The City (IC) [M]

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha didn't really know what she expected to happen after she knocked on the ancient coffin lid.  There was still a part of her that wondered if she was just hearing things.  But Gareeku, watching curiously and keeping his blade at the ready by the panther's request, had definitely heard it too.

But when the coffin had started to quiver with the sounds of muffled yelling and thumping coming from within, it made the both of them reel back again, hearts in their throats.  A rushed "Shit!" was heard exiting Aisha's tongue...the first thing that came to mind was that it had to be someone trapped inside, and the first instinct was to help.

A part of Aisha was still suspicious...after all it could be anything.  The wolf felt the same...but at least they were prepared.  The first thing to do was to try at least.

A goddamn heartless thing to do, suffocating someone, thought Gareeku as the two of them jumped to help.

Aisha's thoughts were similar, but vocalized.  "Who'd do this?" the huntress growled as she looked for a way to open the lid.  She took her sword, sheath and all, and tried to use it as a pry-bar.  Her voice was raised, so that whomever was inside knew they were working on the situation.  "I swear if I see that frog again...relax!"  She yelled to whatever was inside.  "You'll use up the air panicking like that!"

"I don't think there's any time for thinking about revenge!" Gareeku interrupted, helping Aisha in trying to get the lid open while also glancing around the room.  "Or jumping to conclusions.  But we could probably get answers from this guy...maybe there's a key here somewhere..."

Dammit, we have to hurry...

[Tipod]

Having both rodents press on his nerves was reason enough for Payden to grind his teeth. These lousy vermin, one you couldn't trust for obvious reasons and another you wouldn't want to be with by unpleasantry alone. After grabbing his gun from the back of Traxen's van, he gave the rats each a dour glare, idly worked the lever-action on his weapon and... did nothing else but walk a little further up and stand by Sister Alex. "...you're the good kind of religious, right? The kind that doesn't wipe out a village and only leave the kids behind?" As Payden spoke, he casually reached around to a side pouch, pulling out a small handful of bullets. "Because I need to ask something--"

The sheriff stopped his jawing and reloading upon sight of Ed and Eph. Even from here, his eyes could make out the wings. Son of a bitch. His body tensed naturally and finished shoving the last few slugs into his weapon, but relaxed soon after. Hey, no reason to feel scared; not only did he have a weapon at the ready, he had a whole posse at his side. What was one Creature against the whole lot of 'em? ...I have to stop thinking like this. We're not itching for fights just yet.

[Noone]

Kyirri kept a suspicious eye upon Traxen and his van while they went. People don't go from riches to rags like that... He thought. Generally, when a story like that doesn't make sense... it's because they have something to hide, something that they know I wouldn't like. I would know... I have more than my fair share of secrets to keep. He followed along in stoic silence. Either or... he's not someone to blindly trust...

He followed alongside Andrace and the others, still completely silent. He held the book-map in both of his hands, though he didn't complain about the item's bulk. As he walked along, he felt a sharp pain through his left arm, though he didn't express it. He momentarily carried the book in his arms as he felt his left arm with his right hand. He felt a slight irritation as he brushed against his left forearm. Not now! Not while those others are so close by... He stopped feeling his forearm and put both of his hands back on the book, despite that it slightly pained his left arm. I'll have to keep that hidden until I can get it taken care of. I really don't want the others finding out... It's just like before... He glanced around, keeping a close eye on Payden and Traxen, still suspicious. It can wait.

Kyirri kept his stoic silence as he gazed at the gate of the city. He examined the gates themselves, and the rat guarding them with careful scrutiny. That's odd... I kind of expected there wouldn't be any authority in control of this place, I wonder what he's doing here. He quickly stopped when he heard Payden addressing Sister Alex. He stared at him with his ever blank expression.

[Lisky]

Ed made his way through the suburbs, stealthily, quite and careful.  He made decent time, but it still took him longer than when the pair had been barreling carelessly down the streets.  Ephy's moans bespoke of her obvious discomfort, and despite the warm wing and that he was holding her close to his chest.  He spotted the large party and the strange vehicle.  He was a bit reluctant at first, if they were adventurers who were completely racist, he'd be in a tough spot.

As Ed approached, Ephy still in his arms, he felt the animosity and thoughts from the sheriff, he also noted that most of the people had mind shields... it was interesting.  Standing near the other side of the gate, Ed took up some of the slack by hardening the outside of the wing, which freed up his hand.  Waving he said in rather flat and non-committing tone, "do any of you know some good healing magic? if so, i think i could use your help."

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Sister Alex was momentarily confused at Payden's question. "Kill? The Sisters of Gutenberg are a teaching order, officer. We run libraries and schools. One can not teach the dead." She made a mental note to suggest that the order needed a stronger presence in this area. No one seemed to recognize her habit.

The sheriff stiffened and paused in mid-thought, causing Alex to look away from the guard post. A winged figure was walking towards them, carrying someone. As they got closer she recognized the pair as having been in the inn earlier. It would be instructional to find out what they had encountered. When the cubi, at least she assumed he was a cubi by the unnatural flexibility of his wings, asked for a healer Alex answered, "Bring her here and tell me what happened."

[Lisky]

Ed nodded as a robed squirrel offered aid.  "we were attacked at the bridge, vicious bestial things... looked almost feral, but not quite..."  He paused, thinking about everything, "she ended up with the better half of a femur in her behind, and within a few minutes ended up getting sick or something."

Pausing to look down at Ephy, Ed's face was full of concern and worry.  Continuing, "I've been keeping her warm, and she's got a strong pulse, but i'm really not sure what i'm dealing with."

[SpottedKitty]

Andrace jumped slightly a moment after Jess's final words, and her eyes widened briefly. Had someone just pinched her butt? She'd certainly felt claws meet in her very own personal backside, but no-one was close enough... except perhaps the rat herself. If so, it was a neat, surreptitious move, she hadn't seen it coming at all. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Jess. Was she just playing a trick, or was it a weird way of apologising, or was she suggesting...? Andrace grinned toothily. The flamboyantly dressed rat might be stronger than she looked, but was she just as tough?

The lioness breathed a sigh of relief when she realised they'd finally reached the City gates, and no-one had wandered off to chase butterflies. She resisted the temptation to roll her eyes at the guard-rat's "joke", but her ears and whiskers perked up when she spotted the people approaching the gates from inside. She was standing behind him, but she also noticed from the set of his shoulders Payden's change in attitude as the 'Cubi approached. She looked to make sure his finger was clear of the trigger, then padded silently up behind the sheriff and cleared her throat about six inches behind his head. Just close enough to let him feel warm breath on the back of his neck.

"Dunno how y're used t' workin'," she said in a low, really-not-very-menacing rumble just above a whisper, "but I don't perf'rate random Creatures wi'out a warrant in m' pocket. B'have." The lioness turned and walked off to examine the injured girl, leaving an unspoken "or else" floating in the air behind her. The tone Payden had taken with Sister Alex annoyed her as well, but she'd decided to save that one up for later.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Alex looked at the unconscious girl for a moment. She seemed pretty sick for the wound described and the nun wondered if the attacking creatures were venomous. "My staff has healing powers, but is not much use against poisons." She laid the end of the staff against the girl and she began to glow, very faintly. "If there aren't any toxins or they haven't gotten too far this should cure her."

[Myr]

Raek paused as he eyed the city in front of them, both ears perking forward. Even from here, he could smell many of the things associated with death. Ironically it made him hungry; especially when his sharp nose caught the odor of blood. This wasn't helped when that one gal and the strange feline that had gone with her came their way, the incubus carrying her in his arms.

At least it hadn't taken as long as he'd expected, to be honest.

But right now he didn't really care to argue with a fellow creature over the merits of bringing lunch with them-and it wasn't like he could help said Tasmanian devil anyway. His ideal on helping someone with serious tended towards when something needed to be amputated, and no one else wanting to do the job. Yes, this meant you didn't want him giving you treatment-unless you could positively convince him that a bandage would suffice and not a means to put one out of their misery.

Aside from that-and that squirrel coming over to offer what help she could to the newcomers-the lupine troll was more interested in keeping an eye on his employer...whom seemed to be having a short, serious talk to that one human for a moment. Wonder what that's about, he thought-though admittedly it wasn't his nature to pry into something his current boss was doing; unless it threatened his/her health.

And what she was doing certainly didn't seem to be leaning in that direction just yet, as she finished up and moved over to the newcomers. But, wait...he'd forgotten something, hadn't he?

The oversized mythos grunted softly as he glanced at Kyiiri-he'd almost forgotten about the small chap and the burden the canid had given him. He wanted to be able to do something, and he's got it, but still...have to see if I can lighten it a little.

Hmm...his tail wagged lazily as he moved over to the 'roo-rat. "You sure you don't want a ride? It's no trouble, and you'll have a better view." The tone, though slightly ungracious-sounding in nature and definitely on the gruff side, seemed sincere enough. "And that way I'll know if something tries to grab you."

Just...um, don't get hurt too badly again, one might have sworn he would add, it was hard enough to resist eating smaller beings like Kyiiri anyway-and much harder to avoid them when they're hurt.

[Stygian]

Trundling along had become a bit too dull for Jess after the first twenty minutes. While she was no stranger to exercise - an understatement on the same scale as calling the ocean a bit damp - the many and curious forms of it she had come to practice over the years and later even devise ways of not needing had always been stimulating and not just tedious. Thus, whenever she walked these days she required something else to occupy her hands and her active mind. At least half of the promenade she'd spent either juggling, shuffling cards nervously between her agile fingers, or performing idle little repetitive movements that suggested in an unnerving fashion that what she was doing was working with something unseen, and something that required careful handling at that. At one point she even spun on a heel and did a few lazy flips over backwards, right there on the street, stretching muscles that felt far too rubbery and taut from the bus trip. She was almost playing a little tune jingling the bells on her dress when they arrived at the border to the inner city, and seemed to positively brighten up when they were immediately met with a scene of misery.
   'Oooh~...' the rat exclaimed, sidling around Payden and over beside sister Alex, looking over the squirrel's shoulder. 'So good to see it isn't all talk.' She flashed a smile, then looked up at Ed. 'Were they big? With red eyes? And vicious, nasty teeth?' she asked, while her own buck-toothed grin gave him an urge to put his hand over his nose. 'I've a little experience with poisons, if any would come in handy,' she then added, merely as an afterthought. With perfect airheadedness she appeared not to pay attention to anything but Ephy's predicament, though her cheerfulness was rather sudden.

[Noone]

Kyirri observed Sister Alex and Edaric with careful scrutiny, initially trying to determine if it was some kind of trick. He quickly passed the scene off as genuine, but didn't act, preferring to keep an eye on things from a distance. He was careful to lay most of the book-map's weight on his right arm, keeping a minimum on his left.

He didn't turn to Raek when Kyirri was addressed addressed by him. He let out a soft "No", and resumed observing the surroundings. He was trying to split his attention towards Payden and Edaric, softly hoping that no trouble would come from the former at this time, and pondering how to aid the latter's companion. Maybe that salve I have? No... I don't know what I'm dealing with, and I don't have very much of it. If I use it all now... I won't be able to heal my arm,... or any future problems... He felt another sharp tinge of pain as he rested some of the book's weight on his left forearm.

Kyirri turned to Raek, and moved the book towards him. "Hold this." He said in his ever flat tone. "I won't be able to use it while we're on the move." He paused, still trying to keep tabs on Edaric and Payden.

[Yugo]

Kaela nodded firmly as she let the incubus take the girl's limp form from her care, giving him the pleasure of at least half of a smile. "I'll see you back at the inn then. No way in hell I'm leaving my bike here." She glanced about furtively, feeling the ever increasing pressure on her back of eyes watching her. Watching and waiting. "God knows what those things would do to it if I left it." Among the many other terrible and strange fates that could befall her precious motorcycle. With that she took her leave, shotgun aimed at the ground but ready to use nonetheless. After seeing the grotesque monsters this City had to offer, she was taking no chances. Pity that she had to use all of her grenades in one go.

The wheels of her bike kicked up a pile of papers in a roaring scream as she flew down the empty streets at a breakneck pace. She wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of that accursed City, but with her livelihood and survival on the line she'd certainly have to return for what she was looking for. The idea didn't thrill her. The exorbitant compensation just didn't seem like enough payment to go to the City for anything: jewels, people, or otherwise. Certainly it must have been completely plundered of its secrets by now, judging by how the border towns were dying off. It seemed to happen with any adventuring hotspot. Once there was nothing left to adventure, there was no reason to live there either. It was a little sad, really.

A single eyebrow raised up behind Kaela's sunglasses as she got a good look around the gate. Somebody must've brought their whole bloody crew with them, she thought wistfully, wishing that she had possessed the foresight to do as much. A whole mess of shotguns would make this job a lot easier. However, she wasn't sure she would have brought  a bus, and couldn't help but grin at the idea. Her boots scraped softly against the concrete as she pulled to a stop next to the old gate, backing her bike in just in case she needed to scram out of there in a hurry. Raising her glasses, she rubbed the bridge of her nose, killing the engine of her bike, and walked briskly towards the fallen archer-girl, eyeing the healer that seemed to be helping her. "Will she be alright?"

[Lisky]

Ed looked rather nervous as Ephy groaned, seemed to gain semi-consciousness, then fall back asleep.  He looked at those around him who were all asking question, and started feeling rather defensive.  First turning to Sister Alex, "I do thank you for your help, but it seems we're heading back for the Inn... it would be lovely to catch you later, but for now, i think it best to tend to my friend, Ephrael first."

Next, turning his attention to the rat, he somewhat glared, "No, to all of the above, No, they were not monsters of a child's dreams, but part beast and part being.  No we do not need your help, we will be find without whatever help you may or may not be able to provide, and no, we will not be acting as some macabre form of entertainment for your own viewing pleasure."

Irritation still flowing through his body as he spotted Kaela... he focused, not letting his emotions get in the way when she asked about Eph.  He replied, "She seems to be stable, just sleeping off the effects of whatever it is that she's got.  I'm taking her back to the Inn now... I can't speak for those around me, but I would be glad to have your company if you'd wish to head back to town with Ephrael and myself."

Ed calmed himself further as he reduced his focus to just those around him that he actually genuinely liked...  He mentally thanked the lioness for her help with the lawman.  A few moments later, he decided it was time to leave.  Picking up Ephrael, again, in a rather affectionate embrace, he headed off towards the Inn again.

[Boog]

Aisha and Gareeku managed to get the lid of the sarcophagus off between the two of them, revealing... a girl with curly red hair and coke bottle glasses. Shrew by species, being by race and probably a shut-in by attire the girl sat up with a loud gasp, scrambling out of the sarcophagus. She was clutching a notebook and some chalk. A pencil was sticking out of her pocket. Mathematical equations were scrawled in chalk all throughout the inside of the sarcophagus. She looked up, hyperventilating.
"Oh, good... You're here..."

--

Unless she had truly extraordinary tastes, the girl did not want a private liaison.
The demon had a revolver in a holster at her belt, was sitting on the bed next to a truly nefarious looking saber, and was apparantly refreshing some sort of magic tattoo on her arm with a stylus when Witt walked in.
"Tell me, what are you looking for in that city?"

--

The rat hissed at Ed's and Kaela's descriptions of the creatures in the City. "Yeah, I've heard of them. You find 'em everywhere in there, but they're supposed to be nocturnal in the suburbs. I hear they can be domesticated, but I sure as hell wouldn't wanna find out how..."

[Lisky]

Ed paused at the rat's expression, he wasn't 100% sure why, but suddenly, something clicked.  He raised a hand in the air, and it glowed for a second.  Moments later, a tear seemed to open up next to the gate.  A rat-ish creature appeared.  Ed touched the creature's head, seeming to massage the perfectly smooth, gray and red Warp-Aci.  The feline said, "Raeleg, do you think you can transport us to the Inn... if anything can penetrate that thick skull of yours, i hope the directions i just sent you, did."

The Aci looked slightly irritated, in a soft soprano, the glow-rat replied, "You don't have to be so abusive, Edaric, yes i got the directions, and yes, i can take you there..."

The long, narrow tail, began glowing as Realeg hopped in the air, floating for a few seconds he spun about, head over heels, slashing another gash with his tail.  Ed paused, looking at Keala, "If you want a quick trip back to the Inn, follow me... this portal won't be open for long, though."  With that, Ed stepped through, and headed towards the entrance, waiting just long enough for the portal to close, in case Kaela choose to follow.

[Kafzeil]

As he stepped into the main area, a very slight sense of relief flushed over Jinx. Not enough to cause him to let his guard down.

Until he noticed the odd stains on the windows. Mouthing a "What in the Seven Hells....?"to himself, he spent a good minute examining them, trying to figure just what they were-

The starching noise. It was under him now. It clicked it Jinx's brain fairly quickly. The cellar, or some kind of tunnel system.

Jinx motioned to Mao to come closer. Perhaps he was right, Maybe he was too slow finding another entrance. Perhaps this Adventurer had seen something...

To be safe though, he placed his finger in his lips, just in case Mao had somehow forgotten his own advice. He normally didn't trust adventurers, then again, this might be because of a differing moral code in his profession then that of Mao's own...

[techmaster-glitch]

   As they were getting to the gate, Traxen also got some of Payden's words that were apparently meant for the book-mage, asking her something about her being the "good" kind of religious. However, something else caught his attention. On the other side of the gate, someone was approaching, apparently carrying someone. But a certain detail caught Traxen's attention most of all on the external monitor. The person carrying had wings.
  A Creature.
  Traxen sucked in a slight breath, as this was somewhat unexpected. What was even more unexpected, however, was that when they got into identifiable range, the trackers Pamcawv had on them already had some information on them. Traxen quickly went over some of the video logs from the Inn, and sure enough, they were both there. Even without this, Traxen still wasn't the kind to shoot Creatures first and ask questions never, even after they had ruined him. However, that didn't mean he trusted them either.
  Traxen flagged the tracking tag Pamcawv was identifying the Creature with as "yellow". That mean that Pamcawv the automatic systems explicitly wouldn't consider this target as hostile unless the target initated a hostile act towards the van, drones, bots, or any "green" targets. Speaking of which...
  Traxen took a few moment to flag the trackers on the other people in the group, changing them from "uncolored" neutral to green (with the exception of the rather unstable-seeming jester-rat. However, Traxen made a few specific alteration to that profile, as Pamcawv could easily mistake her antics towards the others as "hostile action". However, Traxen did not make this extend to his own equipment). Green meant that, in a dangerous or combat situation, the autonomous systems would not only take steps to avoid causing accidental collateral damage on them, but would actively work to protect and cover them.
  In the meantime, it seemed as if the person the Creature was carrying was injured, and said injured person was getting some help from the book-mage. Shortly after that, someone on a motorcycle also appeared on the other side of the gate, and apparently was familiar with the Creature and the injured person. The mobility a motorcycle-mounted agent would offer appealed to Traxen, but the type of bike and person riding it suggested, if not some biker hooligan, than at least a "rough" person. Probably not someone Traxen would be able to get along with easily.
  Shortly afterward, they seemed to have finished tending to the injured girl, and the Creature started carrying her back to the Inn. However, he didn't get far before stopping, apparently for casting some magic. As Traxen watched on the monitos, a small, floating black creature with a very long whip-like tail materialized. After a breif interaction with the Creature, the small thing then seemed to open up a "hole" in space, which the Creature stepped through. Traxen then realized what it must be. A Warp-aci. That thing was a Warp-Aci.
  Traxen had read and heard a little about them, but never actually seen one. All he knew is that they were summoned my a shadow-magic ritual and had the capability of instantaneous transportation. Now, Traxen still thought that all magic was quaint. But even so, he knew a possibility when he saw one, and his mind instantly went into overdrive, thinking of some potential applications even with his limited knowledge. Traxen resolved to ask the Creature about the Warp-Aci if he ever saw him again.
  After a little bit, Traxen realized he had been completely distracted. He looked at the monitor the gate-guard was in, and started speaking over the external speakers.
  "So, if you are a gatekeeper for this place, the I would imagine you have at least some knowledge of the dangers within... I have already been warned to avoid anything that looks like it's supposed to alive entirely, double-check anything inanimate before touching, and to stay out of the subway system. Are there any other particular dangers or hazardous areas I should be aware of?"
  The rat responded, which was picked up on the external microphones and broadcast into Traxen's headset. "Mm, a few things to watch out for. Roads, buildings, trees, people, particularly aggressive sounds, the light in particular settings..." On the screen, the rat waved his hand languidly, "You're better off just generally watching out."
  Traxen frowned slightly, as he had been hoping for something a little more specific than that. Oh well. After a minute, Traxen abruptly perked up. He had just thought of something that could drasticaly reduce the time he spent searching for salvage in the first place.
  "Hey, uh... assuming it's still standing, and that you know where it is, can you tell me the location of the city hall? It should have records and blueprints of the industial, commerical, and technological centers of the city, and having access to that information will help me focus my salvage efforts."
  "City hall? Think that's uptown. WAY uptown, in central square. Keep going up far enough you can't miss it. Bit of a ways though."
  Even though Traxen could not yet decide whether or not this information was worth acting on, it was still very useful to know. There was one last question he had.
  "Oh, and one last thing. This is probably crazy, considering how long this place has been abandoned, leaving no one to actually keep this running, but...is any of the city's infrastructure still operational? Namely, the electrical power utility?"
  "Electricity... Not everywhere. Something's keeping it going in some places, but I hear the power plants aren't a good place to check out. Then there's the things that just look like they're still workin' to catch prey..."
  Again, while unspecific, this was more useful information.
  "Okay, thank you very much, sir, you've been quite helpful." Traxen said. Turning his attention to the group he continued speaking. "Alright everyone, if we are all going in and we plan to remain in each other's company, we should probably get our path figured out ahead of time to prevent any navigational conflict. As you just heard, I'd like to visit this place's city hall. Getting there, getting what I need, and getting out will almost certainly take most of the day, and I absolutely want to be out by nightfall, that's one thing the barkeeper warned me about. However, my agenda almost certainly doesn't coincide with anyone else's, although my planned path might. So, if you are willing, speak up about where you'd like to vist in the City and what for. However, if no one actually wants to go in as far on the first escapade as I'd like, well...I guess that's tough luck for me."

(OOC: I worked out the dialogue with Boogeyman ahead of time, so  no one's waiting on that. Incidentally, my post has also turned out much longer than anticipated...)

[Myr]

"Huh?" The abominable canid tilted his head quizzically as the 'roo-rat seemed to be foisting his task off to someone else-namely the lupine troll in question. Eh, whatever. I usually end up carrying a lot anyway, he thought as he accepted the tome being thrust back at him...and casually tucked it under one armpit without a second's thought. "Fine, but it's still your responsibility, not mine."

Well, he certainly wasn't going to take the time to stuff it into the sack over his shoulder. Besides, as hideous as he might appear, he was reasonably clean (His clothes were another story, of course!). Still, it was just the thought, you know?

Annnyway, disturbing thoughts aside, things were taking a rather interesting turn in Raek's opinion.

Well, at least when one took into account the odd thing that had just shown up. Look, dinner, was his first thought as that 'cubi started talking to the strange shadow-critter. Certainly the little chap was infinitely more interesting than the discussions going on all around the troll-wolf.

Pity his next thought registered that it seemed to be a pet to the aforementioned incubus. Drat. Now I'll just have to wonder what it tastes like. His one furred ear twitched back though as he caught mention of returning back to the inn. "So we're not going into the city?" The tone was gruff; casual even...but one could tell he was mildly disappointed at the thought of not getting to do his job.

Afterall, what's the point of being paid if you're not going to get to do what that payment is for? The canine mythos sighed, both ears flicking back. Another job gone, if he'd guessed correctly.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Witt sauntered up to the room in question, and knocked on the door. At the call to enter, he opened the door, stuck his head in, and glanced around.

Hrm. The revolver means she probably wasn't after a liaison. He glanced at the saber, and reconsidered. Maybe. And then the stylus and tattoo. Hrm. Haven't had one like this since, oh, it'd be that pretty insectis with the piercings, way, back oh, must be a couple centuries at least. Now, she was a wild one. And before her, it'd been half a millennium to that mythos with the...

He dragged himself mentally back into the present, and raised one eyebrow at the girl on the bed. With a gimpy leg like that, dragging a sword around would be pointless, since anyone with anything more than a paring knife would be able to run rings around her, unless she was very very good with it. He considered her question carefully, looking at it, metaphorically speaking, from all sides, before answering. He stumped over to the chair, picked it up, turned it round, and sat on it, resting his arms on the back, and gazing at her for a moment before responding.

"Stuff. And possibly some things. And maybe, if I'm lucky, some other stuff, too." He paused for a beat, then went on. "Why? What's it to you?"

[Stygian]

Jessica didn't flinch when the Aci popped out of thin air, stretching out from a spot into a thin black band and then expanding, like the picture shrinking on an old television set as you turned it off but recorded and played backwards. 'Nifty,' was the only comment she offered, when the portal stretched into existence. Her eyes darted sideways suddenly, and she observed the strangely sharp look the wolf Mythos was giving the little warp imp, and the brief exchange that included him. With a certain acumen, she picked up some amusing undercurrents, and flashed her quite noticeable grin at Raek.
  'Of course we're still going into the city, silly,' she said, and her voice took on a sing-song quality. 'Standing still on the steps satisfies us not. If we did nae enter, believe so I will, it would sit sorely ill with this dilly lot.' Her gaze went a little distant, and she chuckled. Some reed instrument players would have marveled at the tones one could get out of the rat's front teeth when she pronounced 'satisfies'. With the silky precision of a crab she sidled over a little closer to Raek.
  'Don't try eating one of those, by the way. It'll make a hole in your stomach,' she said, still grinning. 'Well, a worse one than there already is, at least.' She balled her fist, and punched his gut, playfully and without much force.

[Angel]

Once the kids stepped out of the bar, they felt an odd sense of relief. At last, they were finally going to the city and going to figure out what the hell Black Magic had wanted out of this place. But as it turned out, there were still more interruptions and people on their way out of the bar and into the street. There was a robot, who apparently knew Payden and who Kyirri obviously mistrusted, and the decidedly surly hedgehog from earlier. The latter was openly and optimistically pessimistic about their journey into hell itself, to which Kali nearly stuck out her tongue before Mykst gave her arm a squeeze of warning. He'd seen enough anger for one day, he wasn't about to let Kali or himself incur any more. What with all the time bombs just waiting to go off here, it won't take long, though... The man who communicated through the robots left with the bus, and the kids, wishing they had a huge armored car, followed along with the group.

The journey to the gate was uneventful, save for Payden being racist (at which Kali gave Mykst a look) and Jess being violent and psychotic (at which Mykst gave Kali a look). Andrace stopped Payden soon enough, which got a respectful smile and nod from Black Magic, but the people Jess was grinning at were a matter of curiosity. It was a Incubus carrying an apparently injured succubus, and initially, the kids did their best not to stare. They'd seen only one demon before, and he was only half-blood, but this was their first time ever seeing one of the Cubi. They lived in a town comprised mostly of Beings, so it was a learning experience for them. At the mention of needing healers, though, they gave each other a worried look. Flesh wounds were one thing, but they only knew how to cure a poison if someone told them what it was, and even Kali only knew how to cure basic poisoning so far. Fortunately, though, the decision was made without them, and they were treated to another rare sight: a Warp-Aci. Mykst reacted with a face of surprise and a strange sense of eagerness, and Kali with an 'awwwww' expression. Once the appeal of that wore off, though, they started to look around at the others in the group and drift over to them, Kali to Jess, Mykst to Traxen. Perhaps because it had been so long since he'd spoken, perhaps because the presence of the group gave him a strong feeling, he didn't stutter or look away from the ... um ...

"Well, we don't really have a specific destination in mind. We're here because Black Magic, well, had a hunch about this place. Hopefully, looking through the city will explain why before something kills us, but until then, wherever the others want to go is fine." As long as it's nowhere with big sharp claws and teeth, the cat left unspoken. Surely no-one in the group except Jess and Payden would willingly seek out trouble...right?

Kali, meantime, observed Jess and Raek with a passive sense of amusement and horror. The woman was going to be really, really interesting, whether in the Chinese-curse sense or the kill-a-threat-by-turning-it-into-fleshy-ribbons sense. Right now, though, no matter how talented she was, she seemed to be really asking for it. Don't mind me, just never seen someone dig her own grave with a steam shovel before.

[SpottedKitty]

Andrace stood well back, but she watched closely as Sister Alex worked on the injured girl. She was beginning to wonder about poison as well: the wound was more than superficial, but on its own, it shouldn't have been enough to put someone down and out like this. It wasn't a good place for an injury like that, either. Fortunately, the girl was short-tailed anyway, otherwise she might have become one. Nice fur tattoo, though. Andrace remembered the last time she'd been shot in the butt: even after her sister Despina had healed it, she still wasn't happy about sitting down for the next day or so.

The lioness perked an ear up at Traxen's comments and looked thoughtful. "Hmm... well, I wasn't plannin' on goin' anywhere in p'tic'lar," she said after a moment, then glanced around at the others. "So f'r me, th' city hall's as good a place as any t' try t' reach first. All o' y' happy wi' that? Anyone got other ideas?" Her eyes and ears flicked back and forth, but most of her attention seemed to be on Sister Alex and Kali. The squirrel for her good sense, and the young lioness for the possible value of her hunch. Whatever it was.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the spotted 'Cubi take the injured girl by Warp-aci teleport back to the inn, with the wolf following on her bike. She hoped the girl would be all right. Perhaps they'd bump into each other later, inside the city.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Sister Alex watched the cubi leave with the injured girl. She wished she could do more, but healing wasn't one of her strong magics. That was why she had been gifted with the staff. Hopefully the innkeeper knew of a better healer in the town.

The van-man announced he was searching for City Hall and none of the others seemed to have a definite destination. Alex's first thought was to strike out and look for a library, but on second thought the city's records might settle the question of whether or not the order had ever had a branch here. Without knowing the true name of the city it was hard to match it up with any of their long-lost brethren. If the records hadn't been looted she might find some clues. If there was an old chapter house in these ruins it would be the best starting point for her book hunt. She nodded to the others, "City Hall seems like a good starting point."

[Aisha deCabre]

It took a feat of strength between herself and Gareeku to get the heavy, ancient sarcophagus lid open...but when they did, Aisha was rather relieved for a couple of reasons.  One being that they had apparently saved the shrew that had suddenly crawled out from certain suffocation, and the other being that it wasn't anything to fight, it seemed (to the hunter's slight disappointment, nonetheless).

The panther replaced her sword onto her back as she studied the strange, bookish-looking Being with a tilted head, sparing a glance towards Gareeku and back to her again.

"You alright, chica?" she asked, her face showing a little concern as she was still hyperventilating while speaking.  "How long were you in there?  And what were you doing anyway?"

Among the many questions that we ought to be asking, Aisha thought silently.  But best give her a chance to compose herself, first...

[Tipod]

Payden, in all his sensibility, kept to himself and stood away from the others while Sister Alex did her work on the injured demon. No point in causing trouble while the others still seemed unsure of him... especially that lioness. Offending them and being restrained by the buff feline could have put his old bones in some serious hurt.

So he stood nearest the van, palming his neck and waiting for the little procedure to finish before he got too antsy. Before he knew it, everyone was ready to move out again. But that brought up the whole new dilemma of just where to go in such a sprawling hell-hole.

"Well, I'll tell you where we're not going: the morgue, an orphanage, the zoo, any kind of burial grounds, and no prisons. Nothing with any kind of residual evil left, and we're sure as hell not going below ground. No basements, no subways." He rubbed his nose nervously. "I have no objections to visiting the city hall."

[Mao]

Mao, not wasting a second, started to look for a way to make his way upstairs.  Though the scratching sound had moved further away and, Mao still believed that if the source of the snoring was someone alive, he might be able to get some information about what had happened.  The sight of the place, to his sight, was very odd.  The walls were covered in what looked like a living substance.. or the substance of a formerly living thing, he wasn't sure and didn't pause to figure it out.  Regardless of if there was still danger in the area, Mao still wanted to know what was going on and a survivor could be an excellent source.

Being as cautious as his haste would allow, Mao began to look for a way to get to the source of the snoring, not even noticing the feline who was motioning to him.

[Noone]

Kyirri kept his blank look on Raek as the tome was taken from him. "I'll take it back when we stop. For now, I need to stay alert." He glanced about. Especially with those two around. That my teammates are way too trusting won't help anything. He was listening to the conversation, but said nothing.

City hall... I'm amazed this place has one, considering how lawless I've heard it is. Still, I'd better be alert in case we're being led right into a trap.

[techmaster-glitch]

   Taking stock of the group's reactions to his question, Traxen noted that none seemed to have a problem with his destination. In fact, it seemed as if none of the others actually had destinations of their own. Considering that this place was supposed to be the abandoned, looted shell of what was once a popular adventuring locale, Traxen found this quite surprising.
  Traxen then began thinking about a few things, mostly having to do with getting to the proposed city hall. Then he realized a few problems. Then, just as quickly, he thought of solutions.

***

  Traxen's voice continued speaking from the van. "Okay, so city hall it is. However, as this is a large city, with the hall being located in central square, I'm counting on the time it takes to get there to be measured by the hour. However, I doubt any of you would want to walk that distance if there was any other option, and if I actually slowed down to keep with you on foot, it may take the rest of the day just to get there. Now, uh...I unfortunately can't take on any passengers, because I've got a lot more stuff in here than you'd think, and even the smallest of you would get in my way if I tried to move around. So, short of everyone just sitting on the roof, the next best thing I can think of is that we commandeer the first vehicle we see that all of you can fit in..." there was a momentary pause, "...that also isn't cursed or housing some eldritch abomination or is otherwise inconducive to safe transport, and if it isn't in operable condition, which is possible, I'll just tow you guys around. If there are no objections or better ideas, shall we be off?"
  The van started moving forward at a slow pace, and while it was moving, Traxen's voice continued speaking again. "Oh! Geeze! I just realized I haven't properly introduced myself to the rest of you yet. The name's Traxen Ridgrey. As is rather obvious, I am an inventor, builder, engineer, and a few other things besides. Though my preference is making self-propelled autonomous machines, I can fix up, whip up, or upgrade just about any mechanical, digital, or electronic device you care for."
  There was another pause as the van continued forward. "Ah, I suppose I should also introduce my...uh...well, I'll just let him introduce himself. Pamcawv, introduce yourself."
  A very different voice abruptly began speaking, one that was obviously synthesized (to any familiar with such things), and very monosylabic. "De-sig-na-tion-par-ti-al-ly-au-to-no-mous-mo-bile-co-mand-and-work-shop- ve-hi-cle-P-A-M-C-A-W-V-func-tions-in-clude-pro-vid-ing-a-mo-bile-plat-form-for-field-con-struc-tion- co-or-din-ate-ing-de-ployed-a-gents-and-self-di-rec-ting-sub-si-di-ar-y-func-tions-when-ne-ce-sar-ry."

[Yugo]

Kaela breathed a sigh of relief, the hands on her motorcycle loosening noticably as some of the stress plagued her left. She had felt somewhat guilty as she was at least partially responsible for the injury despite the fact that it came about in a wholly unexpected way. Normally it was the grenade itself that caused injury, not a chip of bone. At least they were lucky enough that Ephrael hadn't suffered some form of sepsis or infection from the injury. They could thank the priestess for that bit of grace, and Kaela did just that before returning her attention to their companion. Hopefully the lack of poison held true.

She raised an eyebrow at the incubus' summoned creature as it scolded him for his rudeness, suppressing a slight snicker at its frustration. Although Kaela was loathe to trust magical travel, besides the fact that it had a reoccuring tendency to make her sick, her fear of what The City could provide overrode her mistrust. Kicking up the bike's stand, Kaela pushed it through with her into the portal, closing her eyes as she passed through the brilliant light into their new surroundings.

As expected, her stomach complained loudly upon exiting the magical doorway. The wolf grimaced at it before making her way over next to the inn and parking her bike there. "I'm going to go get something to eat. Let me know if you need any more help with her or if you need me to watch her," Kaela said as she nodded at the incubus and headed inside the inn, sitting at the bar and rubbing her stomach. She waited for the barman expectantly, not sure if she was sick or hungry.

[Myr]

The monstrous lupine's ears twitched back in rather mild confusion-though not to worry, he would hold onto the book! At least until something managed to take it away, as easy or difficult that might be, of course. But right now, his attention was somewhat focused on the feminine rodent who was addressing him. Okay, what was going on here?

Truth to tell, hardly anyone ever had the nerve to address him directly...though he'd been getting a lot of that today, hadn't he?

Still, he kept quiet as she said they were still heading into the city proper. While that was indeed a lot better than heading back...he still had to quirk an invisible eyebrow as Jess came over to him. Admittedly, he was a touch impressed at the odd, whistle-like tone she managed to make with those front teeth of hers when she said that one word...but right now, pale brown eyes observed the rat curiously as she mentioned not eating something. Either she's talking about that little black thing, or her weapons, I'm honestly not sure. One ear-the furless one-quirked slightly. Personally, he was inclined to think she was talking about her unique and painful-looking assortment of toys that even a distinct lover of torture would marvel at with a mixture of fear and awe.

At least, he had been, until she balled her fist and punched him lightly in that stone-hard gut of his with that creepy, yet apparently playful grin still on her face.

Okay, whatever was going on in her head certainly didn't make sense to him. The troll-wolf actually had no interest in starting a fight unless he really had to anyway-it was his job to end them, afterall, not cause them! This time, anyway. Raek's ears perked as he looked down at Jess, his barely fuzzed tail twitching in a lazy wag. While he wasn't sure to make of her still, he decided he'd take this friendly gesture at face-value. Granted, he could have taken it wrongly....

And besides, someone was watching, and he didn't want to give the wrong impression by playfully acting like he would bite Jess's head off. She probably wouldn't have taken well to the experience anyway, come to think of it.

So the lupine mythos smiled toothily down at the rodent in what one would assume was a rather innocent, disarming fashion...for a troll, anyway. "Maybe," he rumbled quite casually, letting the hand he'd had ready to grab his weapon curl into a fist of its own. "But I think I'd avoid eating those little toys of yours anyway."

Now, while he couldn't safely imitate her action, he could do something rather close. So, without the slightest change of expression, his free hand whipped forward to stop an inch from her nose, still curled into a fist...well, if she didn't back off, of course! "I almost like you," He said a touch conversationally as he let his fist drop, "Pity you're not a troll, or I'd maybe, just maybe consider it a date."