[IC] Myriad AoW Chapter 1 - Rise from the Cinders

[IntSys]

Bargus, Marblegate City, Upon Arrival

The mountain was rough, but Bargus had rougher. He split with the group awhile ago since he preferred scaling the cliff by hand; way faster than taking those "paths" that zigzagged around the mountain. The skyscrapers over the mountain was truly breathtaking, along with the night skies. He looked down the cliff, and found where the "path" lead up - The actual entrance.

He jumped and slid over the cliffs, quickly arriving at the entrance.

[Ragnar]

Jesse arrived at the City of Angels along with the company of others. He takes a whiff of the fresh mountain air and admires the pleasant sight of Marblegate city from afar. It's hard to believe this is what the killer is after, a utopia built by these angels. Those criminals must really be an asshole to start a ruckus in this sacred ground. Jesse thought to himself as he looks at the otherworldly buildings and breathtaking sights this place has to offer.

"Well, we'll have to find a bolthole first so we can rendezvous and share information throughout the week"

"Uhm, Yeah, you guys go do that," Jesse said, scratching his head. "I'm just gonna go ahead and get ahead start and uhmm gather some intel, yeah that's right some Intel...Uhm..Bye now!" He said to the team and begins to run away before anyone can react. Oh, what a terrible liar the Kid was, Jesse is just excited and just wanted to see the sights firsthand and get to know the place even more. But of course, not forgetting his mission throughout his sightseeing.

"and don't worry I won't get lost!" Jesse yelled out, full of energy, waving his hand from the distance and continues to run towards the city.

After losing sight of his team, He stops running, Jesse walks alone into the city gates as he carries violin case in his hand. Inside that case, there's a hidden compartment that conceals his weapon: his rifle and his ammo as he disguises himself as a common human musician. And why wouldn't he? the last thing Jesse wants is unwanted attention and panic from the crowd if someone sees him carrying high-powered rifle on his back.

Edited August 26, 2016 by Ragnar

[Cool Girl]

Misara arrives to Marblegate City. She takes the time to look around her. She wanted to admire the view, but could not because she acts very seriously on missions and already has her serious look. She, of course, goes with the others during the long-course journey, but when she sees that she's about to arrive to Marblegate city, before entering it, she waits out a bit and tells them:

"Well, we'll have to find a bolthole first so we can rendezvous and share information throughout the week"

"Sorry, but that'll make the killer more suspicious if we rendezvous. If you guys want to do that, go ahead. I'll be doing this on my own. Well, I'll be going ahead now, gathering information and killing the killer."

And with that, Misara leaves and goes into Marblegate on her own.

[Felicity]

Jorgen quirked an eyebrow at his eager companions. Particularly Misara, she was free to do as she pleased but...

"The whole point of a bolthole is a discrete, safe place to retreat to. Ideally people wouldn't be seeing us meet there..." Jorgen explained, to their backs. They probably hadn't heard him anyway. That said, speaking to the locals was a good first step to figuring out the lay of the land and where he could set up their temporary HQ.

[Sutoratosu]

Lucille arrived in the city as she did most places, a good seven feet up in the air, on the back of Bora as the beast meandered through the gate in leisurely stroll. Even from down here at the base of it all, she had to admit, already this place seemed far better than the shit hole that was The Thousand. It still had the stench of artificial structuring, that much was undeniable, but at least the angels had better taste and greater respect for the world than common men, they'd kept their meddling to a far more moderated level and hollowed out whatever they needed from the mountainside instead... if only they'd do the same for those construction sites they'd passed. Despereaux was practically beside himself in awe of the view that extended for miles upon the land.

"There. We're here." She said roughly, knowing full well the wolf was right behind as they entered. The pale blonde, one-eyed hund had been with them practically since the whole way, from port to mountainside. Turns out it wasn't easy to book passage when you gave no damns of the value of currency in the... artificially-developed parts of the world. Like it or not, without him she probably wouldn't have gotten past the sea.

"Indeed we are. It's been interesting... I'm curious though, were you really going to take on the captain and his entire crew? 20 men at once, by yourself? I mean... even with a dire bear, that's quite the number..."

"You know nothing of dire bears if you think that... and yes, I would've. And I would've won too... bastard thinking I'm some whore lacking dignity and self-respect, he's damn lucky you intervened when you did..."

"Well, what can I say? I see a fair lady in a dicey spot, I can't help but intervene... plus, if you did kill him, the legal ramifications... they wouldn't have been good at all. Not to mention the deaths of him and his crew would've denied me the last ship heading out this way, so... you can say I had vested interest. Kill two birds with one stone. And come on, I wanted to at least get to know the Hero of Sanctuary a bit before I killed her." That stopped the bear dead in his tracks, he knew it would. By the time the massive paw came swinging and cleaving the stone where he stood in twain, he had already leapt a good few meters back. She had already dismounted...

"A bit touchy about it I see, relax, relax, it's was a joke." She was far from convinced. The blade of pure, condensed sound the sheared a few locks of fur from his ear was testament enough. "Wait, really, I'm kidding! Think about it, even if what I said about wanting to know you before I killed you was true, why the hell would I wait so long to do it? Why would I let us get to the city where there's bound to be witnesses everywhere, potential prying eyes I have no way of knowing if they're there?"

"You've got a strange sense of humor if you think threatening to kill someone is a joke."

"Yeah... I've gotten that before. Force of habit, really, black humor helps the coping mechanism and all... but no, really, I wanted to see what you were like... the girl who killed the Vongth the Butcher, he had been commanding armies for generations, they say you weren't even old enough to drink by most standards, and yet... who's the one that came out of that fight alive? I even heard from the elves that his body was missing one of his eyes..." He gave a wolfish grin, eyes lighting up in what seemed like pure satisfaction... "Did you do that? If so, I gotta thank ya, fucker deserved it."

Bora remain on guard, muscles tensed to pounce at the drop of a hat, Despereaux only glared at the Were who, up until now, hadn't proven much trouble. But Lucille could tell he hadn't meant it, now that she actually took the time to sense his heartbeat, the miniscule vibrations transferring through the air and earth. And he definitely seemed genuinely interested...

"I did, why?" She sighed. "Did he take yours? Did he burn your village, kill your family, rape your sister, desecrate your holy grounds... honestly, I've heard so many things attributed to him since that day that I'm not surprised anymore."

"No, no... I lack my eye because of my own decision, but he owed something, yeah, let's say that... but damn if you didn't beat me to the punch, though I can't say I'm too mad..." A laugh, something strange coming from a wolf. Not that Lucille hadn't heard it before. "Hells, not at all, I probably would've gotten myself killed so many times over! I'm just glad someone put a stop to the Beast from Eringrad... but anyways... that's enough chatting, I got my shit to do, and I'm sure you have your own reasons for coming here, even if you refuse to tell me." With that, he began his departure, changing back into human form as he waltzed past Bora and patted the bear on the snout, just narrowly pulling away in time to avoid losing that hand. His glacial eyes met the bear's crimson orbs from behind that loose sheet of platinum blonde hair, face refined and regal enough to have easily passed for elven if not for the lack of pointed eyes. The black coat he had when they'd first met seemed to materialize from thin air around him, along with his entire loadout. "Yeah, I'm sad to leave you too, Big Bear. Anyway, I'm sure we'll meet again, Lucy, It's been a fun ride...but uh, it's time for me to make some money."

A merchant's wagon passed between them, and like that, he was gone with the wind. Despereaux gave a quiet squeak as he tried sniffing around, unable to pick up any trace of the man now.

"I don't know, Desp... and I don't care either. I'm just glad to be rid of him." With that said she went about her own way, Bora following behind after lingering on where the Were had been for a few seconds longer. She wasn't too concerned with trying to find the others, they'd doubtless be wherever the congregation was held in a few days...

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

It was easy to flit through the wildness in her true form. It wasn't a place she'd be seen. She traveled through the natural wilds until she couldn't anymore. She enjoyed that part of it, but... she'd have to rejoin the world of others now. She'd have to see beings of another nature once more. And... a whole city of them. Needless to say, Luna wasn't thrilled. Especially less so to be in an angel city. Luckily they couldn't sense her aura, nor could many humans... so she was sure they'd not find out. Hopefully she didn't need to fight so much. However, for now she certainly couldn't enter the city in her "true" form. The Nightmare Beast... what demons had once called it, way back in the day. They believed it to be the avatar of their god, Bomoriel. However, in reality it was Luna herself. Her own manifestation. She was a god in the flesh. She never felt like one though, however, being a Primordial One... it wasn't really up to her. She, was the sculptor of flesh... the strongest Shifter ever known to the Primordial. However, she was also the only Primordial to never create offspring. She never created anything into the world. For to her, nature was already perfect. Adding to it, only diluted it.

She never really wanted to be what she was. Her line about half-bit nature goddess's to the Human Lucille... was in reality about her. It was why she hated Druids. Many had done awful things to the wild in her name. As if they knew her. The only solace Luna could take that was to her, Bomoriel was a different entity. It was the thing people believed she was. Hell, even within the accounts, "Bom" was a male god. He was a male figure, representing the wildness of nature itself. Luna sighed, she hated thinking about it. Worse was remembering what she said to Lucille.

She saw that hesitance. After all that she said. Perhaps, her words were too over-eager. She found in someone... one that might understand her own frustrations, but soon found that perhaps she had unraveled it to far. She, couldn't be sure that's what that was, but... she felt that it was. The reason for her leaving, felt much to much like an excuse. It was too convenient for that moment. She clearly had control or at least, the ability to will that creature to not kill. She stopped it from attacking Luna herself after all... so, she had to be trying to get away from her. "Perhaps... I'm being too self centered." Luna said to herself, in the middle of the woods. But, she pressed on.

She arrived at the city, now instead in the form of a Big bushy black dog. The type that looked wild, and yet, kind. The sort you'd not question if it was a stray or not and even if it was, you'd still think the hound friendly. She skittered through the gates of the city nearly undetected entering underneath a merchant's cart. Her black fur hid her from plain view unless you were lookin' mighty closely. Luckily for her, it seemed the guards weren't in the mood to look for contraband thoroughly today. She'd probably spend a bunch of time on her own within the city before gracing the others with her presence. She might not even show herself at all. Who'd expect a stray dog of all things to be guarding high value targets. However... things might get dicey if she did have to fight. Her best form for fighting was becoming the Nightmare Beast. But, that'd not go over well in a densely populated area. It was a last resort only. She could quickly upgrade to a dire wolf from this form and that would enhance her ability to fight quite a lot, without drawing as much attention. It was a strange plan.

She was so lost in thought she hadn't noticed she arrived nearly at the same time as Lucille, though she'd have only she her barely over the crowd, and only due to her riding that bear of hers. She didn't see her at all. However, her aura definitely would've been felt by them. The feel of a light summer breeze... even if there was no wind today.

[Chevaleresse]

Gabriel approached Jorgen from behind, clad in a hooded traveling cloak and carrying a parasol to boot. He sighed, then asked the large cyborg a question. "Typically, when I am to fulfill an assignment of significant duration, I have compatriots that pose as my parents or some other guardian figure. As the others seem to have wandered off, I would request that you fulfill this role, at least until we can gather this team into one place."

[Felicity]

Jorgen turned to face Gabriel with an easy smile. "Well sure son, I've even got the shotgun to chase away no-good varmints from my precious baby boy." Jorgen said in an exaggerated drawl. He patted Charlie the Spaz-12 lightly, the weapon was hidden in a large bag that might be used to store a canvas, along with various other necessities and spare limbs. "We'll use your surname for the time being, mine's rather, uh, conspicuous. Otherwise, you take point and i'll follow your cues."

[Sutoratosu]

"I feel her too..." Lucille might've craned her neck if she had the vision to make it matter, try to peer over the crowd... but it didn't matter, as faint as it was, she probably wouldn't have found the one in possession of it anyway. This time it has been Bora who pointed it out, much to Despereaux's chagrin. She knew not what to think of the one calling herself Bom. Never before had her instincts been so conflicted, one half ringing the typical alarm of something beyond the bounds of her own realm, just as it did for all beast when encountered with the supernatural, yet the other doing the exact opposite, telling her to disregard it, that she did not have to act so defensively... that she could trust her. But trust was hard to give when another being could see through you so easily, and yet offered so little answers as to their own selves. In truth, Bora killing that little rat-hund was a blessing in disguise, she didn't know how she would've gotten away otherwise...

She had even asked the old spirits of Sanctuary about the encounter... for there were no Written records in Sanctuary, there was no need of them- everything that was crucial, everything that mattered to their existence, it was all kept and passed down from one Keeper to the next, the spirits of those masters long since departed inhabiting the very grove dominating the territories center... an inner council of sorts, only accessible by the current Master, encase they ever need guidance... the very same council that Old Fox had consulted when Vongth arrived at their doorstep, and had told him to evacuate and burn the forest all around the elves...

But alas, not even the ghost of Old Fox himself could give her answers, and whatever masters had lived far back enough to know anything of the one called Bom, their trees had long since died and rejoined the earth, their souls moved on to whatever after realm awaited, and whatever relevant lore they carried lost somewhere among the passing of ages.

All she knew was, whatever Bom was, her age surpassed the very holdings of Sanctuary itself. Possibly even most parts of the natural world, she had no real way of telling either way...

It was only Des's fidgeting that broke her out of her thoughts, Bora still meandering through the crowd, giving a snarl here and there whenever a angel wandered too close... quite the effective method for parting a crowd. The mouse had his eyes fixed on a parked merchant's wagon across the way, tombs upon copious tombs and scrolls spilling out of it's back... infact, it wasn't parked, the spoke of the back wheel had snapped and sent the thing lopsided. Books meant terribly little to Lucille and the bear, but at least placed a value on written text... probably because he was the only one literate.

"They want refined and processed metal for their wares" Lucille said, not bothering to stop Bora. "don't you remember the ship? Gods that awful captain..."

Despereaux gave her a sideways look. Who the hell mentioned anything about needing money?

She pursed her lips, letting him show her the scene. The actual merchant in command of the wares seemed nowhere near- probably off finding aid. And well... the last time the mouse had acquired any reading material was while looting the corpses of the fallen in Vongth's War...

"Fine," she finally sighed in his mind. "If it's that important to you, go ahead and try it. Just don't get trample-"

He was already leaping off her shoulder and to the ground, a fall that should've killed most of his race, yet Des took it in stride and scurried off at top speed while dodging boots and shoes, a fleeting blur of gray and pink and white.

Bora grunted in annoyance, sending even more around him as he came to a stop.

"What? you have your honey, he has his books. Neither one of you can say much about the other's obsession..."

((and no, I do not intend to have him come back with very conveniently acquired lore on Bom... cause c'mon, that takes all the fun out of shit...no, I got something else for him to find...))

[InnocentSerenity]

"Finally here, huh?" Karol gave a deep breath, glad that they finally reached their destination. The entire trip had exhausted her, especially considering she had to tow a bag to hide her rifle.

Looking to the city, the mountain face served to amaze Karol. A city of Angels, so to speak, Karol stood to appreciate the beautiful sight she came to see. If we weren't here to kill a guy, I'd love to just stop and just enjoy the place.

"Well, we'll have to find a bolthole first so we can rendezvous and share information throughout the week"

"Um, yeah. A... bolthole. That'd be useful to have for... sharing information." Out-of-combat tactics were never Karol's specialty. She didn't want to admit to not knowing what the heck a bolthole was, either. Regardless, Jorgen, even if he was a Human, probably knew more than she could ever know. She'd be better off just following him.

"I'm just gonna go ahead and get ahead start and uhmm gather some intel, yeah that's right some Intel...Uhm..Bye now!"

Hm, wonder what he's up to. Does he even know what intel we're looking for? Oh well, not like I really know, either. Shrugging it off, Karol followed the rest of the group to wherever they were heading.

Edited August 26, 2016 by InnocentBoy

[IntSys]

Bargus

There at the city gate stood the cyborg. It seemed that the others have just left. Bargus walked up to Jorgen, who was talking to a hooded figure. "The cyborg's acting friendly toward him, must be an ally, then. Maybe I should get a disguise, too. Demons aren't exactly well received here..."

"What's the plan? Are we just gonna scatter ourselves around the city, hoping to find a clue or two?" He interrupted Jorgen and asked.

[Chevaleresse]

"I plan on posing as a student and trying to gather information from the killer's potential targets - or, failing that, seeing if I can lure them out. The killer is likely to target either a human or a demon; either species is likely to cause hostilities to flare should one of them turn up mysteriously dead. Unfortunately I do not have an alias that would set me up as an important target, but the chance is there." He glanced about at Bargus and Karol. "Jorgen here has an excuse to lurk about the gathering in the role of my 'father.' I recommend you two find something to allow you do to the same." He returns his pale crimson gaze to Jorgen. "Now. You are Jorgen Ardelean, and I am, of course, your son, Gabriel. You are quite proud, and quite protective, of your son, who is such a prodigy of academics - which is, of course, while we are here. If anyone asks why you look the way you do, you can likely tell them the truth." He takes a breath before continuing. "If they inquire about anything off about my appearance or habits, simply state that I am a sickly child, and say that the unusual physical features come from Mrs. Ardelean - or yourself. Does this sound satisfactory and acceptable?"

[Felicity]

Jorgen nodded along with Gabriel. "If we wanna keep up appearances for li'l Gabe here first we gotta find out if there's any important student functions going on. That'll take up time some time if there is something we have to attend. Bargus, Karol, if you could find somewhere for us to set up a base of operations in that case, that would be appreciated. We need someplace to coordinate and retreat to, especially with such an eclectic bunch of people. Otherwise we'll be wasting time searching for each other." Jorgen scanned he skies for any angels flying nearby. "See if you can't flag down a local and get the lay of the land, that's where I'd start. See where the good and bad parts of town are. Unless you have an issue with what I'm saying?" For now it was imperative Jorgen didn't exert too much authority. Aside from being bad form it could cause a schism if any more aggressive members of the group decided they didn't like what he was doing. The group was still too loosely connected to risk that, as evidenced by those that had run off. He'd had a nasty time with an old squad mate of his who had done the exact thing he was worried about now and in hindsight Jorgen had been in the wrong. Best not to repeat old mistakes, eh Liam?

[IntSys]

Bargus

"Alright, I'll see what I can do. Karol, if you want to, follow me, I can even give you a piggyback ride!" Bargus laughed, although he was half serious as well. He would be scaling cliffs more often than using the bridges. "That said, after I figure out a good base, how am I supposed to get the message to you guys? Especially with most of the team going on their own. My plan is I'll pull off a street performance here at the city gate when it's night. I'll intentionally shoot out a giant fireball to the sky as a signal flare during the performance, that should at least get their attention."

Edited August 27, 2016 by IntSys

[Felicity]

"Just ask around town about the big hulking man of metal. I'm pretty distinctive even amongst our group. Maybe if you catch the killer's attention it'll seem like you suspect me, confuse just how many people are coordinated against 'em." Jorgen suggested. If he wasn't going to hide his appearance, he'd use it. "Anyone else I'm afraid will have to find out when they get the chance. Your streetshow may give them that chance."

[Ragnar]

Jesse, hidden on top of a high vantage, Miles away from the group, Separated (kinda)

"Well, I see the group, man they sure take their time walking..." Jesse said through the scope of his rifle, The angel is watching them, stalking them as they stroll around the parts of Marblegate. Jesse put down his gun and sighed

"Perhaps I shouldn't focus on them too much, I'm not sure if the killer would take Mr. Gabriel's bait." The sniper thought to himself "think Jesse..think, if i wanna bugger with the Alliance who will i target? our killer has a pattern, the killer likes its victims newsworthy, he likes attention. He'll probably target some rich snobs or something just to gain some reputation." Jesse thought to himself.

Jesse scans the place as keeps a look out for any fancy rich looking people down below his area.

Edited August 27, 2016 by Ragnar

[M_Cowher]

The Wilds on the road to Marblegate, Rhaeza

The only thing that Rhaeza loved more than punching an arrogant bastard in the throat after they assumed that Rhaeza was a demon because of his amber eyes and vertical pupils was getting to travel long distances alone in the wilds. A few miles out of The Thousand Rhaeza shifted into his werewolf form and Strapped his bag to his back, which to an uneducated stranger would be a rather amusing sight, but it was either that or all equipment be OSP (On Site Procurement). 'I hate wearing this thing, but at least this one won't fall off and get found by a troll again...' Rhaeza then took to the wilds on, may be more or less considered 'the scenic route'. Running through the darkness, hearing every small sound or creak of the wilds, seeing everything within reason due to his obvious night vision, howling at the moon occasionally, were all very appealing feelings. Especially after being cooped up in The Thousand for a while waiting for the alliance to get their shit together.

Rhaeza arrived under the cover of darkness at Marblegate and slipped into the city undetected, as he always decided to do the first time he visited a city. Marblegate was one of the few major cities that Rhaeza surprisingly never visited on 'business trips', mainly because the Vampires would rather not develop hostile relations with Angels, and for good reasons. Rhaeza explored the city under the cover of darkness for a while before deciding he was going to need a map if he wanted to find anything important in this city.

Marblegate: upon the arrival of the rest of Rhaeza's unfortunate company, he was sitting in a bar having a stiff drink, and eavesdropping on the patrons. "Can you believe that stupid Dlanod wants to run for office? He really thinks that we need another wall..." "But he'll stop all of these violent bigots from entering the city, or at least the political district!" Unfortunately nobody had anything that interesting to say, yet of course.

A woman with dark hair and a unnecessary amount of 'beauty' products sat next to Rhaeza's corner at the bar. "Haven't seen you around here before handsome..." Rhaeza slowly turned his head and looked at her with his piercing unnatural, monster eyes. The woman gasped and backed off like so many others. Rhaeza smiled to himself. 'Works every time.'

Edited August 27, 2016 by M_Cowher

[IntSys]

Bargus

"Good, I'll be on my way then." He followed the main path that extended out of the entrance. The path split and curved into several bridges, leading up to even more floating buildings. He stopped at the sign at the crossroad, which pointed out the direction to various districts. "A hotel would be the easiest solution...and it's probably in the Commercial District." He took his time to read the rest of the sign, seeing whether Karol wanted to follow or not.

Edited August 27, 2016 by IntSys

[InnocentSerenity]

Karol looked at Jorgen and Gabriel, watching them create their plan, then moved her eyes to Bargus. Her options were staying in a group with a Human or following the Demon. I'm definitely not staying with him. Giving them a glance, she left the two and ran after Bargus. Maybe he wasn't kidding on that piggyback ride, too.

"A hotel would be the easiest solution...and it's probably in the Commercial District."

"Do you plan to spend money to have us stay at a hotel?" Karol looked at the sign, trying to figure out where they could possibly gather. "If we wanted to just find a place to gather, a restaurant of some kind might be another idea."

Edited August 27, 2016 by InnocentBoy

[Jory]

Jarvis- The Tattered Wing (Tavern)

Like Jesse, Jarvis was currently far removed from the group. Counter-insurgency missions can be handled well by a group, but even better when the target believes the group is the only one after him, he thought to himself. He downed his drink and placed his tankard delicately on the bartop, looking around. He was in a tavern as dingy as could be found in a place as pleasing to the eye as Marblegate. However, the patrons did not match the decor. In his travels, Jarvis had been to Marblegate before. He knew this establishment to be a good jumping off point when looking for information in the city, and as such was keeping his ears open and his weapons at the ready. As he could recall, the only thing he'd found more of in the Tattered Wing than valuable information was itchy trigger fingers. He looked up at the barkeep, a gruff-looking human who hadn't seen the need to shave in many fortnights.

"Another pint, my good man." Then, in a hushed tone, he continued. "About what I asked you earlier- the killer. Any leads?" he asked, sliding a sizable amount of the local currency across the bar.

[krim]

Raziel flew his way into the city using the route he always did. "Sure has been a while since I've been here." he thought "Not exactly how I'd prefer to make my return though. I wonder if the old man will even recognize me..."

Stopping on a tall bell tower, he quickly scribbled out a note. The only one he had really talked to was Jesse, so he dropped it to him on his way over to an old bookstore he had been in years ago.

"Bookstore at the northeast corner of the city. Might find a lead or two. If you can't find me, I'll make sure you can when dark hits. ~~Raziel

PS: Might be a good idea to find a taller building. I could see you from the bell tower. At least hide a little better if you're thinking of scouting."

Reaching the store, he made his way in through a trapdoor at the back of the roof. "At least it's still here...Really, more places should install those things. Although...I suppose most places don't need them." he thought before browsing the aisles for a while.

Eventually, he made his way up to the front and gave the wiry cashier quite a shock. Apparently he wasn't aware of the door on the roof. "You wouldn't happen to have "The Drunken Kingsman" would you?" he asked, giving a small smile but not taking his eyes off of the man.

The Drunken Kingsman was a scholarly code for rumors in this part of the angelic world. He wasn't exactly sure why that book was chosen in particular, and there were many conflicting stories as to its origin. Maybe he'd look into it someday.

Sliding a coin across the table, he added "If you can procure a copy, I'd be willing to pay."

He was a little saddened it wasn't the old man that used to run the store, since he never asked for coin. But a small bit of gold was worth whatever he could get from this. More mages than most expect tended to visit this bookstore on a regular basis. Even ones of other races.

[Ragnar]

"Bookstore at the northeast corner of the city. Might find a lead or two. If you can't find me, I'll make sure you can when dark hits. ~~Raziel

PS: Might be a good idea to find a taller building. I could see you from the bell tower. At least hide a little better if you're thinking of scouting."

"Not bad," Jesse smirks at the note the water angel drop off from above. Perhaps I should change into my wraith form and take this more seriously in doing this, I doubt even a trained eye can't see even if I was right in front of them. Jesse thought to himself as he kept the paper as a reminder. A good sniper knows his position has been compromised, time to change location then.

Jesse, the City Streets

And with that, the kid walks towards a wall and went through it like a ghost, vanishing in plain sight. As silent as the wind, Jesse reappears into the city streets as he casually walks towards the northeast part of Marblegate, where Raziel requested in meeting him.

Edited August 27, 2016 by Ragnar

[Chevaleresse]

"Right then. Shall we be off?" Gabriel would start into the city as soon as Jorgen agreed, noting landmarks and searching for a suitable place to stay, separate from wherever the group meeting place was being set. It would be no good to be constantly in the secure location, after all. He also looked for signs and such pointing them to where this gathering was placed, peering out from beneath his cloak and parasol at the buildings. Passers-by did not escape inspection, either; he tried to note anyone who looked uncomfortable or otherwise conspicuous, though he doubted the killer would be so unprofessional as that.

[IntSys]

Bargus, Crossroad -> Commercial District

"The whole mission is bound to last 3 days at the very least. We'd look very suspicious if we play homeless for three straight nights, especially when this place is so...luxurious." Bargus turned to Karol and said, "The perk of a hotel is that we won't risk our discussions being heard by the killers. The money I have should be enough." He was somewhat glad about the girl's company.

"Let's get going, if we ever regret about the hotel plan, there are restaurants in the Commercial District as well." He walked across several bridges, arriving at the Commercial District. It was a bustling place, with winged angels flying high and wingless angels strolling low, all in a neatly fashion. After asking around for directions, he found the hotel few blocks away from the district's entrance.

"How much is a room for four?" He asked. The clerk was surprised by Bargus's demonic appearance, but she kept her cool and answered. He took a look at the Hotel Introduction booklet available on the counter, and took it with him. Just in case of the others not willing to stay in a hotel, he did not book a room right away.

"Hey, Karol, this hotel also has a restaurant. It's two birds in one stone!" He exclaimed enthusiastically. "It's still early from night, what do you want to do next? I'd look for information, but all that was really tasked to us was finding a place to gather, so we're free to do anything else, really."

[Sutoratosu]

Lucy

"What the hell is this?" She demanded as the mouse returned, dragging with him not a book, not a tomb or scroll or treatise... but a radiant, crystalline polyhedron that he lugged about with his stubby arms and legs, flinging it up towards the woman before scurrying up Bora's leg and back to her shoulder. She held it out in front of her, the power of sound illustrating the ornate, carved features in her mind. Des provided no answer, simply looked at her intently... and she knew not even he was entirely sure.

"Of all the things you could've taken, you choose... this? Without even knowing what it does, why?"

This time she got a single squeek...

"What do you mean 'It called out to you?' It's an inanimate object, there's no sentience for it to call to y-" She soon found herself eating her own words as a strange wave passed through her mind, like something otherworldly probing through it with countless fingers... and then in as much clarity as Bora or the Mouse might show her something, there came the whisper and another, and another, until at long last they melded into some great cacophony of foreign sayings and arcane phrases. Through Des's eyes she could see the brightness intensifying by the second... and acting on pure instinct, she suppressed the fluster of confused thoughts and noises and stowed the thing in her vestments as fast as she could, giving Bora the go-ahead to move on and sending the beast down the way again, a far faster pace than his leisurely walk before. "He wasn't lying..."

There was no telling what the strange artifact was. But it knew her, and it apparently knew Despereaux too, both their names had been among the echoing reverberation, just about the only parts of it she could understand. Through whatever means it could've known them, she had no idea, but any investigation would have to wait. Thievery wasn't exactly her forte, but even a wild beast such as herself had enough sense not to linger around a scavenged kill site once one was done- you never knew when the one who brought it down might be back for more.

They had to find somewhere out of the way, somewhere would few would bother to venture or think twice of moving shadows in. An Alleyway... or some natural cave somewhere; as much as she hated the former, she knew she was far more likely to find it here than the latter, at least at the base levels of the city where everything was still glass and steel...