Dreams of the Past (inactive)

[SquirrelWizard]

Cinna wasn't exactly sure why everybody seemed so jumpy all of a sudden. I mean, yes, it did look like a group of demons got drunk and wint on a binder through the town, but considering how quiet it was, they were likely nowhere near them, or sleeping it off. She walked, up to the car alongside where the Cow Demon and the Coyote being had stood. Cinna wasn't particularly fond of corpses. She typically tried to avoid them, especially those that still moved around. But, every now and then, her curiosity would get hte better of her, and require her to... tolerate spending some time in the presence of one. She followed the other two's gaze to see what "creature" was the native of this land.

[Shachza]

Tommaso tried to stay near the middle of the group as they made their way to the town.  He knew that taking the very front or the back wouldn't be the best idea for him as he wasn't that experienced in front-line combat.  He did keep his AUG at the ready, though, and tried his best to be quiet while keeping an eye out to either side.  The peaceful nature of the surrounding forest contrasted heavily with the tension he felt inside.

At the town limit, while some of the others were examining the wrecked cars, Tommaso gave silent thanks that he had urban fatigues on.  While not an exact match for the town, at least he wouldn't stand out the way a person-sized mobile "bush" would.  He crouched behind Kandela and the others in the drainage ditch that ran alongside the road, it was fortunately mostly free of water and muck, and kept his eyes to either side of the party.

The cars interested him in that maybe he could build something from them, but he didn't want to investigate too closely until he was sure he wasn't about to die.

"You should stay down and hidden Cinna.  Standing up and being visible in a hostile area is a good way to get killed."  He kept his voice quiet, but it had some urgency to it.  "These cars have been here a long time, which means that everyone who might have cared about the bodies is either dead or gone.  It's another sign that we're in an active warzone."

"If the people are on the other end of town, then we should go around the outside to find them.  I don't like the idea of walking through it."

He could really go for a smoke right about now.

[Paladin Sheppard]

The street and surrounds were silent and empty, as they watched a fox came out of one of the houses, walking over the top of another corpse that was in the middle of an open doorway. It took one look at the group, flattened it ears and then disappeared back into the house it came from.

As she approached the car Cinna could see the skeleton was human, there were no broken bones or other obvious damage. Through the eye sockets something pink could be seen, and it did not seem organic.

In the pocket of the remains of the shirt it was wearing a faded packet of cigarettes could be seen.

Apart from the damage the car had caused the homes and storefronts were undamaged, but filthy and overgrown, and all of the stores still had stock in the windows.

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

Relaxing as she took in further details of the area, Kandela lowered the Machine Gun. "And do tell how these people would know to come to us?" She said to Bolt. "Why do you all say this is a hostile area? We haven't been attacked not seen sight of anyone apart from those Bolt has seen." She said with a small grump. "Yes I know it doesn't look good, but it does seem this happened a long time ago." She pointed at the car.

"If you want to go around feel free. I for one will follow this road if it leads to that Inn..." The Tauren stepped out of the position she had taken and started down the road, yet still kept her MG at the ready in both hands.

[Shachza]

"Are you serious?!"  Tommaso was flabbergasted.  "Not an hour ago a military jet flew over us.  Not the regular kind that sits back to support the front-line fighters.  It was the advanced kind that's designed to kill people, kill lots of them, and kill them quickly.  It was fucking shot down!  It might be possible that some kind of space-based EMP was directed down at it, but it's more likely that there is simply something bigger and nastier than the fighter near us .  And you you're just going to waltz around like you own the place while having no idea what that big-and-nasty might be?!"

He wasn't yelling, but his voice was quickly rising out of whisper range.

"If EMPs are being deployed liberally then there's likely a wide range of deadly weaponry available that can instantly kill you from well beyond your range of sight.  I'd say we're in a very dangerous area."

[Inumo]

Fed up with the bickering, Sifa lost her temper and said simply, "If you're worried about getting shot at, go hide yourself nearby now." When everyone had done so, she walked a little farther on and shouted out, "Hey! Anybody around here?"

[Tezkat]

Bolt greeted Kandela's question with an incredulous expression. "Maybe you're used to being top of the food chain where you come from. For the rest of us, territory may as well be hostile until it's secured." He knelt by the body the fox had passed over. "These folks were dropped in their tracks with no sign of struggle. Whatever killed them, they didn't see it coming either."

He stood. "No reason to believe it ain't still around, even after all this time. That bomber didn't fly in for a social call. Maybe those folks up ahead have something to do with it. Maybe they don't." He shrugged, glancing towards Sifa's outburst. "Anyways. This town is barely a kilometer across. If they don't already know we're here, they'll be noticing soon enough."

[Lisky]

Wraith's reaction to the bovine wandering off was mild abject terror.  Most of the weaponry the team was carrying fell into the "precision" category.  So, should they decide to go hunting, whether for sentient or feral prey, they should be good.  However, in a toe-to-toe firefight the feline -knew- automatics beat precision shooting.  One can't take an accurate shot when their position is getting pelted with fire.  He quickly shed his pack next to the car and bolted off after Kandela at a sprint. 

He reached for her arm, and said, "Hold on there.  If we're going to waltz into the place, can i make a few suggestions first.  Such as, sending someone who's a smaller target in first... also send the person who doesn't have our only sustained fire weapon in first is probably a good idea.  We seem to have lots of marksmen... that makes them more disposable.  Let one of them lead."

[Tipod]

Angel's own reaction to the place was less terrified and more bemused with interest. The whole place just looked abandoned save for the occasional rodent or woodland creature. A military checkpoint or outpost would have more security; a Bartertown full of marauders would at least have spotters or guards posted on the edge of town, and the buildings themselves would all be looted. Save for the odd car crash and dust, the place seemed very pristine.

Whatever happened here, looks like we missed out on it.

Angel kept both eyes on the rooftops and his body on the left side of the street.

[Paladin Sheppard]

The Tauren looked over her shoulder at Tommaso and Bolt. "There are no wounds on these people, which seems to me they did not die through physical means, and if these homes are all full I doubt that it was anything small, so yes there may be some threat, but what kind of weapon or power would be unleashed on such a small group as us? And even if we were sneaking do you think it would make much difference when someone did spot us? As for that 'Jet' You called it? What ever hit IT hit us as well and despite some fatigue had no effect on us." 

Kandela had stopped as Sifa shouted their presence to the world, her glare was one of annoyance and thin patience with the ditsy human female. Yes Kandela was walking down the road but she wasn't advertising her position either.

Then she felt the hand of the Panther on her arm. "I am not one for letting someone go into danger instead of myself, and I do not like the idea of 'disposable' people..." She frowned down at Salem.

[Lisky]

The panther retorted, "Then clearly you aren't aware of things such as persistent nerve agents, machine-gun nests and suppress and flank tactics.  The weapon you carry, if you aren't aware, is capable of sustained fire.  Meaning that you are capable of firing high volumes of ammunition.  This is something only you have the capable of, ergo, with modern tactics, that makes you a lynch-pin for our little ragtag ban.  On the other hand, we've got multiple shooters with long barreled, high precision chem-burners.  Really, there's a point where personal pride has to be set aside in favor of logical thinking.  -Generally- cold-bore shots miss... however, in the event of a lucky strike, we as a collective team, -can- afford to loose a marksman... we -can't- afford to loose our support gunner."

The feline shrugged, "Besides, there's far, far more vicious things that could be unleashed around here.  Gas attacks are particularly vicious, and given our lack of chemical protection, having someone leading who is bigger, and therefore more resistant, could be a bad thing as well.  We'll get less warning of entering such a situation, because while following behind you, the symptoms will hit you later than they would someone of a smaller stature.  It's simple biology and tactics, Ma'am, you're just not built to take point in this type of situation."

[AmberCross]

'Goodness Gracious,' thought Chris from somewhere in the back of the party near one of the corpses. 'Too many people seem to be trying to take lead here.' He was very glad he stayed out of all that. Personally he did not believe their current situation to be overly dangerous. In his experience, animals always knew something was up before anyone else and that fox hadn't seemed particularly worried so he wasn't either. Plus from the way it acted, Chris guessed that people did not often come out here so the previously seen small group of people was probably just about it. Of course the most worried member of their party was ALSO an animal... kinda, and that was worth considering. Still, he seemed to be military trained and those people were ALWAYS titchy so Chris decided to trust the fox over the panther. Especially since none of the other 'animals' seemed overly worried.

He resumed observing the corpse. There was once a time he would was felt disconcerted by it, but now it seemed more a puzzle than a disturbance. What would cause so many people to suddenly die? He could think of many things, but what intrigued him most now what the pink object in the skull. Without touching he tried to get a closer look to see what it might be.


OOC: Assuming it wasn't just the one corpse with the non-organic thing in it. If the others don't have that, just assume the one he's looking at is the one already mentioned.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Upon further examination of the skull of the corpse, Chris would find what looked to be some sort of crystal where the brain should be, pink in hue and slightly florescent.


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

"Why would someone attack us in the first place? We have shown no hostile intent..." Kandela said with a sigh of exasperation at the Panther. "And if we were to be gassed any such sort of weapon is an area affect weapon, it would not matter who was in the lead." The Tauren looked up into the sky for a few moments before her gaze came back to earth. "Feel free to go ahead with someone if you must but I do not think we are likely to confronted by anything more than empty houses, shops and gardens."

"At least until we get to the inn....And I could really use a drink right about now." She finished as she gazed into the town.

[Shachza]

"Why would someone attack us?!"  Tommaso looked at the Tauren worriedly as he kept up with her.  "I don't know how you would normally do things, but where I'm from nobody walks around armed like us.  Citizens would be very afraid and officials would stop us to make sure we had authorization and good cause."

He shook his head.  "The jet from earlier marks this area as an active combat zone.  We're armed like soldiers remember?  Do you know which side we're on?  I don't!"

He gestured down the street and in the rough direction of the Inn.  "I'm just advising taking reasonable caution in approaching these people.  If you want to walk in the middle of the street, then fine.  I'll be flanking us from there," Tommaso motioned toward the sidewalk, "where I'll have buildings to provide cover, just in case, and I can more easily see in and between them."  Tommaso moved onto the sidewalk.  He paralleled the course that Kandela was taking, but the nearness of the buildings made him feel a little safer.  When they resumed travel he would keep a close eye on what was in the buildings and what was down the ways between them.

With little else to do until they got moving again he found that he needed to do something with his hands, so he checked his pockets for cigarettes and a lighter.

[Lisky]

"that's the thing about persistent gas, it weighs more than air... it stays in place unless it's burnt into it's base components with a high-temp incendiary.  Suffice to say, you're larger, and such agents will effect you longer... This could just me being paranoid thanks to things i've seen from my world... but still, it's something to consider.  That said, you are right, there hasn't been much show of hostility yet... we should move forwards.  Slowly, carefully, and staying in cover."

[SquirrelWizard]

Cinna hadn't been paying attention to the rest of the group, she had stepped around the remains of the car and reached out to the corpse. Grasping its head in both her hands she brought it close to her forehead and began to concentrate.

Her third eye began to glow with a pale light.

Something was wrong, what should had been a simple read of the body was much harder than it should be. It wasn't like someone was specifically trying to prevent her vision, but like she was having to pick her way through a dense fog, what she managed to grasp..."

Fear... Pain... the grinding of metal on metal, the crack of bone and twist of sinew...

Cinna fell back into the dirt and sat up, dusting herself off she shook her head from the aftereffects of the vision.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Tommaso's quick pat down of his pockets revealed nothing, but his glance at one of the nearby shopfronts revealed it to be some sort of general store. Inside, through the dirty glass he could see racks behind a counter filled with boxes of cigarettes.

As Cinna regained her footing she would notice she had accidentally pulled the skull off the neck of the corpse, it had shattered at her feet and the pink crystalline object glimpsed though the eye sockets was revealed.

Sitting on the road was what appeared to be the brain of the driver, yet the entire thing had somehow been turned into this solid pink crystal. 

Touching it the Mythos would trigger a much more powerful vision of the persons last moments. Sky glowing pink in the middle of the night, bright as the sun, fear of some kind of explosion, light washing over her, unable to move as her car left the road and hit the shop....

Sifa's shouting had brought now reaction from the buildings around the group, not even the birds too much notice.

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

"I do no know where you come from, but this is hardly what I would call armed.." Kandela said to Tommaso as she indicated her attire with one hand and lifted the LMG with the other.

Deciding that arguing would delay getting to the inn and the possibility of alcohol, the Tauren nodded at Salem and changed her middle of the road path to the sidewalk, her tail twitching in irritation at the delay. 

[Inumo]

With no response, Sifa returned to the group as best she could. "If anyone's around, they're not all ears, it seems," she said. At the same time, her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't exactly eaten breakfast yet. Following the group's general direction, she slung her pack in front of her and checked to see if there was any food.

[Lisky]

Following behind the massive cow-lady, Salem kept his eyes peeled while keeping his rifle offset from the area Kan was covering to keep her flank guarded.  He waved for a sniper to follow up with them, and hoped the others had enough common sense to follow along with virtually all of their suppressive firepower on the move.

Wraith asked Kan, "What do you remember from where you're from?  Why wouldn't you qualify that chem-burner in your hands as 'armed?' "

[SquirrelWizard]

"No... no... this isn't right..." Cinna jumped back away from the "brain" that was on the ground, "I didn't do that... I couldn't have done that... They don't work that way!" she stared at the crystal in apprehension.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Opening the pack Sifa's rummaging around for food would result in an MRE pack, it contents a can of pork and beans, another can of peaches in syrup, a muesli bar, a tube of condensed milk, enhanced coffee, matches, a chem tablet for a portable stove, and some toilet paper.

The brain at there on the road, seemingly untouched, glowing, but Cinna could remember a minor spike in power just but that first touch, almost if she was returned some of her energy stolen by the wave.

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

Kandela turned her head for a moment towards Salem, before turning her eyes back in the direction of the group's travel. "The land I come from is called Kilamdor, on the world of Azeroth, and without my armor and shield I feel positively naked. The weapons of this type that I have seen our hunters and those made by the Gnomes are much larger than this."


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

After a few minutes and a slight turn in the road the Inn was visible in the distance.   

[Shachza]

Tommaso had been considering breaking in to the general store to see whether the cigarettes inside were still palatable, though he was leaning toward not doing so; they had somewhere to go, there might be enemies near, and most importantly, he had no idea how old the cigarettes might be.  Cinna yelling brought his head around to see what was going on.  He had already grasped his AUG and brought it to a more ready position.

Seeing Cinna backing away from the car with the corpse inside and a shattered something, a sparkling pink inner object lying in the remains of that something, he unconsciously tried to sense what the thing was from where he stood.  He wasn't sure how he could do such a thing, and it certainly didn't happen, but he grew frustrated none-the-less.

However, he held his ground and scanned the surrounding ghost town while Cinna got herself sorted out.

The situation seemed to resolve quickly because the pink object didn't do anything besides lie on the ground.  Tommaso chalked the whole thing up to inexperience with corpses, which was a perfectly normal, if annoying, trait.  Cinna would really need to toughen up.

[SquirrelWizard]

Cinna felt unclean, it was a deep rooted sensation that she felt needed immediate attention. "Water!" Seeing the general store, but not as much anybody near it, she sprinted towards it. She tried to open the door, but it was locked, so she stepped back and planted a strong kick near the lock on the door, causing it to bust open. As she stumbled into the general store she looked around for any source of water.

[Lisky]

"Ah, i see" the feline replied with a bemused grin.  "Well... the weapon you're holding is a slug-thrower, that is capable of firing a stream of projectiles.  You can tell from a number of features... the feed system is the dead giveaway.  Where i'm from... these would be considered cheap, easy to produce, and relatively ineffective weapons.  Here, however, given the strangeness of it all... I'd say this is standard gear... at least... so far."

He gave a shrug, then winced at the loud bang.  His attention shot to the smashed open general store, and the bunny girl.  "Hold that thought!"  He spoke over his shoulder, while bolting across the street, and following Cinna, rifle brought up in an aggressive combat stance.

[Inumo]

Ooh, a granola bar! Snagging that out of her pack, Sifa opened it up and was munching away when she heard someone screaming and crashing through a door. Turning, she saw the feline fursuiter entering the general store and followed him, her pistol suddenly in her hand. Reaching the door, she glanced around outside the shop and caught notice of the pink crystal laying in the street. "Anyone know where that crystal came from?" She asked of everyone and no one in particular. "It wasn't there when I first walked by." As she waited for an answer, she looked around the corner to see who was inside the store, and assuming it looked relatively safe, asked Cinna, "Are you alright?"

[Paladin Sheppard]

Inside General Store, dust from the floor was disturbed, floating up into her air for a moment before dispersing by the fresh air flowing through the door. Everything looked intact, except for what looked like the storekeeper who it seemed had fallen near the door, and like outside Cinna's actions broke the skull of the corpse and another crystal sat slightly glowing on the floor.

However near the counter and along the back wall of the store were refrigerated drink displays, fully stocked.

The fresh air blowing in masked the smell of decay of 'fresh produce' items that had lingered even after so long.


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

At the sound of the door being smashed open, Kandela also turned and brought the LMG up to her shoulder, and charged after the feline soldier, entering the store after him she instinctively covered the side of the room he was not. "What is wrong?" She asked of Cinna

[SquirrelWizard]

"It doesn't make sense. What will people think? They unearth one of their uncles and find his brain turned to crystal. 'what happened?' they'll ask, 'last I heard he met one of them Saedra folk, they must have done this.'" Cinna babbled to herself as she opened a nearby refrigerator and opened up a bottle of water and then began frantically washing her hands, "Sure, then everybody finds out our abilities turn people's brains into crystal and then the next thing you know its all torches and pitchforks. This isn't good, lynching is painful, and we didn't really mean to do it. I mean we're just providing a service!"

[Lisky]

Wraith swept over the building with his rifle.  No sign of life beyond Cinna.  He watched her movements once things seemed clear.  She seemed, distraught.  Her babbling was incoherent, and difficult to understand.

Despite her strangeness, she is a civilian, one of my people, one of the people i'm supposed to protect.  This is going to be a long fuckin' day  The feline thought to himself.  He approached her cautiously, keeping careful attention to her hands.  He  moved in quietly, slowly, deliberately.  "What's wrong? What's got you all worked up, ma'am?"  Keeping his tone level, polite and devoid of the hint of hostility he tended to exude to all non-members of his order.

[Inumo]

Trusting the rest of the group to do what was necessary, Sifa investigated the pink crystal on the floor of the shop. Picking it up, she examined it  and compared it with the one resting in the road outside.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Kandela feeling that nothing was about to jump out at them, let the LMG hang by it's sling and looked back to Cinna, then Sifa. "She seems to think those crystals are her fault I think...What are they?"

Walking over two Sifa she reached out to touch one. "May I have a look?" The Tauren said as her two fingered hand brushed the brain-crystal......



There was a burst of golden light and a clap of thunder, and the Tauren was no longer standing in the store. Instead there was a large bipedal cow shaped hole through several of the store's shelving, and past that what looked to be another hole through the outside wall...And into another building, leaving a windswept but otherwise unharmed Sifa.


After a few moments of silence Kandela was heard. "Oww...."

[Inumo]

"Oh jeeze! Kandela! Are you okay?" Sifa set the crystal on the counter and ran through the various holes left in the Tauren's wake. En route, she thought, What on Earth could make that happen to her but not me?