Of Steam and Steel: IC (Mature) {Currently Open}

[Tapewolf]

Nhylamar Badlands

"I'm sorry to hear that," Sethir said cautiously.  Emotionally, the panther didn't seem to be too distressed at losing his companion, so it could go either way.  In any case it was none of his business.

"I live in the capital so I'm probably not the best person to ask.  You really want someone who visits it..."

He frowned.  "That said, I've heard good things about the QuadTree hotel.  It's owned by Dimanika Clan so it's safe enough, but it is a little expensive and the floors are randomly-numbered."
The wolf smiled for a moment... he and Dorcan had spent many days and nights designing the elevator control systems while the tower was being built - the clan representative had insisted that it visit each floor in numerical order.  They had eventually used a pinned barrel, much like that found in a musical box.  The pins were screwed into place so that they could be rearranged as necessary.

"Oh yeah, there's a TravelShack as well.  They're cheaper, but the beds aren't as comfortable.  Depends if you need to sleep, I guess.  And how long you'll be there for."

"Anyhow, I'd better make tracks," he said.  "You're welcome to tag along if your machine is working."

So saying, he helmeted up and hit the road, trying to get his thoughts in order for the report he'd have to make.

[Lisky]

Lamylar 

Renard waited for Ana to gather her things, and prepare for the trip.  He himself merely tidied up his own appearance a bit, along with adding several runes across his body, making him more obviously an enforcer of Nhylamar.  "Whenever you're ready, all me to take care of your bags."


Sevoy Back Alley 

Baseel listened to the frog, and held a thoughtful gaze for a few moments before responding.   He kept his tone level and calm.  "Well, Jeremiah... to really determine what fair trade would be... i do believe i'd have to know what you'd ask of me first.  Seeing as you've done your research, and have passed the scrutiny of my some of my security, you can either follow me to a meeting with the crew, or wait at the MJOLNIR, in my quarters, and we can discuss this issue further.  As is, I do have a meeting i need to attend.  Privacy will be a bit minimal, with several crewmembers, as well as possible recruits involved." 
Reaching into a pouch the demon canine produced a small black, sphere, perhaps the size of large marble, "This will either grant you access to the ship, or allow you to contact me, should you choose to head off until after the meeting.  If it weren't for previous arrangements, i'd have gladly tried to sort this out sooner."

Turning his attention back to the unicorn and rat, the demon added, "Milady, and sir, if you wish to join the crew, i am holding a semi-formal meeting to give everyone a brief rundown as to what's actually going on, and why i am in need of services from such a broad range of skills, and why i am -primarily- recruiting creatures. "   Making another sweeping gesture, the demon reached out towards the restaurant district, his hand shimmered with a blackish mist for a moment, along with his bright blue eyes.  "If you're seriously interested in a job, please, follow me.  I've just called a meeting for all the stones the other recruits are carrying.  A meal is on me, along with a little bit of enlightenment." 
Waiting just long enough to gather his followers, Baseel started wading into the street, careful to take roads large enough so that the mechanic could drive his bike without much problems.


Around The Wagons   

Time seemed to fade away again.  Something appeared in a vision, of some sort... or maybe he woke up and then passed out again.  He couldn't remember.  However, the water was still running, splashing around him.   his upper-body had all but dried,  however, and there was not a peep of the sound of people.  Stephan could feel people a ways away... but there was no one within his camp.  his senses seemed off... 

It was calm, peaceful... and then, right in front of him, a black slit appeared, the slit seemed to face him, a total darkness, the blackness grew, it had depth, there was light somewhere in the black patch, floating in the sky, a little ways in front of him.  An orange, spotted paw appeared, black, baggy pants, some type of opened vest, then, a leopard head.  Long, leathery wings sprouted from his back, smaller from his head.  His dark blue eyes transfixed on the squirrel.  "Oh... it seems i caught you at an awkward time... "  the voice was soft, moderately deep, and oozed with amusement. 
"I've got a letter for you, and some stuff to go over... so... why don't you get dressed before someone else finds out that you're going to be incapable of sating the ladies when you get to the academy"  He flashed a very toothy grin.  On closer inspection, a bright red mark could be seen through the opened vest, placed on the feline's very well formed, and taught, thin, but muscular frame.  He seemed almost sculpted out of one of Stephan's sisters romance novels.


Pet Store

Besides the harness, which very easily slid over and around the wings of the little kitten, kibble, bowls, and an enchanted collar with a teleport mechanism were all suggested to the angelic doctor.  The store keeper tried adding a few toys as well, seeing that this particular customer seemed to want to pamper her pet.

In the back, the wyvern gave Paige's tentacle an odd look, prodding the extended limb with it's beak-like nose.  It opened it's mouth, and cooed back in an imitation of Paige's own noises, then took a small hop.  It weighed far more than it looked like, perhaps 8 pounds, quite heavy for such a small, and flight-capable reptile.   It's tail swished back and forth, the stinger clearly not extended as looked at Paige and released a bit of a chirp.  It cocked it's head, and it's expression practically oozed, "So, what now?"   wait...  Wait, was that thoughts she'd just heard?

a few moments later, the small black stone the captain had given each of them rang with a subtle chime, it grew warm, and it moved a bit.  A few moments later, an image of a diner appeared along with strangely specific directions engrained in their memory.  They knew where they were going, as if it were second nature.


In the Smoke and Haze, Aeliseium 

As the brothers sped down the road, they'd quickly find the building on fire.  It was a large school-house looking building.  Part of a church.  There were screams coming from well inside the walls, and, it appeared the fire was set to completely trap whoever was inside the building.  The door was visibly aflame, along with the windows.  The smoke was rising as the flames crept towards the center of the building, "St. Moneclare's Orphanage" were the letters engraved in the large wrought-iron sign. 

More screams, panic, terror, imminent death.  Every entrance was aflame, and through the windows, it looked like most of the outer corridors had joined the blaze as well.  A child's wail, a small raged form pressing against the window before succumbing to the flame.  Before the brothers, was a ghastly scene...  A horribly dangerous, and ghastly scene.  The building looked on the verge of collapse as the fire ate away at the  supports of the large, wooden structure.

Lucy suddenly had her own problems to deal with.  Coming from the nearby woods were footsteps, heading away from where the brothers had just gone.  A ripple of movement, something green.  Then it disappeared.  Suddenly movement from something brown.  Whatever it was, it was difficult to tell if it'd spotted her just yet.


On The Big Blue Watery Road (Arroyo) 

A hammer-like sound thundered against the hull of the ship, then another.  Rhythmic drum-beats.  The masked mage looked at the being feline and cackled.  "You are in over your head, adventurous lad.  You jump overboard now, and we won't come after you, nor attempt to stop your escape... "
Another bolt of lightning flickered out from the staff.  Another drum-beat from below deck.  The water Arroyo had summoned was dissolved in a flash of hissing mist.  Another beat from below deck.  Was it getting louder?  *BOOM* another beat.   The mage's staff flashed again, a small shell of glowing energy covered his feet and the deck-plate below him.  "Do you even know what you're stopping, lad?  You don't honestly think you can stop -him-, do you?"  *BOOM*  Something was coming from the inner hold of the ship. 
A sharp screetch could be heard, a sound like a rusty nail against a chalk-board.  Metal rending, giving way, as something tore through another deck.  "He won't give you a deal as good as i"  Long sharp teeth exposed themselves below the mask.  The swordsman had donned masks as well.  A symbol,  a bizarre, swirling star pattern, with 3 points,  brazenly displayed on the side of the cheek of each mask.  "Oh, he's very close now... i'd run if i were you."
The beating started again, and this time, the upper-deck rumbled.


Club

"Well, i can get you a..."   Suddenly the waitress paused as an incubus, some breed of lynx, appeared from the door and shouted, "Hay, Sol's show is about to start... if you want to catch the whole thing, you'd better get out 'ere now!"

Many patrons filed out, and many staff members hastily donned clothing of a more modest nature, and followed in kind.  The entire club seemed to be emptying out into the streets, heading down the road, towards the market square.  The lioness made a not so subtle push towards the door, and said to Sikici, "oh, you'll want to see this... he's been bragging about his wonders for -far- too long to not have something absolutely wondrous to show off."   


To the Library

Kyirri's attempt to ignore his purser worked.  The male seemed to disappear into the crowd, with no signs of his outfit, nor head anywhere amongst the beings and creatures going about their routines.  He would find himself outside the large building, it's marble columns standing perhaps 10 stories high, and each heavily engraved.  This was one of the grander libraries in the area, a place where books where rare books would surely be found, and it matched the address his boss had given him.  He felt compelled to continue with his mission... He -had- to get that book.

At the front desk, a squirrel being stood by a small sign, it read "Ms. Tanika"



(OOC: there's more coming in the next few days... but i'm too tired to carry on... enjoy those of you who've been posted for, and those who haven't, don't worry, i haven't forgotten you)

[Gabi]

"I'll be fine, I'm used to carrying things around and I prefer to have my things at hand," Ana politely rejected the offer. "Thanks anyway."

She went back home and packed, making a mental list and going through it several times until she was confident that she wasn't forgetting anything important.

While she was going through her drawers to pick her stuff, she came across her old music box. It was a family relic, brought from Aeliseum although no one knew for sure where it had been made. It didn't hold much monetary value, nor did it have any magic unless the spell was so well-concealed no one in her family could ever detect it. But it was important to Ana. Its music comforted her when she was nervous or upset, and just looking at her helped her ignore all the little nuisances and focus on what was important. She decided to take it with her. It didn't weigh a lot, and she'd feel better having it with her than leaving it at home.

Before she left, she wrote a note saying she'd be out for a while, going on a short mission to help protect the village, and that anyone who touched anything inside the house would be subject to a terrible curse. She stuck the note on her front door and hung a few talismans around to deter possible bandits and give the impression that she was serious about the curse.

She also talked to a few people on her way out to make sure all the urgent tasks would get done, as well as to convey the message that everything would be fine as long as no one didn't go looking for trouble, and that staying at home was the safest choice if any unwanted visitors showed up.

Then she went back to meet Renard.

"I'm ready," she said with a simultaneous smile and sigh.

She looked in the direction of the road. She wished she could tell what was going to happen next, but she knew she'd find out in due time. She'd just have to make sure she could deal with whatever life threw at her.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Back section of the Pet Store


The succubus grinned widely as her tentacle took the reptile's weight, a sentient Wyvern was a rare find! Oh sure they couldn't talk, but they were as intelligent as a low IQ being! "Well now darlin' I go see the nice man at the counter and see what he's asking for you. Would you like that?"

[SquirrelWizard]

Stephan grumbled as he sat up with a groan as his head began to throb in pain. "What hit me?" he mumbled, seemingly ignoring the cubi standing over him.

"Oh... it seems i caught you at an awkward time... "

Stephan looked up at the remark, and then reached up and felt his headwings, "Oh no... I grew a second pair of wings." he was clearly way behind on current events.

"I've got a letter for you, and some stuff to go over... so... why don't you get dressed before someone else finds out that you're going to be incapable of sating the ladies when you get to the academy," the stranger continued.

Stephan was too dazed to notice the stranger had made a slight against him but did notice that he was in front of another person, a stranger at that, completely nude. Something seemed to click in his mind and he felt something shift behind him, he only managed to say, "oh..." before one of his wing tentacles snatched his robe off of the hook and threatened to smother him with it. Stephan fought with the article of clothing as several other tentacles tried to position it to put it on him, and failing miserably at that as well. Stephan finally growled, and lashed out and snagged one of the offending appendages, "Stop helping! Just stop! I'll kill you!" the rest of the tentacles lashed around his wrist in a similar sympathetic motion, "I'll rip you out and deep fry you like calamari!!!"  Stephan was rolling on the ground, half clothed, "DIE!!!"

[Arroyo Milori]

Arroyo kept his sword raised and pointed at the mage. He scoffed a bit at the masked man. " I'm not terrified by sea monsters, I've spent A LOT of time at sea, you think I don't encounter them out there?" He took a swing in the air with his sword, but it wasn't to intimidate the mage, it was to stab a closing in swordsman with it's swift and extended blade, enough to leave a gash in flesh or a dent in armor. "But if you really want me gone. Hand over your living hostages. " He kept his sword in hand, it's blade back into it's original form, spinning it around with his wrist, being prepared for an attack.

"Deal or no deal?" The lion smirked, waiting for a reply.

[techmaster-glitch]

(OOC: since you vanished before answering my question in the chat Bas, I'm assuming the ophanage is not completely engulfed in a massive raging inferno, and the fire is still only on part of the building and in the process of spreading)


Burning orphanage

  It was truly one of the most horrifying things the Vaponci Brothers had ever seen.
  They had been through war. They had seen Creatures shred entire infantry squads to pieces alone. They had seen bandits pillage defenseless towns for resources. But they had never seen such sensless and deliberately cruel thing, as the fire was clearly started in a way meant to trap the inhabitants. This...
  This was just sick.
  "We gotta get them outta there!" Gaakronact shouted even as he moved the Storm Scorp to the least-burned wall.
  Gezzemocht was mostly a mechanical steam-engineer, but he was versed in basic architecure and structural mechanics, as it was all related (and this was quite a simple structure). He could tell the basic layout of the church, and make an educated guess about where the load-bearing points were (and weren't).
  As the Scorp approached, Gaak shouted as loud as he could, hoping someone in there could hear him. "HOLD ON, WE'RE GETTING YOU OUT!"
  Gezz started shouting directions to Gaak based on his observations. "Make a hole here! No, a little to the right...okay, punch it! Make it wider! Okay, no more, let's make another one!"
  Gaak steered one of the Storm Scorps weapon-mounted pincers to jab into the wooden wall, grasping the timbers in the pincer-claw, and pulling them out, then making the hole a little wider, as Gezz directed.
  Gaakronacht shouted again, this time through the newly-made hole. "GET OUT THROUGH HERE IF YOU CAN! WE'RE MAKING ANOTHER HOLE!" He hoped to see humanoid figures rushing through the breach in moments...
  "Okay, move! Make another one over here, to the left! A little more...okay, hit it! Easy now!"
  Gaak repeated the action, punching a hole in the wall and pulling the wood out of the way according to Gezz's instructions...

(OOC: edited for GM cutoff of the action)

[Noone]

Kyirri examined the exterior of the library as he went on in. Mostly, he was thinking about how expensive decadent such a place must have been. Certainly didn't need to include all those engravings... building like this might be worth all the non black-market business in the slums... Taking one last glance for anything out of the ordinary, he went inside.

Once inside, he did his usual scan of the area. While he felt it was unlikely he could be attacked inside this place, it certainly was possible. He paced nervously up to the front desk, getting in line if there was one. Once up to the desk, he'd raise himself up to his full, if rather short height and try to get attention.

"Miss Tanika?" He'd start, his voice completely flat. "I'm here to pick up a book for Mr. Arklan." He'd then pull out that slip of paper that he had been given back in Arklan's book store.

[insidexml]

Well, this was a particularly interesting twist. It would seem that drinks and food at the club would have to be put off until later; somebody was performing outside. And while Sikici normally wouldn't be all that concerned with such a spectacle, it didn't seem like he had much choice in the matter. Sol, whoever this person was, must be quite the performer to gather the attention of so many people... or perhaps, he or she was simply quite the talker. The lioness had talked about Sol's bragging.

If that were to be the case, Sol could be injured quite badly if the performance didn't go off as expected.

...well, the angel was truly interested, now. He nodded at the lioness, shuffling out of the club behind the rest of the patrons and following them to the market square.

[Kafzeil]

Having hidden herself in in a ditch prior to the Brothers rushing off. She had wanted to help, yet doubted she could have actually done anything. Hell being Undead might have made things worse somehow.

Then she saw something moving. Had it seen her?

Slowly, she drew her trusty revolver, holding at the ready, laying on the ground on her belly, hoping the ditch and the bush around her would conceal her.

[Boog]

Jeremiah accepted the marble with a bow, "I'll opt to join you then, if only to acquaint myself with your operation." Smooth, Jeremiah, don't cock this up... "Don't worry, I'll stay out of the way. You could sorta say it's my specialty." He grinned and followed behind Baseel, falling in step with Zelah.
"Think I made a good impression?" He muttered, mildly amused.

[Lisky]

Leaving Lamylar


The road which had to be walked followed along the river for perhaps a quarter mile.  A bridge crossed the river.  After the bridge, it was a several mile hike down the road to the nearest train station.  One of the big advantages a magical nation had was the ease of assembling large projects with minimal effort and time, especially when simple magic can produce the basic resources required to make things like rail-ties and tracks.  A fact that wasn't lost on Renard.  He absentmindedly commented, "You know, it take 20 creatures, performing community service for some misdeed, all of a day to lay 100 miles of track.  It takes over 4000 beings in Aeliseium to accomplish such a feat... Truly astounding, isn't it?  They waste so much, and yet claim to be superior. " 

The way he was talking, it wasn't exactly clear if he was thinking aloud, or trying to engage Ana.  They still had a little over a mile and a half to walk before arriving at the train station.



Pet Store


The wyvern looked at the succubus intently.  It almost sneered as it radiated a combination of smug satisfaction and amusement.  Nope, not sentient at all... totally not sentient... what would possibly make you think i was capable of complex thought?   The Draconian cheeped at the succubus as it hopped back to it's roost,  sorry, not quite that easy, girly  
For a creature lacking lips to produce a proper smile, the small wyvern seemed to be smirking at Paige,  Why would i -ever- want to give up my cooshy little spot, here?

As the little wyvern finished, Paige received a message from Bas, it was similar to thought reading... but, slightly more directional.  She knew where he'd be meeting and when.  She could come back and browse pets later.  An important meeting needed her attendance, now.

After gathering all the supplies, Dr. Addy also felt the same message, it's urgency, and the fact that she knew where to go, as if it were second nature.



Around the Wagons


Ed visibly face-palmed, he held his hand over his face, rubbed the inner-corners of his eyes with his thumb and middle finger.  He wiped his eyes, as if trying to think what he was witnessing was simply a trick of his own mind.  An audible sigh escaped his lips, and he began rubbing his temples.  "Look, stop trying to hurt your wings... they're tougher than you... they'd kick your ass... "

Prodding the writhing form with a foot, Ed set a letter down on the lip of a wagon's entrance and waited for the thrashing to stop.



On a Boat, Filled With Cultists


The pounding grew louder, the deck started to buckle, outwards.  A long, slender point appeared.  The cultists all went down to a knee, a position of obvious submission.  They bowed their heads as a hand appeared.  A long, narrow, slender hand, with long, delicate looking fingers.  An effeminate arm,  equally delicate to the hand, came up from the blackness below deck. The fingers wrapped themselves around the metal plate, over an inch thick, and the metal creaked as the fingers suddenly yanked downwards, opening a large rift in the deck.   Arroyo could see the delicate hand appear again.  An unnatural platinum colored arm, with purple stripes. 

The deck creaked again, an angel stood before Arroyo, a tigress.  she was slight of build, what should have been orange or white, was an odd metallic tone, somewhere between silver and platinum.  Her stripes a deep purple-blue.  She was wearing a simple outfit, a form-fitting black dress, strapped on one shoulder, and obviously backless. 

She spoke in a sing-song soprano, she seemed careless.  Up and down her arms, rune-inscribed rings covered from her wrists to her shoulders.  For an adventurer who'd faced creatures, he'd note they were specifically designed to prevent spell-casting... but why so many?

Before arroyo could think too hard on his problem, she approached the mage, seeming to pay no mind to the feline adventurer.  He stood up, and began removing the circlets.  Taking perhaps a second or 2 per ring to break their bind.



Burning Orphanage


Though the holes were small, and meant to act as an entrance, 2 things happened.  As the first hole was made, the fire grew hotter as oxygen rushed in.  This also caused additional pressure on the wall.  Several support timbers collapsed onto the mech's claw as it punched the second hole in the wall.  The mech's claw was stuck, and they'd inadvertently caused the fire to grow more fierce.  The screams grew louder.  The hole they'd made with the claw had smoke pouring out of it.  A small space, just barely large enough to fit one of the brothers was held opened, as the timbers that had pinned the mech were long, and the claws large, and sturdy. 
Inside, a small body was desperately clawing, trying to get out of the deathtrap, through that small hole.  The squeals of hope as a small hand could be seen protruding through the smoke.



  At Bree Tanika's Desk


"Hmmm? what?"  The squirrel being looked a bit lost.  "Mr. Who again?"   She gingerly took the paper,  Folding it over, holding it sideways, examining it ever which one.  Kyirri had no clue as to what she was looking for.  He'd done as instructed.  "Oh... right... Mr. Akman the book-collector!" she exclaimed.

"if you'll just follow me, we'll have to collect your book from the area where we keep such rare collector's items.  You'd be -shocked- at how many people have tried to steal from us!"  She rather absentmindedly started to get up, before tripping over her chair.  She spilled a pile of index cards all over the floor, and a look of horror came over her face.
"maybe this'll take a little more than a minute"  she said, while shuffling through the cards.  Her tail making an utter mess of the desk behind her.



Around the Stage


The man Loche prodded gently, and posed his question to was an equine, a being in upper-class casual business attire.  He gave a non-committal shrug, "Sol's finally putting up whatever it is he's been working on for the last few weeks.  Beyond that... i can't tell you much, he just said to come and be amazed... so here i am."

Before giving the angel a chance to reply, a booming voice came from behind the curtain, "Welcome ladies and gentleman, welcome, welcome to my show.  Today, i'm sure you're all curious why i've been keeping things wrapped up so tight.  For today, you see, i am finally ready to show off my newest masterpiece.   Furthermore, i have enough of them to cover sales, probably for today only. "

The ferret reappeared, this time his large feathery wings were on clear display. Rather than the natural brown, the angel had taken on a vibrant green, gold and black color palette.   He was most likely an angel, and given the way he was moving, either very well trained, or very experienced in the art of manipulation... probably both. 

He swung his left hand out from behind his back in wide arch.  A simple, low calibur revolver, commonly found all over Nhylamar was in his hands.  It's  black barrel and action, covered by the green/gray fur of the ferret, now that his being disguise was gone.  "Now, you might ask, 'Why is he carrying a gun?'  'What's so special about that gun'  and 'why in the gods' names am i wasting my time here watching some loon go off about a tried and true technology?'  The answers will present themselves in a moment"
He paused, brining the revolver down to his side, sweeping his other hand across and over the crowd in a flourishing wave.  "But, to show off this wonder, i would like one of you to help me.  This will prove that i have in no way set about to trick you.  So... is there any winged volunteer amongst you?"



This Ditch Seemed Like a Great Place To Hide


The shadowy image flickered.  A pair of bright green eyes seemed appear through the haze of the form.  They locked onto Lucy.  She could make out a shaking head, and then it was gone.  She couldn't see what it was, or where it'd gone... but there was no mistaking the fact that it had seen her, and it had chosen to ignore her.



Every Good Adventure Should Start in A Bar!


As  the various recruits were ushered into the large and spacious bar,  it became obvious that the demon-captain had something special in mind.  For those who'd been aboard the ship, every face would be familiar, and every face sat at a space around a truly massive table.  Every table had been pushed together, in a massive U shaped setup, which took up the entire floor of the bar.  A non-too easy feat, given that there were now, perhaps 50 or more beings and creatures in the establishment.  There was room to spare too, despite all the wings, tails, claws, horns, and additional limbs. 

At the head of the table... the very base of the U stood captain Wolkshammar, along with a half-sized, and very cross looking ferret angel,  and a pair of demon canines, who seemed to be made of muscle, their tree-trunk like necks, and  biceps that looked more like thighs on feral equines  were made all the more impressive when one took into account just how much stronger a demon was, pound-for-pound, than a being. 

When everyone had found a place to sit, Baseel raised his hands in the air, and said, "everyone, if you'd be so kind as to sit down, we have a little bit to discuss before your meals and beverages are served.  Before passing out menus, i'm sure you're all very curious why i've assembled you all here.  Especially you new people."

Standing up, and walking along the collection of both new people, and those granted leave, Baseel said in a rather nonchalant tone, "If you hadn't noticed, the ship we've been using, the one you've all seen, and stayed on, is of Nhylamar design.  Officially, she's Voethfellian, a personal warship of the Wolkshammer Duchy.  She is a very, very modern vessel.   Now... this might seem strange, but Nhylamar has asked for help.  The insectis are up to something.  They run their factories nigh non-stop, yet, we've seen none of their new war machines being used in their border skirmishes in Nhylamar, Syvastia Nyad, Voethfel, nor the small surrounding kingdoms.  Not a sign of them.  Therefore, using intelligence, gathered through some very skilled, and very unnamed agents, we've located one of their larger factories. "

"What i have collected you to do, should you agree to still come along, is to get into that factory, though any means necessary, steal one of their prototypes, and destroy the facility on the way out.  Before i continue.  I would ask that, if you're already feeling uncomfortable about this, to bring up your major concerns now.  Are there any questions before i continue?"

[Gabi]

Anabelle cast a sideways glance at Renard, wondering how much he knew about her and her family's history, or if he was even taking to her or to himself. She decided it was best not to give the matter too much thought... just in case. There was still something she could say, and with any luck it might stop the tension from building any further. If he wanted to know her position on such a delicate subject, she'd make it clear. She was firm on it and wasn't going to pretend otherwise.

"Many Creatures make that same claim," she replied. "Yet their power is something they were born with, not something they have earned. I don't agree with one nor the other. Those who believe themselves better than others by birthright only bring pain and suffering to the world."

She hoped that Renard wasn't one of them. But if he were, his being here with her would make no sense at all. After all, she was a Being, and the Creatures who saw Beings as inferior wouldn't consider her a potential ally, nor a serious threat. Unless... No, better not to think about that. It would be better not to think about anything important for a while. She decided to start playing a song in her mind. It would make the journey easier.

[Tezkat]

Nhylamar Badlands

Tezkat's eyes widened almost imperceptibly at the remark about sleep. The wolf knew. How could he know? No, of course he couldn't. It an offhand comment from a Creature too used to the diversity of races in the capital. Nothing more. Besides, despite his inconvenient bloodline, Tezkat did in fact require sleep. He merely avoided it when possible. Sleep brought the dreams, and no good ever came of that.

"Working?" The panther patted his bike. "I doubt your noisy old bucket could even keep up. I suppose I could give you a wide enough head start..."

The other rider thankfully didn't wait for him.

Well, he's gone. Aren't you done yet?

The grass rustled around the tiny, well camouflaged scavenger. Ch-yah. It's not like these guys were swimming in gold. Some coins. Maybe a ring or two.

Just take whatever you can. We'll need money in the city. At least until we find a new source of income.

Why not the wolf? A nice bleeding heart type. He's kinda cute, too.

Tezkat scowled at his familiar. Truth be told, being around another Incubus made him uncomfortable. He hated having to keep such a tight lid on his emotions. With the rush of battle fading, the full extent of his injuries would soon have become apparent to an empath. Ignoring pain didn't make it go away.

The pirates carried enough valuables to keep him going for a little while, at least. Looting the men who'd come to rob him had a delightfully poetic irony. A few minor cantrips restored some semblance of order to his outfit. The bloodstained warrior look was surely out of fashion in the big city, and he didn't need that kind of attention just yet.

The bike flared to life under him, purring softly with soul-powered magic as he raced down the road to the capital.

[Lisky]

Nhylamar Badlands  (sorry Tape and Tez )

The drive seemed to take a little while, the city's sky-scrapers loomed high as they grew closer.  The city itself was opened, though a wall could easily be brought to bear in times of war.  Today was not such a day, and as such, the gated mansions on the outskirts of the city started propping up in view.  Winged creatures tended to like extra space, and the standard of living around this part of town was rather high.

Nothing caught either incubus' attention.  In fact, the streets seemed more quiet than usual.  Chances were, something had drawn a good deal of people downtown, either that, or it'd come to a point in the day where no one was home yet.  Either out shopping or working.

The Streets grew more narrow, the building more utilitarian and larger, and the crowds grew thicker the further in they got.



Along the Train Tracks

Renard cocked an ear, and gave a bemused grin at Ana's reply.  "the difference between power and efficiency is that power can have as much waste as it wants, and waste is something i see the Aeliseium population do a lot of.  They regard creatures and beings as evil, simply because they have been touched by magic.  They are genocidal... they want to end all creature life.  At least our culture respects the sanctity of life... at least, for our own citizens.  It is sad that fighting is as common as it is... and the entire region has grown just that much more unstable since the insectis showed up.  It's surprising how dangerous the world has grown in such a short time."

The station's outline grew closer.  The sound of a train's whistle could be heard in the distance as well.  They'd arrived just in time to catch their ride.  


Umbrella Shop

Looking over the plans, the incubus turned from the umbrella, to the being, then back to the umbrella.  "Oh, a simple blade?  Nothing more fancy than that?  I think i have something similar to what you're looking for here."

One of the umbrellas, set a little higher than the others, had a metal ring around the neck of the grip.  The incubus handed it to the being, "just put the tip on the ground, push down, then twist counter-clockwise.  When you pull back, a small, hardened bladed.  Very sharp, though more of a fencer's weapon... more rapier like than a dagger... but it should suffice if protection is all you need.  Though, if you want to be sure it works 'right', perhaps take it to Phillip the enchanter, up the street.  He can make it sharp enough to pierce a dragon, and strong enough to take a blow from a demon."

The incubus smiled, passing the grip of the concealed weapon into the being's gesturing hand.

[Gabi]

"I'd say that's efficiency," Ana smiled as she followed Renard to the train. "Anyway, what you said about Aeliseium is true, which is why I'd much rather be here than there. But this country's still far from perfect. I'd love to see a place where everyone's lives were respected, but I know that's far too much to ask. If we can make life a little bit safer for a village or two, I'll consider it a job well done."

[Tapewolf]

Seth noticed that the streets were a little empty, but paid it no mind.  Just one of those things, he figured.  Once in his home district, he found the local police station and dismounted, stopping briefly and looking through the eyes of a passerby or two to check that he looked relatively presentable.

Stowing the helmet and habitually warding the bike, the wolf made his way to the front desk and waited for the receptionist to be free.

"Excuse me," he began, "I may have some information regarding the train crash on the wilderness line.  Where should I go to report this?"

[Azlan]

The inquisitive nature of the feline and that of a technomancer was piqued.  Locke was searching for interesting items and he hoped to not be disappointed.  The angel took the most expedient route through a crowd he could, he leaped gracefully.  Releasing his pendant he unfurled his wings and coasted towards the steps to the stage. 

He stole a look at the revolver in his hand with his spectacles.  Performing a quick amount of magical analysis to see if it was just a revolver before he slipped them off as he landed. 

"I seem to be a volunteer.  Imagine that, me a volunteer."  The cheetah said as he mounted the steps, "exciting isn't it.  He bowed to the crowd and offered his hand to shake the ferret's, "the name is Locke."

[WhiteFox]

     Gabriel sat at the table, crouching on the edge of a full sized chair. He'd declined a high chair or bar stool.
    "Sir," he said, "you mentioned before that you were primarily looking for creatures on this job. I've no misgivings about working with other races, and I'll have no problem keeping up."
    He sat back, hooking an arm over the back of his chair, and brightened up. "As far as the job goes, I can do everything you need a mechanic to do. I can keep your boat flying as long as I have specs, parts, and a half decent crew... actually, two of the three would do fine. I've done plenty of after-battle salvaging, too. I'm no stranger to running off with hardware while the previous owners are shooting at me."
    He put on a million-dollar smile for his finale. "If you aren't convinced yet... it just so happens that I know how to work with Ahnk'or hardware. You'll have a hard time finding a tinker with less then four arms who can say the same."
    The small youth glanced around the room. "Can I get a scotch, please?"

[insidexml]

By the look of things, it appeared that Sol did, in fact, know what he was doing. Or perhaps he was just a superb liar. A mix of the two, maybe? Well, since Sikici was already here, there was  no point in just leaving. He didn't really have anywhere to go; going back to the club seemed redundant, since all of the patrons (and most likely a majority of the workers) seemed to have congregated here.

So blah blah blah ferret angel, blah blah blah gun, blah blah blah technology, blah. Lots of talking so far, but nothing seemed to be happening. Boring!

But ooooh, a call for winged volunteers! And hey, Sikici had wings, didn't he? Yes he did. And since he could be classified as 'winged,' he could potentially become a 'winged volunteer,' because he was winged, and because he had the mental capabilities to volunteer.

Good idea? Very good idea!

Sikici raised his hand. No calling out, no jumping up and down, no leaping up and performing a few loops in the air... just raising his hand. Since the crowd was big, the angel entertained the thought of creating an arrow of light energy, hovering it above his head, and having it point at him.

But nah.

[SquirrelWizard]

A step away from crazy.

Stephan's shoulders slumped, "I cant..." he shook the tentacles off of his arms, "Just what the hell am I supposed to with these? I'm supposed to be able to control them, but I'm going to end up killing someone..." he stood up and sighed.

Stephan's ears perked up as the thought occurred to him, and he whispered the words to a familiar spell, and gritted his teeth against the pain. Readjusting his robe, he glanced over at Ed, "Listen, I'm sorry about this. The last couple of days have been pure hell, and it doesn't look like its going to improve anytime in the near future. Would you like to come inside the wagon for some tea, I don't have anything fancy, but its brown."

[Arroyo Milori]

Arroyo soon started to lose the stomach for this fight very quickly. "A bit odd for a person like her to be on this boat...But I think I get the picture now..." He stood on the railing of the cargo boat facing them. " No matter. I'm losing taste for a fight. I obviously failed the objective...but before I go~" Arroyo soon quickly lashed off a swordsman's mask with a swing of his extended blade, catches it and proceeds to jump off the boat, sliding down a rope of the netting hanging off the cargo boat. "I can promise you this! We will meet again!"

*Ker-clomp* He landed safely on his boat, slashing away the rope that held his boat and the so-called cargo boat together in the river. With a flick of his wrist, the sword disappeared. Arroyo quickly climbed up to the bridge, where all his controls for the boat were. He quickly turned on the engine with a twist of a key, the same key that functions with his cufflings. in the center of the bridge part of the ship, there was an engraved pentagram. Arroyo stood in the middle the engraving lit up. He started to mumble an incantation, his boat started to speed up gradually and eventually dart off at an opposite direction the cargo boat was heading.

The yellow lion kept the engine in it's overclocked state for a couple seconds before cooling down and relaxing.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Pet Store


The wyvern looked at the succubus intently.  It almost sneered as it radiated a combination of smug satisfaction and amusement.   Nope, not sentient at all... totally not sentient... what would possibly make you think i was capable of complex thought?  The Draconian cheeped at the succubus as it hopped back to it's roost,   sorry, not quite that easy, girly  
For a creature lacking lips to produce a proper smile, the small wyvern seemed to be smirking at Paige,   Why would i -ever- want to give up my cooshy little spot, here?

As the little wyvern finished, Paige received a message from Bas, it was similar to thought reading... but, slightly more directional.  She knew where he'd be meeting and when.  She could come back and browse pets later.  An important meeting needed her attendance, now.

"Well now I could just buy you...." Paige said with a mock wicked grin, which softened "But I'm not interested in owning unwilling pet. Tell you what how does a perch on a BattleZep sound to you? Plenty of room for you to stretch your wing should you wish, and I'm sure that you could hunt at your leisure instead of having to wait to be fed."

Paige was about to say more when Baseel's message came through. "Unfortunately my Boss just called for me...If you want to go I can take you now, and if what he wants doesn't take to long I may come back if you wish to think about it. Do you have a name little one?"

[Noone]

Mr Arklan, not Ackman... Kyirri thought as he kept his eyes on the squirrel. His face and eyes were as blank and expressionless as ever. And no, I really wouldn't be surprised at attempts of stealing, especially from a gaudy place like this... He felt however, that it would have been impolite to explicitly say that.

He didn't flinch when the squirrel tripped, nor did he move to help her clean up the mess. His eyes glanced to her tail as it brushed against the desk, but he made no moves to get involved. He just stood in place and kept his eyes on the Squirrel. He made occasional glances about, and looked behind himself to make sure nothing was out of place.

[JamesCray]

Umbrella Shop


The being took the device in hand, admiring the workmanship before withdrawing the blade. Holding it, as suggested, with a fencer's grip, he chuckled.

"The obsession with 'fancy' some people have is enough to boggle the mind, but I'm not one of them. As a fellow I met once wandering where I wasn't supposes to go on an airship once said, the more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." he said, and slipped the blade back into it's disguised scabbard.

"You know, it's just hit me, I do not believe I've formally introduced myself. My name's Johan Ledwinka, may I ask yours? Also, how much this lovely piece of craftsmanship is going to put me out of pocket? When I was a child, father insisted I take up fencing. Looks like it's finally going to pay off."

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Adelaide discovered her new pet was pedigreed only when the papers were handed over to her separately from the rest of the items that she stashed away in her "medical use only" storage area. She unfolded the paper then looked down at the tiny pile of fur, feathers and bright blue eyes, "Evidently your name is Vanilla Mittens Glitterheart III." She shook her head as the kitten yawned in boredom at this information. The names some people came up with to torment their animals. Then she felt the message from her host. She picked the kitten up, "Time to get going, Van. Business calls."

[techmaster-glitch]

Burning Orphanage

  As the Storm Scorp punched the second hole, some timbers on the inside fell down on the claw, pinning it. Wonderful.
  However, a voice could be heard right in that very hole. Gezzemocht jumped into action, grabbing a gas mask and shrapnel goggles from a small compartment in his cockpit, and fitting them on as he hopped out of the cockpit. He quickly opened up a compartment in the rear of the Storm Scorp, and grabbed a crowbar from it, rushing back up front. As Gaakronacht continued trying to move the claw around to free it, he started trying to angle it up to give more leverage and help lift the timber off the kid as well, as Gezz jammed his own crowbar in and tried to help pry the kid free.

[Lisky]

Train Station

Renard lead the way to a booth.  The area around the tracks was gated.  An older looking feline being was sitting in the little booth.   He was a brown housecat with blond highlights, and graying hair.  He wore a simple vest, with a pocket-watch tucked into his right-breast pocket.  A brass chain dangle to where it seemed to connect to a small rod, threaded into the vest.  A simple, yet near full-proof method of avoiding theft.
He eyed the pair for a moment before reaching towards the inside of the booth, just outside Ana's field of vision.  "I suppose you'll be wantin' 2 tickets for Nhylamire...  That'll be..."  Pausing as Renard showed his badge, and papers.  "Billed to someone else...  Train'll be ready in a few minutes... just make yer'self comfortable for a few minutes."

A passenger train, 6 cars long, perhaps 150 passengers total, pulled into the station, unloading a handful, while the rest stayed aboard, waiting for future stops.  Renard handed Ana a ticket, Car 2, booth  4.  "If you need a hand stowing your bag, let me know. It'll be a long ride."  The demon said, as he started making his way aboard.
Inside, the first thing that would be obvious, the interior was several degrees larger than the exterior.  Space was plentiful, and the simple wood-paneled car seemed to have several luxury items located in booths near the middle.  A diner, bar, and small shop selling trinkets, along with necessities that are commonly forgotten by travelers, such as umbrellas and brushes.



The Precinct


The blue ball of tentacles, with bright golden eyes appeared from behind the desk.  The mythos was a rather compacted, and squiggly thing.  It's voice was strangely feminine, despite the difficult to judge nature of the beast.  It was some type of mythos, and it seemed to be multitasking in ways that left even Seth, with his winged tentacles, in envy.   The mythos said, "Situation on the wilderness line is already being taken care of.  If you have further information to tracking pirates involved, you can file your report with lead investigator Hayden Kol.  4th office on the left."
It was hard to tell if the mythos had simply dismissed Seth, or, if it had the ability to run everything it seemed to be, with the care and attention it seemed to be taking with ensuring that each file was in it's proper place.



Around and on The Stage


Sol flipped the revolver around, opened the chamber, and showed the audience that the weapon was unloaded.  He watched as the cheetah angel moved to the stage.  "Now, hopefully you don't have a problem using those wings of yours."   The other angel said rather casually.

Producing a single, brass shell, with a odd, green-blue colored bullet, Sol continued.  "This is a special type of bullet and gun.  I'm sure you're all aware how the mark and teleport spell works... now... what if i told you that, in this gentleman's hand, was the ability to use such a spell, with the pull of a trigger, and flick of a switch.
The revolver handed to Locke had a switch, located right along the thumb-rest.   "Now, if it's in the up position, you're going to warp to the nearest open area that you can fit into, around the bullet.  But... that's not the only use for this tool.  I say tool, because it's more than a gun... though completely capable of firing standard .41 caliber rounds, this revolver is also designed to be used with a variety of specialty ammunition. "

Pointing to Sikici with his raised hand, Sol said "you'll be next... if you'd approach the front, i'll get you something to try in a minute good sir.  And you after him"  pointing to a demon- hound... some type of Doberman-mix from where either of the angels could tell.
Turning his attention back to Locke, Sol said, "Now, where would you like to go, good sir... perhaps straight up... perhaps across the street.  First, push up on that lever by your thumb, Aim where you want to go, pull the trigger, then, pull the hammer back.  I asked for a winged volunteer because, at least you can survive the fall, should you decide to go straight up."  Giving the cheetah a snicker, and a pat on the shoulder, he started heading for a pile of boxes.  Probably retrieving another gun.



Barroom Meeting


Addressing the little rodent-being, Baseel replied, "Well, there is one piece of the mission that's been handled.  Your assistance and enthusiasm has been noted, we'll be glad to have you around once we've got the area secure."

He paused, and surveyed the group again, "This is going to be especially risky, because, as you might know, Ahnk' Ator factories are built underground. While they have venting for smoke-stacks, they have minimal access to and from the surface. Save for the surrounding city, that's strictly being territory... We'll be operating underground.  On their turf... before things get too nitty-gritty... i think i should get   back to the basic overview.  Before that, however,  Does anyone -else- have any questions?" 



The Wagons


Ed sighed.  His fists were balled, and the stun spell he'd prepared was still glimmering across his left hand.  "First of all, there's a school to teach you how to control them.  That's what this letter..."  Casually extending a tentacle to the letter, plucking it off the wagon, lifting it up, then setting it back where he'd left it.  "Is here about.  Your wings are just like another set... or 3... of limbs.  You need to think of them as such, and learn to control them.  They're subconscious, you focus on your goal, more than the wings, and let your own mind do the rest." 

"as for tea... or food in general... well, clearly you didn't learn much about your heritage then.  We don't need to eat.  In fact... those headaches... ya, they're your own damn fault.  You'll notice you feel like you've eaten one too many cookies... eating isn't going to help that... at all...  Just saying.  You should read your letter, and think things over from there." 
Ed very casually leaned against a wagon, then altered his colors to appear as if he were part of the wagon.  Matching tones, and using his wings to cover the clothing he was wearing.  "Let me know if you want to know more.  Until then, i'll go entertain myself."



Exit, Stage Uh... River?


As he jumped from the deck, the last thing he heard was a reply from the angel.  "I'll be looking forward to it."  She'd said it in a calm, distant, and icy tone.   She was probably telling the truth, with the worst planned for said future meeting.

Arroyo's last sight of the cultists was them heading straight ahead, while he slipped down a smaller water-way.  The split in the river had probably saved his life.  The cultists, as that was clearly what they were, given the way they seemed to worship the angel, bend to her whim, and bow to her demands, hadn't bothered to try to shoot at the lion.  The rest of the crew was probably dead, or worse.  It seemed that this little adventure was turning more complex by the hour.  Simply getting to a paying job seemed more and more difficult.



Pet Store


The wyvern thought They call me Samara, and i think it best if i have a little time to think about the possibilities... for now... perhaps i'll have made a decision upon your return... perhaps not... but if your master is calling, i think it best to heed his call.

The trip to the bar was relatively short.  10 blocks of hiking through pedestrians had Paige and Sister Addy arriving just in time to hear Baseel ask,  "are there any other questions?"



Library


Pens, cards, slips of paper, crystals, a small wooden box, and a couple of keys slipped onto the floor.  Bree continued making her mess.  She appeared to gather one thing, then drop two more.  "sorry, this'll just take an  ooopps... one... ooooopsss.... ooopppss... i'll just... ooops"  She couldn't seem to even finish a sentence without getting distracted. 

After what seemed like a good 15 minutes, the squirrel had managed to put her things in some semblance of organization.  She took one of the keys, and motioned for Kyirri to follow.  "Stay close... there's some powerful warding here, and i'd rather not have to clean up yet another mess."  She smiled rather sheepishly, as if she'd somehow experienced that first hand.



Umbrella Shop


"Kaleb, Osbardine clan.  Probably not well known, nor do we want to be... we're a satisfaction clan. "  He gave a shrug, looking from the hidden blade to the half-sized being holding it and considered...  "It says 4 gold, 7 silver... but lets skip the silver, since you'll probably be needing that for the enchanting, should you choose to get it.  It's something i'd recommend too...  There are some ruffians out there, where plain steel is about as useful as a toothpick... and i'm talking those cheap wooden ones."
The cubi gave a devious smirk, while gesturing down the street,  "you'll find Phil down that-a-way"



Great Ball of Fire


The sound of wood falling in the background, crackling fire, something sizzling, the bittersweet smell of  seared flesh, they assaulted the brothers through their masks.  The squeals and shrieks of terror could be heard as well, as the pair continued prying enough space for the little child.  A small, canine muzzle appeared, followed by the wolf's dirty, soot-covered face.  Inch by inch she scurried through the hole the brothers had made.  She was sobbing, whispering over and over again, "Is it gone?  is it gone now?  Are you sure it's gone?  It doesn't leave anyone alive... we... we were bad.. and it came to punish us... just like the headmistress said. "

The little girl continued babbling... something about a monster , one that came and ate the bad children when they misbehaved, and became loud enough for the monster to hear.   It sounded like a fairy-book tale... except the results were clear enough... the orphanage appeared to be the only building that had been assaulted.  Though... it was odd... the entire village... it seemed, was strangely silent, despite the orphanage.



  Ain't No Rest For the Wicked


The opened topped skiff was cold.  The darkness that shrouded the little air-skiff as it approached the larger craft through the clouds.  Makran, a demon lynx,  said in a low voice "there she is... looks like the intel was good, after all."  A pair of beings stood in head to toe dark leather.  They wore breathing masks, and appeared to be dressed in Ahnk' Ator  raiding gear.  Small pouches were built into the cloth, they contained all kinds of various gear, bullets, grenades, wands, vials with various powders and liquids, along with several purposed crystals with difficult to read enchantments on them.  There was also a Succubus on the team, Kierana.  It was difficult to tell what her base form was, given the way she shifted.  In fact, chances were she was really "naked" at the moment, despite her form-fitting outfit.  As far as Alexander could tell, she was an all black housecat, wearing a tight-fitting cat-suit.  Her wings were exposed, and the pair of lighting wands she carried were tucked underneath her bust.  She was seductive as usual... however, she was from a fear clan.  Which one was anyone's guess because none of the others had even seen her mark, and she wasn't about to tell where it was.

The beings, Karmack and Mendoza, readied themselves at the helm of the small craft, dropping her down, silently, through the clouds.  They matched speed with the large craft, and inched closer.  Karmack stayed behind the wheel, while Mendoza gave the all-clear signal.  It was time to for Alexander to do his thing.

[Cogidubnus]

"Gentlemen. Ladies." he said, giving the merry band a white-toothed grin. "Let's not take all night now." He tipped his hat off his head, the piece of leather and felt falling to the floor, and scooting onto the railing, fell over the edge and into darkness.

A nylon cord screeched against the wooden hull as the black furred mythos fell at an alarming rate. He could hear the same screeching come from the thick steel rings attached to the harness he was wearing. Two seconds. Fairly soon now he should be running out of rope...
He pulled hard on a strip of cloth, increasing the friction on the cord and slowing him down. Mendoza managed to keep him just outside the far edge of the envelope. Just as he past it, he felt a tremendous jerk as the line ran out and forced him upside down. He managed not to gasp too loudly, and he felt the skiff rocking above him.

No screams meant that nobody had fallen out of the airship yet, though, so that left everything to Mendoza now. He reached into his harness, carefully undoing two front-pocket clasps, and pulled out two blueshined revolvers. The dark steel didn't so much as glint in the moonlight.

A little lower, now, and he'd see what he'd see. No gunshots after ten seconds meant pull him back up. But with luck, the navigator on duty at 3AM wouldn't be looking anywhere but in front of him. First shot should break the glass, then momentum would do the rest. Attach the line, let the others zip in, and then on to clear the ship.
An entire military transport. This could be the beginning, right here.

[Kafzeil]

"What...The...Fuck?!"Lucy mouthed.

Whatever it was it saw and choose to ignore her. For whatever reason, though she wasn't sure if she  wanted to ever know that reason.

She stayed motionless, gripped by fear. What if it came back...Oh Crap, the Brothers! Where they in danger?! No...she should stay here...She couldn't just leave them hanging in the wind. They could be in danger.

Still, that thing could tear her limb from limb easily. Or she assumed, she had no clue just what the hell it was. A Demon? Golem? Some pissed off Giraffe?!

She stayed in the ditch, as though two opposing force sin her head debated the best course of action.