at least something about how out of the norm I am." Giving into irritation for a moment, he spat on the ground while he turned his voice back to normal. "He is useless, and deliberately so I think He does not seem willing to even ponder the problem. I thought perhaps someone who knew him better might be able to get him to open up."

[Noone]

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The caretaker, once Garis assumed his natural form and was grabbed, let out a frightened yell. She looked at Garis with horror. Monster! Sets the place on fire then storms in! Oh, he'll never let anyone leave alive! "I... I... I don't know! Just please don't kill me! I don't bother learning their names! P.. P.. Please just let me go!" She struggled vainly against Garis's hold.

Kassin continued to whimper in pain. "It hurts... it hurts..."

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Hurling snow into the flames is able to douse some of it, making a 'breach' into the flaming building. However, it's not able to completely put out the blaze. The corridor you can see is clear up to the first two doors on each side, though they have spread in the meantime, reaching halfway across the hall, and partly into the hall in the middle of the corridor. The hallways immediately to your left and right are also still blazing, and the flames continue to spread in those directions.
It also appears that the first set of doors in the corridor have been broken down by the flames, which have clearly entered those rooms. It looks like they're creeping under the second set of doors too.

It would be difficult to get the snow elsewhere, the fire further down the corridor is too far away to effectively douse more quickly than it can spread.

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Eilan looked to Kedered. Eilan gave him a scowl when he started talking in the mocking voice. "Cut that out." He let out a low grumble. Deliberately useless... that would be you withholding important information from the rest of us. He briefly resumed scanning their surroundings before speaking.

"If the Claws could track him using his powers directly to any form of reliable accuracy, we'd all be dead. The ones at the top of their ranks are quite powerful and organized, they'd be able to teleport a large force on us in moments if they knew exactly where he was. Most of the ones rampaging around are the younger, more expendable ones, and such long range scanning tends to have erratic and unreliable results, something we should be thankful for."

"As for the restrainers..." He paused, taking them out, and peering at them intently. "I'm afraid I don't understand how they work fully. I know that they're used in Astarea, often by the peacekeepers, and that some of the weaker models won't fully work on more powerful creatures. I really can't tell if the ones we have are a high or low quality pair."

"Regardless..." Eilan grimaced as he examined his surroundings one more time, and took a deep breath. "When we bring this up with him, be gentle, he'd have a good reason for keeping his family relations to himself."

[Lisky]

Eyes narrowing, and with an angry snort, Garis replied, "The boy with wings, where is he you cowardly swine?"


Fingers extended into claws, and the tentacles further boxed the feline in, keeping her from running past Garis, "You run run away at the first sign of trouble... not even trying to save any the children here?  Tell me what i want to know, and i'll let you live long enough to rescue a few of them...  Answer my question and try to run... and i'll know what you're going to do, i'll kill you right here and now.  You don't answer me, these walls will be painted a particularly dark shade of crimson... with that in mind, WHERE is the Darrins boy, the one with wings."

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

He was definitely developing a crick in his neck, and forcing down the irritation at this stubborn being and defending his inept friend was taking more and more energy. Still, he kept his features smooth and his voice unruffled, and tried once more to steer the conversation.

"I am uncertain if that is the case. You have seen him, as I. Kassin's judgment is not always the best, and he has a noticeable aversion to pain of any sort. Doubtless he sees the reason as a valid one, but if it puts us, and him, at risk to keep silence, can we really afford to be gentle? And perhaps he does not have any good reason, but would rather not dwell upon anything unpleasant. And speaking of unpleasantness..."


Kedered found himself lengthening his stride, needing some outlet for his mute irritation. "It is not exactly the Thularian way to deal with Ithralian adventurers. Usually they trust their own squads for both efficiency and reliability. I can only hazard a guess that they wished to keep a low profile, but that too, is hardly a typical Thularian characteristic. So while it might seem a long time ago to you, for my people, that two years is a mayfly blinking. Please tell me what you were doing, taking their coin."

[Ghostwish]

"It's no good Chance. The flames are simply spreading too fast! Get inside and get those two wackos and whoever else we're here for! I'm going to start evacuating the children!" He yelled over the flames, and kept true to his word.

Using his telepathy to seek out the young minds, he began rapidly blinking in and out of the rapidly conflagrating structure, bringing one or two of the orphans with him each time and bringing them outside.. It was noteworthy that he did not make the same effort for the adults..

[Sprocketsdance]

Chance grumbled as Zanfib made his way toward the flames. She shook her head, fighting back the tears that constantly threatened to make their way visible, and ran back to the entrance. Without giving a notice to the mentally handicapped rabbit she ran through the open door and down the hall, looking to any door to see if she can get inside and save whatever child that may lay in there.

Yeah.. I'm sure I don't need to tell them there is a freakin' fire.... She thought with acid to herself.

[Noone]

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The caretaker was in a total panic, but had enough sense to listen to what Garis was saying. She realized that she had no way out. She continued to vainly struggle against his hold, panting heavily.
"Th... th... the winged freak?" Figures that he'd be after him and out to kill everyone else... "Block C, second door on the left from the storeroom, now please let me go!" She glanced towards the door to the main lobby, still holding a frightened expression on her face. And if he really does let me go, I'm bolting for the exit as soon as I can escape him...

Down the corridor, a few traces of smoke could be seen coming from the first intersection.

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Running as quickly as you can, you find the main entrance quickly enough. As you enter the main entrance, you are forced to a momentary halt.
Threeb is still at his desk, oblivious as usual. The doors behind him are now open, however. There are also four very burly looking individuals rushing for the exit. Two of the ones in front have clubs in their hands, the two in back are armed with crossbows. All of them are charging for the main entrance.
The one in front spots you. He doesn't even bother talking, and rushes at Chance with a rough shove. He doesn't however, look at Chance in too much detail, all of them more focused on the exit than on her.

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You teleport inside a dirty, dusty room. The room is incredibly small, dirty, and also is entirely on fire. Large accumulations of flaming dust line the floors. In the center of the room there's a gigantic pile of dirty, and flaming clothing. It's relatively rectangular, and there are no other notable features of the place, other than that the walls, even discounting the flames, appear to be crumbling. The flames appear to be climbing up the walls, and are spread across the entire floor.
There are also two children inside, both writhing in immense pain. Both of them are on fire.
And now, unfortunately, so are you...

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Eilan looked at Kedered squarely. He had a rather irritated look on his face. "Oh you intrusive prick..." I never said anything... he must have read my mind. I really ought to be more careful. He then let out a deep sigh and stopped moving. A look of sincere regret put itself upon his face.

"If you're worried that I'm going to sell Kassin out to the Thularians... I won't. There was a time, I'll admit, that I worked for them. I suppose you could say..." Eilan shook his head, and closed his eyes. He let out a deep breath. Colonel Marningham took a liking to me... and he was something of a mentor figure to me. He did teach me quite a few things as well... such as... "I did some scouting work for them. I know Ithralian territory well, and I could move a lot more quickly and quietly than their ranks could. They tend not to rely on adventurers, most of them are too mercenary and undisciplined for their tastes, true. But... I suppose I'm... unique... in that sense." He scratched the back of his left ear, the subject was quite clearly making him nervous. "Besides, I suppose at the time, they needed me. A lot of Ithralian overlords are rather leery about the Thularians, mostly because they fear that they'll have whatever power and wealth they have conquered by them."

"But..." Eilan considered continuing on the matter, but stopped himself, he looked extremely uncomfortable discussing the matter. He changed the subject abruptly. "Leave Kassin to me."

[Lisky]

Garis gave an annoyed sigh as he began shoving by the feline.  As he passed, he pulled Kassin to the opposite side of the wall with the one tentacle around the angel boy, and turned another into a bladed edge, lashing it out at, what appeared to be, the assistant caretaker's neck.

He followed her instructions as he bolted down the hall, new desperation in his step to try and uncover the source of all of this.  The boy was their only lead, and he needed to live.  Garis searched for thoughts, anything that might help him find the Darrins boy faster.  The pain and confusion from all who were in the orphanage continued to feed the cubi as he darted down the hall, and continued his search.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Kedered lurched in his stride, and for a moment, he could hear the high, reedy voice of his father shouting "Idiot boy!" He was silent for a moment, trying to regain his mental equilibrium. Letting someone know he had been reading their mind was a mistake he should have been over a century ago, and this matter was too important to start losing his edge.  He started breathing more deeply, a step back for him, but sometimes it helped to revert to older habits. Irrationally, a part of him wanted to gnaw through a thick breadcrust.

No overt motions. You are better than this, Aldoraethar.

Still, he wasn't sure if this struggle was noticeable. Eilan was very perceptive, irritatingly so at times. Still, his antipathy towards the Thularians seemed genuine, and perhaps, if there were a few more like him in Ithralia..... a plan started to coalesce in Kedered's mind, but it would take time to execute, and he had more pressing business.

"A life debt, it is a heavy thing to carry. But that is what ties me to the boy, a debt, not a bond of respect. I will protect him, but Kassin is a fool, and would not last long if left to his own devices. He can recover from hurt feelings much more easier than a Claw carving his neck off or left to the tender mercy of the Thularians. While I do not suspect you of trying to sell him out, I cannot simply, leave him to you, as you said. My own need is too urgent."

Mentally, he prepared himself to conjure his sword back. He did not think this would escalate into violence, but a sinking feeling told him he and Eilan would never see eye to eye on this particular issue.

[Ghostwish]

So few options. So little time..

In a dark and untapped area of the psion's mind, a little voice wondered what would have happened, or just how badly things would have gone if he did not have the training and the reflexes that he did. Suddenly that dragon's near insane antics did not seem so whimsical any more.

Regardless, he was left with very few options.. He could snuff the fire out on himself, but what about the children? So little time. The fire had spread too far and too fast for him to contain it, which left him with so few options. He did what was the only viable course of action to save them all. He teleported them out.

The hissing sound of fire coming in contact with frozen water was a refreshingly disgusting noise, and yet Zanfib had barely enough time to check his own singed fur, no time to check on the children, who although no longer on fire were likely only barely alive, but all he could do.. was go back.

In a flash of light, he moved to the next room..

[Sprocketsdance]

Chance just side-steps and lets the brute's on their nasty way.

Figures.. all muscle and no charm.. when the going gets tough the tough get going right out the door.. wouldn't save their own... She shook her head and continued on her way into the left side door behind Threeb.

[Noone]

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Kassin let out a muffled choke as Garis sliced a tentacle into the caretaker's neck. He looked horrified as he glanced at the caretaker. "Garis h... how cou.." He returned to screaming in pain, but eventually passed out.
Strangely enough, you can't feel a lot of panicking that can be felt, mostly just misery and gloom. There are a few spots, mostly coming from your left on the far side of the building.

Running along this corridor, there were two other corridors going to the left. There was also a door to the left beyond the path to the first corridor to the left, but before the second.

Near the first corridor, there's a sign on the right, it's mostly illegible, but it reads "   ck D". Down this one to the left, there is a very active blaze. Smoke is starting to accumulate as well, and it's hard to see the whole way down. There are four visible doors close by, two on the left, two on the right. The fire hasn't reached these doors yet, but it's dangerously close. This hallway seems to span the building, and beyond the flames, there looks to be a hole in the wall, leading to the outside. However, other details are obscured from view. There's also some panicked, and pained emotions coming from down this corridor, near the other end.

At the end of the corridor you are currently on, there's a second corridor heading to your left. It's rather short however, and soon shows a turn to the left. There are no immediately visible doors down this path.

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The guards don't pay Chance too much attention. They wander off into the distance, and are soon obscured from clear vision by the night sky.
The lobby doesn't seem to have changed at all. Threeb continues doodling incoherently on his pile of papers. He doesn't seem to notice Chance, or anything else for that matter.

Going down the hall, there's a corpse with a long slashing wound in her neck. It looked like she was a caretaker. It's quite messy. On the sides of the corridor are doors, three on each side. These doors are in terrible condition, the closest one to the right has visibly fallen over and what's left of it is currently in the room it's supposed to be blocking. The room is rather small, and was also dirty, dusty, and unkempt. A broken door lay inside the room, causing quite an obstruction. There were two being children inside both felines. They looked miserable and malnourished. Their clothing was threadbare and dirty. There was no furniture in the room, or any bedding. There was also a large pile of dirty clothing piled on the floor, it looked like none of it had been washed in months. The rest of the doors look like they're barely staying on their hinges, that a solid punch would break them down completely. There is a visible path to the left at the end of the corridor. There's also a plaque on the wall at the end of the corridor, it is also in bad shape. It's barely legible. What can be read of it reads "B  c   E". At the end of the corridor, there's a pathway to the left.

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Having the flames cooled off of you is a rather painful sensation. It takes a bit of time for it to cool them off. Even afterwards, you can feel the burn marks on your skin, with a stinging sensation of pain attached to it. While you're still okay overall, a repeat incident might have more severe consequences.
Both children taken soon fall into the snow, the flames doused off of both of them. However, neither of them are breathing, their burns don't look lethal but they're not breathing either.

Coming back inside takes some effort. This room is also on fire, but is not completely ablaze. It has a similar setup to the previous room you were in, two unkempt, neglected children and a large pile of dirty clothes in the center. There would be quite a smell as well, if not for the advancing flames. Unfortunately, one of the children is actively burning in the fire. The other is sitting at the far end of the room, where the flames have not quite reached, however, they soon will. He just stares blankly at the fires, seemingly entirely apathetic towards imminent doom. He doesn't appear to notice Zanfib when he showed up. He just sat and stared blankly.

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Eilan turned to Kedered. He probably thinks the lowliest things of me right now... I know how most sensible creatures react when the Thularians are mentioned. Maybe I should explain more?... but... no... He shook his head in mixed frustration, taking a moment to gain his composure before turning to Kedered again. I know... I owe Marningham a life debt all the same... something I've reneged on...

"He'll freeze up in panic if you're too rough with him. You'll get farther if your kind, but firm to him. I've known him for a while, though this is a touchy matter to him. Still, we'll need to convince him that his relatives are a real danger to us all... perhaps explain what they were doing. I wish that we could have gotten more from that demon... but..." Eilan's eyes wavered away, his thoughts drifting elsewhere.

"At least, I think we should start with that. If he's still tight lipped, we may have to up the pressure on him." Eilan shook his head in disgust, he clearly didn't like what he thought Kedered would do.  

[Lisky]

Seeing that the fire and smoke seemed to block his progress.  Garis approached the licking flames doing his best to shield Kassin from the blaze.  He raised his hand and pointed it at the fire as he unleashed his water spell upon the blaze.  A small, high-pressure jet appeared from the cubi's palm hoping to at least slow the flames, and cool them while he headed towards the misery.   The spell started to diminish a few seconds later, and the winged canine  took the closest door he could find to the fire,  and then proceeded to use his wing tentacles to pry at the walls.  Heading towards the source of panic as quickly as he could.

Fuck... this is not going well... not going well at all... Block C, Block C... where the hell is BLOCK C Gods damn it!  Who the hell did this?  Who was foolish enough use a FIRE spell on a wooden building? and one in poor condition at that?  His anger was almost palpable as he used the rage to add extra force to each blow with the large bladed tentacles slicing at the walls.  Garis had to find the Darrins boy, it was no longer a want, he had to find him.  Otherwise this, all this, would be for nothing.

[Ghostwish]

Zanfib could hardly believe his eyes.. Half of him wanted to mentally pry at the child, to figure out why they would stare at death so bleakly, so uncaring. Luckily, the other half had the sense to keep in touch with the fact that time was in a drastically short supply.

He did the same with these, teleporting them outside with him. But, even though it was only a short distance, the constant zipping back and forth with passengers in tow was beginning to take its toll. Even though he would never admit it to anyone, Zanfib knew he could not keep this up for long. Regardless, he was determined to keep trying, because as it stood he wasn't far ahead enough of the fire to keep his tail from being singed.

And so, amid the hiss of fire meeting ice, he was gone again, and back into the fire.

[Sprocketsdance]

Seeing the blood still oozing from the wound of the caretaker, Chance grimaced and pulled her eyes away.. trying not to think of who did the deed. Then she noticed the two being children in the room with the broken door obstructing the way. With all of her anger of frustration she began to tear at it to get inside to the children. She'll try to get these ones out first.,,

There is nothing I can do to make up for what I've already done...

[Noone]

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The water jet makes a hissing sound as it contacts the flames. It turns the floor wet, which slows the advancing flames. However, the hot mist the contact creates does not stop the smoke from spreading. Hopefully the wet floor will prevent the fires from continuing in this direction... for a time.
The room Garis enters is quite dinky, and is a similar state of disrepair to the rest of this place. There's one inhabitant, a small child curled up on the floor. He looks to be in rather bad condition, malnourished, cold, and perhaps ill. His clothing is also threadbare and dirty, and he's currently using a small collection of shirts as a blanket and pillow. He doesn't look up at Garis when he enters the room, he seems to be half asleep, or perhaps semi-comatose.

The room has three walls, subsequently torn open. The one on the left side of where Garis entered opens up to another room. It appears to be similar to the one that he is currently in, however, it is empty.

To the far side of the entrance, tearing the wall reveals a narrow, dusty room, it doesn't look like there are any other entrances to it and seems entirely unused.

To the right side is a large, relatively clean room. There are some tables situated about. There are five chairs situated about the room, though two of them are broken and the others look to be in very poor condition. On the table, there is a large club, it looks to be in poor condition, but seems sturdy enough to be used as a crude weapon without it breaking. Dust accumulates around the walls of the room. On the far side of the room, are two large open double doors. A closer look would reveal Threeb, and the main lobby, beyond.

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The door is already on the floor, and it could be stepped right over. However, neither children in the room seem to notice Chance tearing at it, or care. Both of them could be picked up and escorted out without complications.

********************************************************************************
The pain of having the fires doused off of you is worse than last time. Your burns feel raw as cold air and snow brush against them. It takes a bit of time to regain your composure from the experience.
The two children that were rescued both look to be in bad condition. The healthy one still doesn't seem responsive to outside events, though he does shiver in the cold. The other however, has some severe burns, and likely won't survive unless they are treated.

Upon entering the place again, you come to a small corridor. However, the visibility in this location is extremely poor. Smoke hovers in the air. It starts to affect you immediately after you come in,the hot vapors irritate your eyes, and if you stay in the smoke to long, you'll start to choke. You can also feel a wave of heat from behind you, indicating that the flames are not far behind.

Immediately to your left, there's a closed door. To your right, there are two doors, one slightly in front of you, and one slightly behind. However, it's impossible to discern any other details at the moment, as the smoke continues to obstruct proper sight.

********************************************************************************

[Sprocketsdance]

Sighing in shaking her head Chance left the ruble of a door and grabbed both children, running down the hallway, through the lobby, and outside. She set them in the snow a small ways away from the building and looked to them curiously a moment..

What could have these children so.. blah?

Shaking her head again she ran back inside.

[Ghostwish]

Zanfib cupped a hand over his mouth as his eyes watered, and concentrated hard.. While he could over-ride the choking sensation, he could not supply his lungs with the air they needed, yet another lesson he noted to badger his mentor for. But for now, he would need to move, fast.

He crouched low, doing his best to stay under the smoke as he could, and headed into the doorway that was in the most danger of being consumed by flames as he used his telepathic powers to search for survivors..

[Lisky]

Garis started truly feeling the smoke for the first time... he'd been breathing the stuff for several minutes now, and Kassin was out cold.  He wheezed, and hacked for a moment, when he spotted the child on the floor.  He seemed alright, though it was tough to tell with the sheer lack of movement.  Gently rolling a soft tentacle around the boy, the canine cubi lifted the child a few inches off the ground, then headed for the double doors.

Kassin had to be protected.  That was all that was on Garis's mind, as he entered the lobby again, watery eyed, soot covered, choking from the smoke.  He didn't even both with Theeb as he tried desperately to get outside into the clean, cool outside air.  His chest felt tight, he felt very weak, almost helpless.   He continued with his hacking cough, his body, desperately trying to suck in air.

[Noone]

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You're able to escape the building quite quickly. On the way out, you see Chance in the lobby.
Threeb briefly notices Garis running outside. He looks up and starts talking. "bhuhh... i don't think they're supposed to leave, moriarty said that they're not supposed to leave their rooms and if they do she starts yelling loudly at me and bhuhh... i don't know what a room is but they said they shouldn't go through a door and uhh... you should probably put them back before she yells at you... bhuhh.... yelling hurts my ears..." He then went back to doodling incomprehensibly.

The outside is still as bitterly cold as before, though the clean air feels nice. Kassin is still unconscious. The kid, while he seems okay, is still rather unresponsive, and shivers slightly in the cold weather. He seems stable now, but the cold might become a problem given enough time and exposure.

Also, on the outside, there are clearly visible footprints going away from the entrance and off into the distance. It looks like four beings left the area in a great hurry.

********************************************************************************
Coming back in, the lobby still looks the same, though the door left of the entrance has small amounts of smoke coming through the cracks. It's not much now, but it could become quite substantial soon.
A far more significant amount of smoke starts coming from that direction as well. There is also a good deal clogging the hallway through the door left of the entrance as well.

In a moment, Garis comes running in from the double doors behind Threeb, then going outside. As Chance enters and Garis exits, he raises his hand up in the air again, resting his elbow on the desk. However, he does nothing to stop either of them. "bhuhh... i don't think they're supposed to leave, moriarty said that they're not supposed to leave their rooms and if they do she starts yelling loudly at me and bhuhh... i don't know what a room is but they said they shouldn't go through a door and uhh... you should probably put them back before she yells at you... bhuhh.... yelling hurts my ears..."
He went back to doodling incomprehensibly.

********************************************************************************
The smoke isn't as thick closer to the ground, but you can still feel the heat from the denser clouds from above. Your lungs feel like they're on fire for a moment, making it difficult to breathe. It's a rather painful sensation that's only worsening with exposure.

Disappointingly, the room you enter is empty. It is more narrow than the other rooms you've been in, though has slightly less dust accumulated on the floor. The walls look to be in no better condition than the rest of the place. It looks like this room hasn't been used. However, there is still a large accumulation of smoke in here, the door to the hallway wasn't airtight. Worse, as you step in, the fires continue to spread, and the door you just entered is now cut off by the fires. There are no other exits or entrances in this room.

[Ghostwish]

Zanfib tried to utter a curse, but all that came was a hacking cough. Who knew what children were in danger of being engulfed in the other rooms, with him trapped in this one? Well, he wasn't trapped, per say, but time had been lost, regardless. He promptly teleported back outside, to the same place where he had left the children.

The burning in his lungs seemed to be become all the more intense as he breathed the cold air outside, and collapsed to the ground in a coughing fit. He looked up just long enough to spot Garis coming out of the building. He tried to call out, but his throat just wasn't up to it yet, so he settled for sending the cubi a telepathic message instead, with enough force that Garis could tell where it was coming from.

Get that damned angel over here, now!

He then promptly leaped back out of the frying pan, and into what was the next room in danger of being consumed..